The Happiness Project

I'm reading Gretchen Rubin's book called The Happiness Project. I read a lot of random things and this had a very favorable review in Maclean's (which I read religiously) so I thought I'd check it out of the library.

I'm pretty impressed with it.

First, she started her project, basically how to make her life more happy, not because she was unhappy but rather because she just wanted to milk as much happiness from life as possible. I really like this idea. I'm a pretty happy person but, it's good to think of ways to be happier rather then just to coast through life.
She chose a different part of her life to focus on every month for a year. My favorite chapters so far have been about her marriage and about being a Mom. Currently, I'm reading her chapter on leisure. It's about how we "play". One of the things Gretchen had to realize about herself is that things that may give other people pleasure don't always work for her. One of her golden rules is to always stay true to
"being Gretchen". This is a good realization for me.

I'm coming to accept that I'm a little quirky and what works for some, doesn't work for me. For instance, group sports tend to cause me performance anxiety. I'd much rather walk the park with Trevor and Simon. I HATE going out with groups. There's too much conversation and I never know where to focus my attention. I much prefer quieter outings with one or two friends. I love creating things, making the mundane into an adventure, being silly, baking and ice cream. I LOVE stories... a good book, a good TV show, a good movie, a sermon with a story to illustrate a point, a good radio broadcast, a good... well, you get the point.

So why, except when absolutely obligated, do I put myself in situations I don't enjoy? I guess I do it because these situations are supposed to be "fun". I think that this book has been a good reminder for me to just be me.

Anyways, if you're in the mood for a really good read that will make you contemplate life a little, check out Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. The library has a few copies kickin' around. I think you'll be glad you did. :)

LOST

I'm home alone and wishing Trevor was here. He's playing Ultimate. It's not that I begrudge him some family free time, I just really, really want to watch the next episode of LOST.

We're on Episode 9 of Season 2. I'm completely hooked.

I tried watching this series back when it first came on when I was living the life in Lanigan but, I kept "getting lost" because I would miss episodes. Watching it nightly has helped immensely.

I need to know who "the others" really are. I need to know why there are random "Dharma" bunkers on the island. I need to know what happened to Walt. I'm worried about Charlie and Sayid. I'm wondering if Locke is really crazy. Who are these other survivors and can they be trusted?

Goodness, I'm an addict.

My World

Fleeting

I wish I could hold tight to these fleeting summer days. It's dawned on me that the end of July is fast approaching. After that, it's August. I love August (because it's a summer month) but, I dread it's end. Back to school, back to new routine, leaving my boy full-time.
I want to package up these warm days where we walk to the park every day and have adventures with sticks and bugs and pretty flowers. I want to freeze time and enjoy endless nights of sleeping with the windows open. I want to bottle up the smells of suntan lotion, freshly cut grass, flowers in bloom and rain. I want to record the sounds of Simon's babbling and giggling.
I am going to embrace all these free days as gifts. We'll never have another summer quite like this one. I'm going to enjoy every minute of it that I can.

Those Unanswered Questions

A call came and woke me from my weekly nap. A realtor and some prospective buyers wanted to view our house at 5. Could we be ready by then?
After a jaunt to Burger Baron with the Schmoo and Grandpa (yummy, yummy yam fries), we returned home.
We know that the realtor and prospective buyers were here. We see the card the realtor left. Now, we have a ton of questions such as:
-How did the house smell to you? (I boiled water and vanilla just like many "how to sell quickly" sites suggested).
-Was Fergus nice to you?
-Did you notice that I cleaned the window sills with a toothbrush the other day... just to impress people like you? Were you impressed?
-Did you feel welcomed when you saw our newly purchased welcome mat?
-Do you want to buy our house... please, please, please?

Sigh. There's a ton more questions where those came from.

It'd be nice if someone just fell in love with our house the way we did.

I knew you when...

In the past 2 days, I have run into 3 former students. Each time, I was very tempted to ask a million questions and give them each a bear hug. It's strange that I feel this way but, after teaching for 8 years, there are so many students that I have absolutely adored and miss having in my life.
I think that's what I love most about my job. It sure isn't the mountains of marking or the insane amount of prep (although, that does allow me to be quite creative). It isn't the staff (not that I don't love them too) or the professional committees I belong to. It isn't even the passing on of information. It's really all about the kids and the relationships that I'm able to form.
Now, when I see FB updates or run into one of my favorites (of which there are many, many, many), it's interesting to see the changes that have occurred. Shy, meek kids have blossomed into moms and dads and have careers of all types. Wild and raucous kids have mellowed and matured but still carry that spark of rebellion with them.
I'm so proud of how so many of them have turned out. I'm so proud that I was able to spend a little bit of time with them during such a critical part of their development.

