This morning, Casey had a meltdown. It's nothing new, really; happens with disturbing frequency. His emotions bubble under the surface like magma. Hot and cold. Off and on as easily as turning a faucet.
The source of today's eruption was the difference between hockey and church. Sam had a hockey game from 9:45am to 11:15am, smack dab in the middle of church. Because I missed yesterday's game, it had already been planned that I would take Sam to hockey, while Kane would go to church with Casey and Abby. Kane and I talked about this last week already, but Kane, like his son, is quick to change his mind. First, he was going to church, but he began lamenting over missing the game. Kane made the mistake of involving Casey in the decision process, and the decision was made to go to hockey. Then, just before we were to walk out the door, Kane changed his mind back to church. Casey did not handle that news very well at all!
He sulked and cried and pouted and ranted, stubbornly refusing to leave until the anger in my voice compelled him forward. As the kids piled into the van and I began scraping snow off the windows, Kane changed his mind once again and again. (Yes, he did, and I don't even want to go down that road right now!!) As we began to back out of the driveway, I informed Casey, that as a result of his behaviour and attitude, he would not be allowed to play outside this afternoon. Naturally, he didn't take that news very well either, but Dad to the rescue...
Kane told Casey that he could have a reprieve if he came to church without anymore attitude. Casey wisely agreed; he knows who to suck up to. I fumed and countered with my opinion on that matter.
So, I dropped everyone off at church before taking Sam to hockey. Because of Kane's back and forth decisions, we were running behind schedule. They were on time for church, but Sam was not in the dressing room on time, which highly insulted my sense of order.
The game was played. Sam scored. We won. My mood was lightened. I nearly forgot about Casey's behaviour. Almost.
After supper, Abby was playing on the computer, while Kane washed dishes and I watched some of the Olympic's closing ceremonies. I heard Casey in the kitchen begin to whine to Kane about the unfair computer usage. (Yes, he does keep a mental tally of anything and everything that might be unfair!) Eventually, Casey asked if he could go on the computer. Kane wisely referred him to me, lord and master of this contraption. (He can have the remote; I'll take the computer!) So, Casey asked me.
I mentally giggled in an almost wicked and conniving way. Of course, I told him no because of his behaviour this morning. It wasn't long before I heard Kane coaching Casey, telling him that if he apologized to me for that behaviour, maybe I'd relent. Bring it on, son!
Casey slinked around the doorway. "Sorry," he mumbled. Kane called out instructions on a proper apology. Casey tried again, "Sorry." Kane told Casey not to stand at the door but to go over to me. Casey tried not to smirk as he closed the gap before mumbling that same word again.
"Sorry for what?" I asked. He apologized for his behaviour and bad attitude.
"Casey, I accept your apology and I forgive you, but I am not going to let you play the computer. Would you like to know why? It is because you need to learn to live with the consequences of your actions."
At this point, I expected more tantrums and outbursts. At the very least, I expected Casey to retreat to his bedroom, where he would hide beneath his blanket in a teary, angry pout. I watched and waited.
Casey slinked back to the kitchen and out again and down the hall toward his bedroom. Aha! Or, so I thought, but he was back in the kitchen before I knew it. There was no pout. No tears or tantrums. Instead, he was talking to his dad and waiting for the dishes to be done. Minutes later, father and son were playing marbles in the hallway; the sound of laughter drifting to my ears.
This was not what I expected. All previous experiences with my son had left me feeling weary of the battle and defeated. How many times can I explain the same principles? How many times do I bang my head against the brick wall resembling my son? As a shell-shocked parent, I had come to expect the worst, but today I claimed a victory!
Has wisdom suddenly penetrated Casey's skull and rooted itself in his brain? I doubt it. Will Casey never again have a meltdown? As much as I would love that, I know it is too much to hope for. Did Casey show a degree of maturity today? Yes indeed!
Just before I sat down to write this, I called Casey to me and told him how proud I was of him for his reaction (or lack of) in the face of disappointment. He beamed with one of those radiant and contagious smiles of his. These are the moments that make parenting worth it.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Here and There
Sam's team won their fourth hockey game of the year. We've had some good games against this team before, and this one was very much the same. Back and forth action, close score. As parents, we were all rather excited and stunned by the explosive start our boys had, taking a 3-0 lead within the first five minutes of the game! Sam scored the fourth goal for our team; his third goal of the year! The final score was 7-6. Way to go!
Abby and I went to the mall this afternoon for a little mom and daughter time. It has become apparent to me that my little girl is far more "girlie" than I am. She loves to shop. I see it as a necessary chore that needs to be done on occasion. But, we had fun browsing the shops we typically don't enter, especially when the boys are with us. I picked up some boring things from the dollar store: ramekins, penny rollers, and some scrapbooking stuff. I bought Abby a pair of pajamas from LaSenza Girl and a novel from Chapters. After purchasing some frappucinos from Starbucks, we headed home.
