Carrie Snyder | Writer

“Leprechorn”

Wednesday, Mar 18, 2009 | Holidays, Kids | 0 Comments

The “Leprechorn” visited our house today. We’d heard from a friend on Friday about this tradition (new to me) … leave a cup/bowl/bucket/yogurt container on your steps on St. Patrick’s Day and receive some treats (in the case of the friend, chocolate-covered almonds). We had none of those, but not to worry, Mommy, the Leprechorn will bring some! Albus took charge. He instructed the girls where to leave the container, he searched for suitable items, including these four green balloons on which he drew lucky clovers with permanent marker. He secretly placed the container. And he waited patiently for someone to notice it. Here it waits in the sunshine, while the children play and play and play.

Evidence of Spring

Tuesday, Mar 17, 2009 | Kevin, Kids, Photos, Spring | 0 Comments

Experiment’s done. I’m going back to the single blog, and will mingle photographs haphazardly with words, hang the consequences and messiness. Life is messy. Here’s what we found in our backyard today: snowdrops poking through brown earth; a toddler who looked as comfortable as the old-timers in the sandbox; children climbing and running and imagining; one man resting his leg and supervising.

Help is on the way!

Saturday, Mar 14, 2009 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

We are grateful to everyone who has offered to run errands, play with children, and otherwise assist our limping family. Thank you! Your phone may be ringing in the very near future …

Tonight’s serendipitous moment arrived at 5. I wrote for part of the day, and didn’t put any thought to supper. Kept putting that thinking off, and off, and off, till it really was suppertime. Suddenly, there was a knock upon the door. Neighbour Nina: “Would this raspberry custard pie fit with your supper plan?” Are you kidding me? This raspberry custard pie IS my supper plan!

Placed pie upon table. Meandered about trying to finish reading through today’s story, chasing CJ up the stairs (aargh, what fabulous timing that new skill is!), while wondering what to add to the pie plan. Finally dug through the fridge, found leftover pasta, leftover sauce, heated those together with the remnants of a veggie broth. Would it be enough? Apple-Apple wanted to help, so I set her to making a spinach salad with sliced apples. Apple-Apple slicing apples! Not fingers, thankfully. We made heaps, Apple-Apple tossed it, too.

And then we ate. Like the loaves and the fishes, we feasted upon what was at hand. I cut the pie into eight pieces. “How many will we each get to eat?” “Is CJ having a piece?” “Let’s say no.” “Oh! Five, so that means three leftover! Perfect! One extra for me and Albus and Fooey.” “Hmm … CJ really likes this pie, too.” “What if we split each extra piece in half?” “Perfect! Six pieces! One extra for everyone!”

Quick Update

Friday, Mar 13, 2009 | Exercise, Kevin, Kids | 4 Comments

Just to say: Kev’s home, no surgery, leg splinted into place, and we’re figuring out his limitations and abilities. He’ll go back in a week for xrays and another consultation. The surgeon wasn’t keen to perform surgery under the smashed and splintered circumstances, but will leave it to nature to heal. After which, Kev will get rehab. Hey, at least finding a physio shouldn’t be a problem.

I ran the children to the walking school bus this morning. Of course, we were late. Sprinted would be more like it. We had to holler the last half-block to flag them down (stop! wait for us!). Fooey insisted on coming too (she’s experiencing irrational fear of her dad’s knee and crutches), but she couldn’t sprint quite as fast and trailed behind howling like a banshee. An A+ mothering moment.

Eleven Months

Thursday, Mar 12, 2009 | Chores, Kevin, Kids, Music, Sleep | 0 Comments

Son CJ will be a year on March 29. He can now enter a room, say, the kitchen, and open all cupboard doors not rubber-banded shut and empty them in a matter of seconds. Last night, while I did dishes, he layered the floor with baking trays and muffin tins, which made a most satisfying crash as they landed. He then got stuck head-first in the corner cupboard. Then he practiced opening and closing the heavy kitchen drawers and attempting to heave-ho the largest of the pasta pots. Nothing delights him more than to march about hoisting high an implement at least three times his height: brooms, hockey sticks, et cetera. He also loves to toot on a plastic recorder or bang a drum, and will stop mid-stride at the sound of a good dance beat to bop up and down. I’ve also just realized he is talking to us using actual words–“da do” for thank you, “na-na” for nurse and/or mama, head shake for “no,” “ma” for more, et cetera. He waves bye-bye, and last night climbed the stairs in the dark (guess he’s put aside his fear of heights) and ran into big brother Albus’s room to wave an enthusiastic and loving goodnight.

There are more photographs on the parallel photo blog, but above are a few. He’s been running to the front door to wave hello and goodbye, or to watch his big siblings playing outside in the cold. And two mornings ago, I let him eat (destroy) a muffin all by himself.

He still nurses several times a night, but he just fell alseep by himself for the First Time Ever. Naptime, and I laid him down, tucked him in, came down and read stories to Fooey. We kept listening for the enthusiastic screams of protest, but they never came. A little fussing, and then silence. He was fast asleep. My goal is to be able to kiss him goodnight and leave the room. I know it’s possible, because Albus was falling asleep contentedly by eight or nine months; though the girls were much later. Apple-Apple was twenty-six months, and Fooey was about twenty months. In fact, I couldn’t get Apple-Apple to sleep without pushing her in the stroller. After she was weaned, Kevin did bedtime, and when he was travelling for work, I would have to call a friend or grandma to sit in our quiet house, Albus fast asleep, while I pushed Apple-Apple round and round the block.

Ah memories. Can you tell I’m trying to distract myself from worrying about another subject entirely?

Update on The Knee: it’s shattered, according to x-rays, which explains why the swelling never subsided. My sweetheart is at the hospital as I type this, waiting to be assessed by an orthopedic surgeon. He hasn’t eaten all day in anticipation of possble surgery, and was looking a little wan. And in pain. He’s very stoical, however, and fundamentally optimistic, and I know he’ll be doing all that he can, and probably more than he should, as soon as the surgery’s over. But darn, I hate waiting, and not really knowing. Good thing the kids are having friends over after school, and I’ll be more than occupied from 3pm on with the purposeful basics: school pickup, snacks, cooking, supper, cleanup, bathtime, bed.

Time for a cup of tea.

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About me

My name is Carrie Snyder. I work in an elementary school library. I’m a fiction writer, reader, editor, dreamer, arts organizer, workshop leader, forever curious. Currently pursuing a certificate in conflict management and mediation. I believe words are powerful, storytelling is healing, and art is for everyone.

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