'round here

The flu bug bit bad.
Work, kids, clean, cook, nurse, homework, bed... rinse, lather, repeat.
Sad, neglected Fergus.
Houseplans and playdates on weekends.
Lots of Christmas stuff in the works.
Tis the season for too busy and yet... little hands make me stop and soak in happy humming, exploring and playtime.


PS - Thanks for the pics, Auntie Andrea. Once again, you are amazing!!!

Growing Pains

As I carefully stapled the paper to the bulletin board for the first time in my career, my colleague popped her head in my class and told me that I was "cute" because I obviously was a bulletin board amateur. I laughed because that's the reaction that I have when nervous but, the high school teacher inside me felt like crying. Seriously? Making fun of a colleague during her first week? Granted, she also lent me all her borders.
After one week in an elementary school, these are the differences I've noticed:
a)Bulletin Boards - Are we competing? Seriously, why do e. teachers put so much time into those suckers? I think that my high school classrooms were lovely and very visually satisfying and I never had to staple stupid paper to the walls!
b) Recess - Complain all you want about having to supervise every now and then but, I LOVE recess. I even don't mind the fluorescent vest I wear so that I can be seen on the playground. I like the actual break in the mornings, I like getting outside (and this week's been brutal) and I like being able to call my babysitter, go potty or make a photocopy.
c) Helpers - The girls in my class all want to help me do everything. If I really want to accomplish something with all these helpers then, I need to plan for it. Blech...
d) Lack of freedom - "Am I allowed to use a pen?" "Can I write my name on the corner?" "Do we underline the title?" "Can we store our papers in binders instead of duotangs?"
-Honestly kids, do what you want. As long as you hand your work in, keep your notes in some order to help you study and everything is legible, I DON'T CARE.
e)Interviews - Yep, after a week, I have interviews. I've prepared like a fiend because, unlike high school where I see about 16 out of 110 students' families, I get to meet every one of my students' parents.
e)Kids are short and weird - In the hallways and on the playground and in my class I keep seeing little, little people doing weird things like lay on the ground, tantrumming, picking their noses while walking, etc. This does, however, beat walking down high school halls and seeing too much cleavage, canoodling and sneaking smokes.

Week #1 is done and that, in my mind that is the hardest hurdle. I've learned a lot this week. I miss high school but, I'm preparing to hunker down, don my florescent vest and call this school for little people home for a while.

Happy Birthday, Claire Berry

Happy Birthday, Claire Berry. It's hard to imagine that just last year, we were waiting for the go ahead to take you home from the hospital. I was so unsure about what life would be like with two babies and I had know idea who you were yet.

I'm still getting to know you and I'm thrilled to watch you learn and grow. You're a sweetheart. You like kisses and cuddles and you love to sit in my lap to play. You're independent. I can leave the room and find you playing all by yourself. You can be a little fiend - you bite, pull and pinch and you drive me nutty sometimes. You have a good sense of humour and it's easy to get a laugh or a grin out of you. You adore your brother and you spend as much time as possible trying to do what he's doing... much to his chagrin. You're a hungry little monkey and you want to try everything. You're adventurous - it doesn't take you long to warm up in a new place and scoot all about.

You are everything I have ever wanted in a daughter. I love you, Little Berry!

Reworking that Routine

Routine has become the new theme to my life. I need to establish a getting the Schmoos up, dressed, nursed (Claire) and out the door before 7:15 am. My baby-sitter is establishing new routines with her 6 little munchkins. Claire needs to catch on to a napping at the baby-sitter's routine as she's one sad Princess when I pick her up. I need to figure out how to keep house and keep on top of all my prep (this is what happens when you HAVE NO EXPERIENCE TEACHING GRADES 6/7 - you have no idea what you should be doing the next day... blech)!
This is our new life... we just need a bit of time for re-adjustment.

Positives:
-My students are super nice.
-Simon napped yesterday and has potential to nap today.
-Our babysitter is AWESOME!
-My staff is nice.
-I love texting the babysitter with my lovely iPhone.
-I only work part-time - how the heck do full-time Mommies manage?

a hootenanny

20 people in our little house all celebrating the fact that Claire will be one this coming week. It was an 'owling good time. I'm glad my kids are born in totally different seasons so I don't have to have parties back to back.

Bruised

I'm still feeling pretty bruised and vulnerable. I cried at SuperStore today while picking up some sippy cups. There will be a ton of memories that will be triggered by little things for the rest of my life. In time, I'll learn to manage them. For right now, I'm resigned to cry in public places for random reasons.

We're starting to get better health wise too. This cold really knocked Trevor and I on our feet. Some days, I wish that there was a way for Mommas to take sick days too. I would have LOVED to sit on my couch, drinking hot apple cider and reading my days away like I used to when I took sick days. That was another world.

This is my last week of maternity leave. Claire will be one soon. Shocking, isn't it? I'm savouring all the little "stay-at-home" Momma things that we so love. I let Claire linger longer while nursing in bed in the mornings because that won't happen come Monday. I played hard with Simon in the snow during Claire's nap time. We indulged in our favorite grocery day lunch: sushi. We went for a walk to see the flags and loved the new sparkling snow. I'm hoping to clean my house top to bottom one last time while I don't have homework calling my name. Other then Wednesday (when I need to go to work to prep), we're going to celebrate our last full week together until Christmas holidays. I'm excited to do our favorite things all week long.

My Bossy Big Sister

All this summer, my friend Laurie struggled with cancer and chemo and the effects of the chemo on her body. Last night, she went to be with the Lord.
Since I was 19, Laurie has filled the role of "bossy big sister" in my life. We took ballroom dancing lessons and "cruised Albert" as single girls. I remember soaking in my parents' pool with her before my first "date" with Trevor. I remember giggling on the phone with her shortly after her first date with her husband. We LOVED that our boys were also friends before we found them. There were lots of Kaiser nights where we stayed up far too late. Laurie and her husband helped Trevor with his engagement prep and were lurking in the parking lot to congratulate us. Both of them stood up for us at our wedding. She was the one who connected us with our first house and now, our new house is a hop skip and a jump away from her house. We'd talked of endless summers on the deck watching our kids grow up. She was one of my regular phone calls when I was lonesome on mat leave and I knew I could always walk over to her place with Simon when he was a demanding infant.
I'm going to miss my friend so, so, so much.