Abby and I went to the mall this afternoon for a little mom and daughter time. It has become apparent to me that my little girl is far more "girlie" than I am. She loves to shop. I see it as a necessary chore that needs to be done on occasion. But, we had fun browsing the shops we typically don't enter, especially when the boys are with us. I picked up some boring things from the dollar store: ramekins, penny rollers, and some scrapbooking stuff. I bought Abby a pair of pajamas from LaSenza Girl and a novel from Chapters. After purchasing some frappucinos from Starbucks, we headed home.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Cyborgs
Got this from another blog. (Thanks Keith) Try it here: http://cyborg.namedecoder.com/
Kane scoffed at the "logical" in my cyborg. I don't know why.
Kane scoffed at the "logical" in my cyborg. I don't know why.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Looking a Gift Horse in the Mouth
In the past few days, I have received junk mail from numerous sources, including the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and the SPCA. Both these two organizations were kind enough to send me a personalized note pad and sticky address labels. I'm quite sure that I am not the only person who receives many such gifts from non-profit groups seeking my support.
Almost every time I receive another set of address labels, Kane asks me if I feel guilty about using these labels without sending a cheque to the group. He asked me again yesterday; my answer remains unchanged. Nope!
Should I feel guilty about using address labels sent to me? I didn't ask for my name to be included on their mailing list, nor did I ask to receive these gifts. It isn't that I don't support charities, because I do. I just rarely send money in response to phone or mail solicitations. And frankly, there are some charities that I simply don't support with any regularity. Like the SPCA. I support them in principle; we adopted our cat from them, but I would rather donate my money to people than animals. I've long been a supporter of the Canadian Cancer Foundation, even if I don't fill out the donation card and mail it in with a cheque.
I also financially support other organizations for which I receive no gift, and I don't mind that in the least. Gift or no gift, I support those groups that I am passionate about. Every group or organization has their hands out for money, I can't give to them all.
Almost every time I receive another set of address labels, Kane asks me if I feel guilty about using these labels without sending a cheque to the group. He asked me again yesterday; my answer remains unchanged. Nope!
Should I feel guilty about using address labels sent to me? I didn't ask for my name to be included on their mailing list, nor did I ask to receive these gifts. It isn't that I don't support charities, because I do. I just rarely send money in response to phone or mail solicitations. And frankly, there are some charities that I simply don't support with any regularity. Like the SPCA. I support them in principle; we adopted our cat from them, but I would rather donate my money to people than animals. I've long been a supporter of the Canadian Cancer Foundation, even if I don't fill out the donation card and mail it in with a cheque.
I also financially support other organizations for which I receive no gift, and I don't mind that in the least. Gift or no gift, I support those groups that I am passionate about. Every group or organization has their hands out for money, I can't give to them all.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Feels like a Monday
The wild game banquet was alright. The food was good. Kane and I won two prizes from the raffle: a $15 gift certificate to a pub and a marine safety kit. We don't have a boat, so the marine safety kit seems a little weird, but I'm sure we can find uses for the components of it. As for the pub, I guess Kane and I will need to go for a lunch date some day.
We caught another mouse, this one in one of my kitchen drawers. That was yesterday morning, and the traps have remained empty since then. Abby had wanted to have a funeral for the first mouse and bury it in our yard, but I put my foot down with an emphatic NO. The trash is quite good enough for a dead rodent. Thank you very much.
I'm tired. I had planned on going to an emergency minor hockey meeting last night. Alternatively, I could have gone to my weekly girls' night. Instead, I stayed home, zoned out in front of the TV, while Abby "taught" me shapes, place values, addition, and spelling. Melancholy.
I have a lot of work hours this week, and I have a lot of work hours for next week. It depresses me just a little, because these are more hours than I want. When I was hired, I clearly stated that I would like between 16 and 20 hours a week. This week, I will have either 27 or 28 hours. Next week, I'm looking at 25.5 or 26.5 hours. Now I don't mind an extra hour or two once in a while, but this is too much.
I hate to complain about it to my boss. I know they're short-staffed. Obviously, they're happy with my work and value me as an employee, but I have to do what is best for me and my family. My housework is suffering. We rarely have supper at the dining table, and supper is usually a slapped together affair to begin with. I don't have as much time to help with homework or be involved with my kids' schools. And, work is just exhausting!
Baseball season is just around the corner, and life will suddenly become insanely busy for us. There's no way I can work these kind of hours once baseball begins.
To top it all off, I've not got a sore throat. It came on suddenly last night and has continued through today. I've managed to stay mostly healthy this winter, so I'm hoping to nip this in the bud.
We caught another mouse, this one in one of my kitchen drawers. That was yesterday morning, and the traps have remained empty since then. Abby had wanted to have a funeral for the first mouse and bury it in our yard, but I put my foot down with an emphatic NO. The trash is quite good enough for a dead rodent. Thank you very much.
I'm tired. I had planned on going to an emergency minor hockey meeting last night. Alternatively, I could have gone to my weekly girls' night. Instead, I stayed home, zoned out in front of the TV, while Abby "taught" me shapes, place values, addition, and spelling. Melancholy.
I have a lot of work hours this week, and I have a lot of work hours for next week. It depresses me just a little, because these are more hours than I want. When I was hired, I clearly stated that I would like between 16 and 20 hours a week. This week, I will have either 27 or 28 hours. Next week, I'm looking at 25.5 or 26.5 hours. Now I don't mind an extra hour or two once in a while, but this is too much.
