Life's a Beach

Happy long weekend, folks! We took the kiddos to the beach yesterday. It was really windy (precursor to a very intense summer storm) but, we loved being mellow, eating "bips", trying out a new slide and wallowing in the sand.

Blink

Maybe it's because she's the second child but, Claire's babyhood seems to be disappearing in the blink of an eye. Today, I put her hair in pig tails for the first time and I swear she aged. Then, she proceeded to spend the rest of the afternoon (it was a short nap day) driving Simon's little car. She gets this little glint in her eye, cocks her head, and moves those little feet as fast as she can. She's pretty fast too.
She's trying to wean herself (any advice on this - I'm not really ready to pay for formula so, how do I keep nursing until she's one?) and all she wants to do all day is walk, walk, walk (assisted, of course - my aching back!) She's wearing 12 month sleepers (she's pretty skinny in them but, she's definitely long enough) and I've put away most of her 6-9 month clothes.
She has 2 teeth and that's changed all of her expressions. Gone are the days of gummy smiles and now, she bares her teeth at us and sticks out her bottom lip to express an array of emotions.
She's a sweet little live wire. I can hardly wait to see who she's becoming!

Quiet Supper

Every other Wednesday evening, I leave the house and go off on my own for a "quiet supper". Usually, this is a meal at a nearby mall, an ice cream cone, a trip to the library, a walk around the mall and a delicious hour of reading a book. No feeding little mouths or wiping little faces or meeting anyone's needs. It's delightful.
In total, I usually spend 1 1/2 - 2 hours away from my kids. It's a wee sanity break in a busy, blissful little world.
I'm so thankful to have a wonderful husband who realized my need and provided me a way to meet it.

Away

Boardwalk walking. Beach sitting. Wading with a toddler. Wet towels drying in the sun. Playpen sleeping. Book reading. Outside eating. Picnics. Ice-cream delights. Family visiting. Oma and Opa story reading. Catching up. Anniversary-ing (5 years). Being spoiled. Sleeping in.
We loved being away.

Holidays!

Simon's been walking around the house today saying that he's on holidays (little does he know that his life is a constant holiday). Trevor's off work for a week and we're heading east for some fun in the sun and some relaxing with Trevor's extended family.
I am super pumped.
This is our first family road trip with Miss Claire Berry and I'm curious how she'll sleep, eat and travel. She did well in Ottawa but, that was half her lifetime ago so, we'll see how things go this time.
Our little Mazda 3 is going to be packed sooo tight, we'll be nearly bursting. Good thing there's no IKEA to visit in the city we're headed to or we'd be in real trouble.
We finished the last of the cloth diapers in this cycle and, I won't be starting another cycle until we get back. I love my cloth diapers but, I'm excited to be a bit lazy for a while.
It's our anniversary on Friday and I can't think of a better way to spend it. I always like it when we can travel on our anniversary. That way, I can remember specific locations for specific years rather then have a jumble of restaurant nights out blurred together over the years.
It's also amazing what having 2 parents around can be like. I don't feel pulled in two directions all the time and both kids love the extra attention.
Happy summering to you all!

Endless Circle

Laundry and housework are like stringing beads on a thread with no knot at the end.

The floor under our dining room table makes me shudder (and I clean it at least twice a day).

Follow up and peace

I had a meeting today with the HR guy from my school division. I could have brought in an STF rep or our school division president but, I chose to go it alone. Did I want to appear non-confrontational? I hope it appeared that way. The truth is that I just didn't have the heart to inconvenience anyone at the start of summer holidays. Oh, to be a doormat... sigh.
It was a good meeting. I said my piece, aired my concerns, cried a little (professional tears and not the ugly sobbing this man encountered on the phone during our first conversation) and left feeling like a weight had been lifted from my chest. Nothing has changed about my situation. I am still transferring to an elementary school. I will still be scrambling to make long range plans for ELA 6/7, Social 6/7 and Career Guidance 6/7. I still experienced poor handling. However, this man took time to listen to me, encourage me and tell me that, at the soonest opportunity, he will move me back to high school. Nothing like a little hope to make a bitter pill go down better.
Now, I am closing this chapter in my work life. I have done what I could and now I am moving on.
Elementary school and short students, here I come!

Happy Canada Day

Happy Birthday, Canada.
We celebrated with cousins, sushi, cupcakes, not enough napping at nap time, flag waving, flag wearing and park going. Later, we left the kids with a baby-sitter and took in the fire works.
I think Canada Day is one of my favorite holidays. Don't even get me started about how much joy it brings my son. Captain Canada was ecstatic!!!