It must be summer holidays. Only then do I miss teenagers. :)

The Buy-Sell Dilemma

We're putting our house up for sale on Monday.
Yeesh... did you see that coming? I don't think I did.
And yet I did.
We've been looking for something newer and bigger since our sleep deprived fall days.
Now, I think it'd be nice to be in something newer and bigger before Schmoo #2 makes an appearance.
We found the perfect house. It's newer and bigger and just 3 km away in an artsy area of town.
We made a conditional offer. (Conditional as in: we can buy your house if we can sell our house).
We waited nervously.
The current owner doesn't "do" conditions and would like us just to buy his house.
Only, our major asset is our house.
Now, we're going to take a risk, sell our house (fingers crossed) and make another, non-conditional offer.
As long as his house doesn't sell beforehand.
Then... we'll be hooped.
Sigh!
Ah well... I'm going to be positive and believe that if it is meant to be, it will all work out.
Currently, our little bungalow is a whirlwind of decluttering and last minute fixes.

If you know of anyone who's interested in a cute little bungalow near a beautiful park in the south end, let me know and I can email you more details.

4

"Grow old with me, the best is yet to be." - Robert Browning

Thanks for the 4 best years of my charmed life! Here's to many, many, many more!

Sweet Feet

Every Tuesday of last summer, Simon and I spent the afternoon waiting (and waiting and more waiting) in the casting clinic for his casts to be put on. This summer, Simon spends his Tuesday afternoons in blissful nap land. I am soooo thankful for his little feet. Someday, he'll be an independent walker and who knows what kinds of sports he'll play.
Today, we went to his foot doctor who declared his feet "just fine". I know that they are just fine but, I always have a bit of an anxiety build-up right before his appts. It was good to walk out of that appt. with a smile on my face.
As a "reward", we hit up the library and a super fun park on the way home. This guy sure LOVES to play.

My Aching Back

They're ganging up on me already. Between the interior one growing and the exterior one walking, walking, walking I am slowly becoming an old lady in need of my Lazy-Boy.
One of the characteristics of an infant with clubfeet is skipping the crawling stage and delayed independent walking. That doesn't stop my little guy. All he wants to do is GO GO GO! However, going requires tightly clutching my hands. This works for the most part except, I do not always want to GO GO GO! Poor Simon is stuck with an ever-expanding Momma.
I think that this product may solve these problems. Is it wishful thinking or do you think it could actually work? Let me know.

15 minutes

Motherhood has been good for me. It's made me a less-selfish person. It's also helped me let go of a few bad habits. I no longer linger and dawdle as I get ready in the morning. I'm proud to say that, I can get myself ready in 15 minutes of less (minus breakfast and making the bed). This works well for Simon. He can destroy the bathroom in less then 15 minutes too. :)
Being in the bathroom alone has become a luxury that I will never take for granted again. I'm guessing that I will have a bathroom buddy for the next 5 years of my life (hopefully, it'll be younger children and not still Simon). Even Fergus hates being left out of the party.
The bathroom has an allure for my kid. Maybe it's the toilet lid that goes up and down or maybe it's the flusher but, he's a happy guy in the bathroom. Hopefully, this will aid in our potty training journey in the new year.

Canada Day

Balmy day at the park with our Schmoo. He loved his little paper flag (would not let it go... so much better then a stick). He watched the trick dogs, he watched the crowds, he pointed at babies, kids, airplanes, doggies and other people's food. He loved sharing my ice-cream. He was nice and tuckered out at the end of the day. He was easy to put to sleep.
I picked up our baby-sitter and we headed to the park with Trevor's sister and brother-in-law. We sat by the lake. We enjoyed the dragonflies, the lightning in the distance and the fireworks.
Summer's here!

Inside and Outside

Yesterday, had our 21 week ultrasound. From the looks of things, this should be our last ultrasound unless the wee one is breech. After 10 ultrasounds for Simon, I am thrilled that we may only have 2 for this little one. This means that THE DOCTORS HAVE NO CONCERNS!!!! I love that! Straight little feet, 10 fingers and 10 toes. :)
Here's a shot of our 12 week ultrasound, our 21 week ultrasound (all we have are the 3D pictures... they're a bit schmushy... this is the best) and a belly shot.
It's crazy to think that in just 19 weeks (or 20 or 21), we'll have two little Schmoos to look after. Let's just hope that Big Brother Simon has figured out how to walk by then.