I hate to complain about it to my boss. I know they're short-staffed. Obviously, they're happy with my work and value me as an employee, but I have to do what is best for me and my family. My housework is suffering. We rarely have supper at the dining table, and supper is usually a slapped together affair to begin with. I don't have as much time to help with homework or be involved with my kids' schools. And, work is just exhausting!
Baseball season is just around the corner, and life will suddenly become insanely busy for us. There's no way I can work these kind of hours once baseball begins.
To top it all off, I've not got a sore throat. It came on suddenly last night and has continued through today. I've managed to stay mostly healthy this winter, so I'm hoping to nip this in the bud.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Good Intentions and All That Jazz
Good intentions. I was going to blog yesterday. And the day before. Obviously, I did neither, even though I had both those days 'off' work. So, what did I do? Good question.
Let's see...on Thursday, I went to Wal-mart. It seems to be a weekly activity; one I could do without. However, I now have only 6 or 7 rolls of undeveloped film at home! Slowly but surely, I'm catching up.
What else? Oh yeah, I watched Olympic coverage, talked to one of Sam's teachers on the phone, and picked Sam up from school early. It was his parent-teacher interview day. Later, I packed all the kids up to go to the three interviews I had booked with his teachers. Unfortunately, I only made it to two of them, but it wasn't my fault. Sam's science teacher was my first stop, and he kept talking right through our scheduled 10 minutes with him and our 10 minutes scheduled for Sam's Social Studies' teacher. In fact, I was even a minute or two late for the math interview! But, it was okay, and it shows me how interested Sam's teachers are in seeing Sam succeed.
Friday was a professional development day, so all my kids were home. No school. Casey had received a $25 gift card for Future Shop for his birthday, so we finally had time for him to spend it. Since we were heading there anyway, I finally took our computer in to have the video card installed. My mom had bought a new one for us for Christmas, so that Sam could finally play the video game he bought months ago. The stupid game wouldn't play on our computer, even though our old video card should have been good enough. So, I was without my computer for a few hours yesterday, but the game works and we're all happy.
Instead of doing housework, I watched the US women's hockey team lose to the Swedes, and I watched the Canadian women earn their way to the gold medal game. Unfortunately, I work on Monday and will miss the gold medal game. Darn.
It was early to bed for me last night as I had to work at 6am this morning. Casey had a friend sleep over, which I wasn't too sure about, but it worked out okay. I guess. Of course, I had said no to a sleepover, but dad showed a weak spot.
Tonight, Kane and I are heading to a wild game banquet courtesy of Kane's boss. We went last year and had an enjoyable time. Hopefully, tonight is just as good.
I'll be up just as early tomorrow as I was today...well, I might get an extra 20 minutes of sleep. Sam has a hockey game at 6:30am, and since I missed him play today, I'd like to see this game. Which reminds me...his team won today!!!! That's 3 wins this season. After hockey, we have church, then the rest of the day is free. Maybe I'll have a nap...quite likely actually. Some laundry. Some homework nagging, I'm sure.
We finally caught a mouse...just not where we expected to. The traps I set in the cupboard and drawers are still empty. No more mouse poop either. However, Kane had set a trap in the basement inside our breaker box (we've caught mice there several years ago) a few days ago. I didn't know that he had put a trap down there, so it hasn't been checked since he set it. He checked today, and there was a dead mouse. We're not sure how recent this catch was, but would it be too optimistic to hope it was the only mouse in the house? Probably.
Let's see...on Thursday, I went to Wal-mart. It seems to be a weekly activity; one I could do without. However, I now have only 6 or 7 rolls of undeveloped film at home! Slowly but surely, I'm catching up.
What else? Oh yeah, I watched Olympic coverage, talked to one of Sam's teachers on the phone, and picked Sam up from school early. It was his parent-teacher interview day. Later, I packed all the kids up to go to the three interviews I had booked with his teachers. Unfortunately, I only made it to two of them, but it wasn't my fault. Sam's science teacher was my first stop, and he kept talking right through our scheduled 10 minutes with him and our 10 minutes scheduled for Sam's Social Studies' teacher. In fact, I was even a minute or two late for the math interview! But, it was okay, and it shows me how interested Sam's teachers are in seeing Sam succeed.
Friday was a professional development day, so all my kids were home. No school. Casey had received a $25 gift card for Future Shop for his birthday, so we finally had time for him to spend it. Since we were heading there anyway, I finally took our computer in to have the video card installed. My mom had bought a new one for us for Christmas, so that Sam could finally play the video game he bought months ago. The stupid game wouldn't play on our computer, even though our old video card should have been good enough. So, I was without my computer for a few hours yesterday, but the game works and we're all happy.
Instead of doing housework, I watched the US women's hockey team lose to the Swedes, and I watched the Canadian women earn their way to the gold medal game. Unfortunately, I work on Monday and will miss the gold medal game. Darn.
It was early to bed for me last night as I had to work at 6am this morning. Casey had a friend sleep over, which I wasn't too sure about, but it worked out okay. I guess. Of course, I had said no to a sleepover, but dad showed a weak spot.
Tonight, Kane and I are heading to a wild game banquet courtesy of Kane's boss. We went last year and had an enjoyable time. Hopefully, tonight is just as good.
I'll be up just as early tomorrow as I was today...well, I might get an extra 20 minutes of sleep. Sam has a hockey game at 6:30am, and since I missed him play today, I'd like to see this game. Which reminds me...his team won today!!!! That's 3 wins this season. After hockey, we have church, then the rest of the day is free. Maybe I'll have a nap...quite likely actually. Some laundry. Some homework nagging, I'm sure.
We finally caught a mouse...just not where we expected to. The traps I set in the cupboard and drawers are still empty. No more mouse poop either. However, Kane had set a trap in the basement inside our breaker box (we've caught mice there several years ago) a few days ago. I didn't know that he had put a trap down there, so it hasn't been checked since he set it. He checked today, and there was a dead mouse. We're not sure how recent this catch was, but would it be too optimistic to hope it was the only mouse in the house? Probably.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Not in a house. Not with a mouse.
Have you seen the movie Mouse Hunt with Nathan Lane? It's hilarious. Over the top. My boys could laugh their heads right off watching the two main characters destroy their home in search of an elusive mouse.
While I have more intelligence than both of those characters combined, I can feel the same frustration they felt. After setting three traps yesterday, I waited; not very patiently, I might add. By bedtime, the traps were still empty. This morning, still empty. I went to work and came back home. The traps are still empty but...
One of the traps has been cleaned of bait! There are a few little parting gifts from the rodent in that same cupboard, too. The two traps in the drawers are just as they were, and the cupboards are still clean. It's not fair! I snapped my finger in the trap while setting it yesterday; how can a mouse lick every single bit of peanut butter from the trap without snapping the trap?!
I admit it. I want instant results. We've got a mouse or mice. Fine. I don't like it, but I can deal with it. I just don't want to deal with them forever. When we had mice several years ago, we caught a mouse the same night that we first set the trap. Results!
While I have more intelligence than both of those characters combined, I can feel the same frustration they felt. After setting three traps yesterday, I waited; not very patiently, I might add. By bedtime, the traps were still empty. This morning, still empty. I went to work and came back home. The traps are still empty but...
One of the traps has been cleaned of bait! There are a few little parting gifts from the rodent in that same cupboard, too. The two traps in the drawers are just as they were, and the cupboards are still clean. It's not fair! I snapped my finger in the trap while setting it yesterday; how can a mouse lick every single bit of peanut butter from the trap without snapping the trap?!
I admit it. I want instant results. We've got a mouse or mice. Fine. I don't like it, but I can deal with it. I just don't want to deal with them forever. When we had mice several years ago, we caught a mouse the same night that we first set the trap. Results!
ABCs
ABC's about you...
A is for age: 34...I need to keep reminding myself of that...I'm mentally stuck on 32
B is for Best Friend: Courtnay, Debbie, Janelle, Karen, Kimberley, and Niki
C is for career: wife/mom/part-time Tim Horton's peon
D is for dad's name: Dave
E is for essential items: paper and coloured pens
F is for favorite song at the moment: Superman by Five for Fighting
G is for your favorite type of gum: Extra in any mint flavour
H is for hometown: Kelowna
I is for instruments you play: I played the clarinet in grade 6 and 7, but now I just play the CD player! I can also plunk out a tune on the keyboard with one hand if I need to.
J is for jam or jelly you like: raspberry or grape
K is for kids: Samuel, Casey, and Abigail
L is for living arrangements: in a house with a mouse
M is for mom's maiden name: Neufeld
N is for name of someone: Alexander
O is for overnight hospital stays: for the births of my kids, having my tonsils removed as a kid, and probably more as a baby
P is for phobia[s]: I'm not aware of any true phobia, but I have a strong dislike for spiders and insects. I guess mice, too.
Q is for quote you like: "I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere."
R is for relationship compromise: I let Kane hold the remote control even when I know he'll flick through the channels and I don't want him to do that.
S is for stuff that you like to do: read, write, puzzles, games, sleep
T is for Time it takes you: to get ready to leave for somewhere? mere minutes...it is my husband that takes forever!
U is for unique trait: I don't know; I feel extremely ordinary.
V is for vegetable you love: corn on the cob with butter and seasoning salt
W is for worst trait: procrastination
X is for x-rays you've had: wrists and ankles, possible a chest x-ray as well
Y is for yummy food you make: spinach & smoked gouda stuffed chicken breasts; cabbage rolls; scalloped potatoes; carrot cake; banana bread
Z is for zodiac sign: capricorn but I don't follow after signs
A is for age: 34...I need to keep reminding myself of that...I'm mentally stuck on 32
B is for Best Friend: Courtnay, Debbie, Janelle, Karen, Kimberley, and Niki
C is for career: wife/mom/part-time Tim Horton's peon
D is for dad's name: Dave
E is for essential items: paper and coloured pens
F is for favorite song at the moment: Superman by Five for Fighting
G is for your favorite type of gum: Extra in any mint flavour
H is for hometown: Kelowna
I is for instruments you play: I played the clarinet in grade 6 and 7, but now I just play the CD player! I can also plunk out a tune on the keyboard with one hand if I need to.
J is for jam or jelly you like: raspberry or grape
K is for kids: Samuel, Casey, and Abigail
L is for living arrangements: in a house with a mouse
M is for mom's maiden name: Neufeld
N is for name of someone: Alexander
O is for overnight hospital stays: for the births of my kids, having my tonsils removed as a kid, and probably more as a baby
P is for phobia[s]: I'm not aware of any true phobia, but I have a strong dislike for spiders and insects. I guess mice, too.
Q is for quote you like: "I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere."
R is for relationship compromise: I let Kane hold the remote control even when I know he'll flick through the channels and I don't want him to do that.
S is for stuff that you like to do: read, write, puzzles, games, sleep
T is for Time it takes you: to get ready to leave for somewhere? mere minutes...it is my husband that takes forever!
U is for unique trait: I don't know; I feel extremely ordinary.
V is for vegetable you love: corn on the cob with butter and seasoning salt
W is for worst trait: procrastination
X is for x-rays you've had: wrists and ankles, possible a chest x-ray as well
Y is for yummy food you make: spinach & smoked gouda stuffed chicken breasts; cabbage rolls; scalloped potatoes; carrot cake; banana bread
Z is for zodiac sign: capricorn but I don't follow after signs
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Of Mice and Men
Three traps have been set since prior to noon. Here it is a little after 7pm and the traps remain set. No little visible indicators either. I know they're around somewhere. Waiting, and it could drive me crazy.
Why is this little pest avoiding my kitchen drawers now? After my discovery yesterday, I cleaned out one of the drawers. By the time I went to bed last night, there was once again reminders of a mously presence. Likely, I'm giving these creatures far more intelligence than they truly possess, but that is what happens when paranoia settles in for a lengthy ride.
And no, Maggie is not a mouser. At least I don't believe so. Oh, she hunts flies and spiders and other creepy crawlies, but I don't know that she's ever seen a mouse. Well, maybe she has, and I just wrote it off as feline silliness. Whatever the case, we've had Maggie since she was only a few weeks old, and she's never been allowed outside. While I think she might enjoy playing with a mouse, I don't think she has the killer instinct. Unfortunately.
Why is this little pest avoiding my kitchen drawers now? After my discovery yesterday, I cleaned out one of the drawers. By the time I went to bed last night, there was once again reminders of a mously presence. Likely, I'm giving these creatures far more intelligence than they truly possess, but that is what happens when paranoia settles in for a lengthy ride.
And no, Maggie is not a mouser. At least I don't believe so. Oh, she hunts flies and spiders and other creepy crawlies, but I don't know that she's ever seen a mouse. Well, maybe she has, and I just wrote it off as feline silliness. Whatever the case, we've had Maggie since she was only a few weeks old, and she's never been allowed outside. While I think she might enjoy playing with a mouse, I don't think she has the killer instinct. Unfortunately.
Mouse Hunt
Little did I know that baking a cake would send me crashing into the depths of paranoia and shatter the plans I had for today. I have the day off work, so I had planned on doing next to nothing. Maybe I'd curl up on the sofa with a book or watch the Olympics. Undoubtedly, I would spend some time on the computer, playing games and catching up on emails and blogs. There's still hope for the rest of my day, but it hasn't been the picture of idle bliss I imagined.
As the timer on the oven buzzed yesterday, I opened the drawer where my oven mitts are kept only to find it liberally doused with mouse poop. I was floored. I had been in that same drawer the night before and seen nothing but trivets and oven mitts. There's no way I could have missed seeing all that mouse poop. Heart sinking, I opened the neighbouring drawer and discovered much the same. Thankfully, my other drawers are free of poop, and all the cupboards, save one, seem to be free as well.
So, my hopes and plans for today were dashed by a creature(s) that shouldn't be stirring in my house! Instead of watching the last period of the Canada/Sweden women's hockey game, I trotted off to Superstore for bleach, rubber gloves, mouse traps, and new tea towels. Once I was back home, I emptied the two drawers and one cupboard, quite thankful for no audience save our cat, who obviously knew something was up long before I saw the proof.
I hate mice; not sure how I'd react if I actually saw a live one in my house. Several years ago, I did see (and capture) two mice in our backyard on two consecutive days. That was strange! I was walking to the tap to turn on the sprinkle, and a mouse was crawling merrily along in front of me. A nearby empty bucket quickly kept him in stasis until Kane was home to remove it. The next day, I was once again heading out in the yard to the same location. I remember thinking that I had better keep my eyes on the ground in case there was another mouse. Lo, and behold, there was! The same bucket kept him occupied until Kane could give him the same treatment as his cousin. I'm impressed with my own composure in those situations, but I'm not sure I could be so calm in the house.
The cupboard and drawers are now cleaned and holding peanut butter baited traps, which will need to wait for Kane if they should catch their prey. I could tear apart the rest of my kitchen, but I think I'll wait until Thursday and Friday. I have those days off which gives me much more time to tear apart, clean, and replace.
This is one of those times when I wish that God could have given more specific natural instincts to his creations. Why not hardwire into mice a fear of homes? Live long and prosper in the fields an forests but steer clear of urban dwellings. Insects...same thing!
Just imagine.
As the timer on the oven buzzed yesterday, I opened the drawer where my oven mitts are kept only to find it liberally doused with mouse poop. I was floored. I had been in that same drawer the night before and seen nothing but trivets and oven mitts. There's no way I could have missed seeing all that mouse poop. Heart sinking, I opened the neighbouring drawer and discovered much the same. Thankfully, my other drawers are free of poop, and all the cupboards, save one, seem to be free as well.
So, my hopes and plans for today were dashed by a creature(s) that shouldn't be stirring in my house! Instead of watching the last period of the Canada/Sweden women's hockey game, I trotted off to Superstore for bleach, rubber gloves, mouse traps, and new tea towels. Once I was back home, I emptied the two drawers and one cupboard, quite thankful for no audience save our cat, who obviously knew something was up long before I saw the proof.
I hate mice; not sure how I'd react if I actually saw a live one in my house. Several years ago, I did see (and capture) two mice in our backyard on two consecutive days. That was strange! I was walking to the tap to turn on the sprinkle, and a mouse was crawling merrily along in front of me. A nearby empty bucket quickly kept him in stasis until Kane was home to remove it. The next day, I was once again heading out in the yard to the same location. I remember thinking that I had better keep my eyes on the ground in case there was another mouse. Lo, and behold, there was! The same bucket kept him occupied until Kane could give him the same treatment as his cousin. I'm impressed with my own composure in those situations, but I'm not sure I could be so calm in the house.
The cupboard and drawers are now cleaned and holding peanut butter baited traps, which will need to wait for Kane if they should catch their prey. I could tear apart the rest of my kitchen, but I think I'll wait until Thursday and Friday. I have those days off which gives me much more time to tear apart, clean, and replace.
This is one of those times when I wish that God could have given more specific natural instincts to his creations. Why not hardwire into mice a fear of homes? Live long and prosper in the fields an forests but steer clear of urban dwellings. Insects...same thing!
Just imagine.
Friday, February 10, 2006
The Cat in the Hat
Our cat is weird. Maggie is an orange tabby we adopted from the SPCA over three years ago; at least, I think it has been three years. It could be four, but three seems more likely. She used to be so cuddly, jumping onto laps where she'd curl up for a nap. Not anymore. She used to sleep beside me at night, but she hasn't done that for at least two years now. Instead, she sleeps anywhere and everywhere, the more uncomfortable and unlikely the spot the better.
Let's see...some of her favourite sleeping spots are: on top of or inside her cat post, on Sam's bed, in Abby's doll cradle, on the computer chair, on the top of the sofa back, in a box, on a plastic bag, on or in Sam's hockey bag (eew!), on the shoe shelves, in a basket on the top of the toilet tank, on the toilet (with the lid closed, of course), on top of the registers when the furnace has kicked in (can't blame her! I'd love to do the same thing.), on stacks of clean laundry, on the top of dressers, in open dresser drawers, on our narrow window ledges, on top of the washing machine, in an open puzzle box, and so it goes.
Lately, she's taken on an even weirder habit...staring at the dishwasher. Don't ask me why. I don't know. Actually, she stares at a lot of things, like under the fridge or the stove or the cupboard where her food is kept. Sometimes, I get a little paranoid, wondering if she might be sensing a mouse, but we've had no evidence of mice for a very long time, long before we brought Maggie into our family. So, I tell myself I'm just paranoid and Maggie is just a weird cat. But the dishwasher? She isn't even staring under it, not that there is an under to even see under. Instead, she stares at the door and the sides. I even watched her stand up and reach her paw out to the door lock as if she was going to open it up!
This morning before I left for work, Maggie was once again perched in front of the dishwasher. Watching. She jumped a little when I turned the machine on; it brought me a measure of perverse joy, I must confess. Several hours later when I returned home, Maggie was still sitting in front of the dishwasher. Now, I'm fairly certain that she had moved away at some point in the four hours I was at work. She wouldn't be a cat if she didn't curl up somewhere for a siesta or two, not to mention keeping an both her eyes on Casey's hamster for a while.
The silly cat is sitting behind me now, staring at the cupboard door behind which lies her food. I don't know what she sees, but she is looking quite intently. Perhaps she believes that she has seen a bug; she loves to hunt pesky insects. Then again, I haven't seen any bugs.
As you can probably tell from the photo, we are the type of people who quite enjoy tormenting our cat in a non-abusive way. Well, Maggie may not like being dressed up or forced to sit in Abby's doll high chair or stroller, but she's just so cute!
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Rainbow of topics
Yesterday, I went to Wal-mart to have a handful of photos reprinted for a scrapbooking project I'm working on. After an hour wandering through Wal-mart waiting for the prints, and another half hour of errands elsewhere, I was back home where I discovered that the photo tech had made a mistake on one of the reprints. She had printed the wrong one! Double checked the order, and yes, she had marked down the correct photo but printed the wrong one.
Needless to say, I'm not very thrilled about it. If I didn't need the photo, I wouldn't even worry about taking it back. The few cents it cost are hardly worth the effort, except that I do need the photo. There won't be any trouble having them redo the print for me, but it will be another hour out of my day. There was no way that I was going to run back to the store yesterday, and I'm not so sure that I want to do that today either. Frankly, I don't want to spend a day off running all over town. Maybe I can get Kane to do it Saturday...
I noticed something the other day which got my blood boiling. We have a flower bed in our front yard beneath the living room window. Now, I don't have a green thumb, so our yard is hardly showhome worthy, but I have plans for my yard. What I discovered was a significant amount of animal feces in that flower bed. I don't know whether it is cat or dog. Don't care either, but it makes me mad. Just like people who walk their dogs down our street and don't pick up the stuff left behind along the front of our hedge. Then people wonder why there aren't enough dog parks in our city?!
I had a productive day yesterday, despite the error at Wal-mart. I bought the things that I needed from there, then picked up a project display board from Staples for Sam's science fair project. A few groceries at Safeway and I was back home. I swept and mopped the floors, cleaned the bathroom, did laundry, and cleaned the kitchen; even had time for some Bible time and journaling. Today feels less motivated; probably because I'm back to work tomorrow, and I want to just relax and enjoy doing nothing. However, I can't simply do nothing. I am a mom after all. I guess I'll do some cleaning in my bedroom and leave the dusting/vacuuming for the kids on the weekend. Then, I'll relax. Maybe scrapbook.
I mentioned to Kane last night that the two of us should go out for dinner one night this weekend. He agreed and said he had been thinking the same thing. Valentine's Day is on Tuesday. Kane's birthday is on Monday. Both those nights are busy for us, so I was thinking of dinner for celebrating the occasions. Kane surprised me though by saying he was thinking of dinner for the simple reason that it would be nice for the two of us to go out, not because it was Valentine's day or his birthday. Aah! Now to decide where we'll go...there are lots of choices. There are some places we haven't gone together before, but we also do have some favourite places.
Sam will be bringing his report card home today. Wonder what it will say? I expect that it will be very similar to his last report card, though I'm hoping to see a bit of an improvement in band. I'd love to see improvement in other areas as well, but I would be surprised if there was.
Needless to say, I'm not very thrilled about it. If I didn't need the photo, I wouldn't even worry about taking it back. The few cents it cost are hardly worth the effort, except that I do need the photo. There won't be any trouble having them redo the print for me, but it will be another hour out of my day. There was no way that I was going to run back to the store yesterday, and I'm not so sure that I want to do that today either. Frankly, I don't want to spend a day off running all over town. Maybe I can get Kane to do it Saturday...
I noticed something the other day which got my blood boiling. We have a flower bed in our front yard beneath the living room window. Now, I don't have a green thumb, so our yard is hardly showhome worthy, but I have plans for my yard. What I discovered was a significant amount of animal feces in that flower bed. I don't know whether it is cat or dog. Don't care either, but it makes me mad. Just like people who walk their dogs down our street and don't pick up the stuff left behind along the front of our hedge. Then people wonder why there aren't enough dog parks in our city?!
I had a productive day yesterday, despite the error at Wal-mart. I bought the things that I needed from there, then picked up a project display board from Staples for Sam's science fair project. A few groceries at Safeway and I was back home. I swept and mopped the floors, cleaned the bathroom, did laundry, and cleaned the kitchen; even had time for some Bible time and journaling. Today feels less motivated; probably because I'm back to work tomorrow, and I want to just relax and enjoy doing nothing. However, I can't simply do nothing. I am a mom after all. I guess I'll do some cleaning in my bedroom and leave the dusting/vacuuming for the kids on the weekend. Then, I'll relax. Maybe scrapbook.
I mentioned to Kane last night that the two of us should go out for dinner one night this weekend. He agreed and said he had been thinking the same thing. Valentine's Day is on Tuesday. Kane's birthday is on Monday. Both those nights are busy for us, so I was thinking of dinner for celebrating the occasions. Kane surprised me though by saying he was thinking of dinner for the simple reason that it would be nice for the two of us to go out, not because it was Valentine's day or his birthday. Aah! Now to decide where we'll go...there are lots of choices. There are some places we haven't gone together before, but we also do have some favourite places.
Sam will be bringing his report card home today. Wonder what it will say? I expect that it will be very similar to his last report card, though I'm hoping to see a bit of an improvement in band. I'd love to see improvement in other areas as well, but I would be surprised if there was.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Note to self
Before telling my son that his favourite hockey player is old and washed up, make sure that I know all the facts.
Mats Sundin born February 13, 1971
my birthdate January 4, 1972
Mats Sundin born February 13, 1971
my birthdate January 4, 1972
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Criminal Minds
There's a new program on television which has caught my interest; it really wasn't difficult to do. The show is Criminal Minds starring Mandy Patinkin (love him!) and the guy from that Dharma & Greg show. Besides the draw of Mandy Patinkin, the show interests me, because I like true crime, or what passes as true crime. Criminal Minds follows a group of FBI profilers working specific cases. That's as basic of a premise as you can get.
Criminal Minds has a re-run on tonight; one I haven't seen yet. Hooray! Anticipating the children tucked into their beds very shortly, before I get cozy on the sofa in front of the TV, my thoughts turned slightly more introspective. Just what goes on in the minds of my children?
Seriously. I want to know!
When I quite specifically tell Sam that I want him to practice his trombone, finish homework, and complete any more experiments for his science project while I am at work, I, quite naturally, expect that he will do as I have asked. I expect it. I hope for it, but I didn't get it.
When Kane picked me up from work this evening, I learned that Sam had done nary a thing that I had asked. I had neglected to relay my requests through Kane, so that he could be the enforcer, and of course, Sam also neglected to let his dad know. So, Sam spent the afternoon playing. Same thing happened yesterday while I was at work...all play and no work.
What does go through the minds of my children? Do they consciously choose to disobey me? Well, I have no doubt that Casey's mind does work that way. (I can virtually see the wheels turning beneath his cranium.) But then I have to pause and consider, why doesn't my husband think to ask the kids about homework? Why does he go out of his way to make sure the kids have a weekend full of friends and play, but doesn't push them to do any work around the house? I've been nagging Abby to clean her room for a week now. It is still a mess, but dad let her have a friend over both yesterday and today. He would have let her have a friend for a sleepover, but I put my foot down on that.
Why does the mom tend to wind up portraying the "bad, mean" parent? I want my kids to have friends and fun just as much as my husband does, but I also want them to learn responsibility.
About the only thing Kane and I ever butt heads on has to do with our kids and either their personalities or their relationships. We have different viewpoints; we're two very different personalities ourselves. Kane is outgoing, a social butterfly. I am quiet, introverted, and less needy when it comes to social interaction, which is not to say that I don't need it or appreciate it; I just don't need it all the time. I like to be on my own sometimes, too.
Like their parents, our children have different personalities. I understand that and accept it, even when I often wish that Casey wasn't quite the way he is. (Truly though, I wouldn't change who he is.) I guess part of living is just learning to understand each other, even when we don't necessarily agree. A personal profiler sure would be helpful though...
Criminal Minds has a re-run on tonight; one I haven't seen yet. Hooray! Anticipating the children tucked into their beds very shortly, before I get cozy on the sofa in front of the TV, my thoughts turned slightly more introspective. Just what goes on in the minds of my children?
Seriously. I want to know!
When I quite specifically tell Sam that I want him to practice his trombone, finish homework, and complete any more experiments for his science project while I am at work, I, quite naturally, expect that he will do as I have asked. I expect it. I hope for it, but I didn't get it.
When Kane picked me up from work this evening, I learned that Sam had done nary a thing that I had asked. I had neglected to relay my requests through Kane, so that he could be the enforcer, and of course, Sam also neglected to let his dad know. So, Sam spent the afternoon playing. Same thing happened yesterday while I was at work...all play and no work.
What does go through the minds of my children? Do they consciously choose to disobey me? Well, I have no doubt that Casey's mind does work that way. (I can virtually see the wheels turning beneath his cranium.) But then I have to pause and consider, why doesn't my husband think to ask the kids about homework? Why does he go out of his way to make sure the kids have a weekend full of friends and play, but doesn't push them to do any work around the house? I've been nagging Abby to clean her room for a week now. It is still a mess, but dad let her have a friend over both yesterday and today. He would have let her have a friend for a sleepover, but I put my foot down on that.
Why does the mom tend to wind up portraying the "bad, mean" parent? I want my kids to have friends and fun just as much as my husband does, but I also want them to learn responsibility.
About the only thing Kane and I ever butt heads on has to do with our kids and either their personalities or their relationships. We have different viewpoints; we're two very different personalities ourselves. Kane is outgoing, a social butterfly. I am quiet, introverted, and less needy when it comes to social interaction, which is not to say that I don't need it or appreciate it; I just don't need it all the time. I like to be on my own sometimes, too.
Like their parents, our children have different personalities. I understand that and accept it, even when I often wish that Casey wasn't quite the way he is. (Truly though, I wouldn't change who he is.) I guess part of living is just learning to understand each other, even when we don't necessarily agree. A personal profiler sure would be helpful though...
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Too busy to whistle while I work
It has been a long, busy day for me. As is often the case when I have an early morning, I didn't sleep very well last night. My subconscious continuously rouses me to check the time, afraid the alarm will fail, and I'll oversleep. The alarm worked; it rang at 5:45am.
I worked from 6:30am to 2:30pm, and what a day it was! The first hour was okay, even though we had someone pull a 'no show' for their shift, leaving us short. The rest of my shift was crazy busy. Well, it wasn't overwhelmingly busy, but it was steady busy. Other than my two fifteen minute breaks, I was kept running. No idle time for me.
I was on the soup/sandwich bar for my entire shift. While I don't mind working that area, eight hours of steady busy is a long time to be there, especially alone. I was all alone today. The person working this area needs to be able to multi-task, something I think I manage to do well most of the time. However, this is a job that is almost too much for one person to handle during days like today.
The soup/sandwich bar person needs to prepare bagels, sandwiches, chili and soups after they are ordered by a customer at the counter or in drive-thru. Quite often, there are multiple orders coming in from both areas at the same time. Then, I also need to re-stock my supply of bagels and buns, which entails pulling them from the freezer and popping them into the oven. I need to keep my station stocked with deli meats, cheeses, lettuce, tomato slices, cucumber slices, egg salad fill, chicken salad fill, tuna salad fill, five kinds of cream cheese, and sauces. I need to cook bacon and sauted veggies. I need to ensure that extra chili, chicken, and soup are being cooked in the kitchen. Cleaning is ongoing, of course. Inserts need to be changed frequently, and temperatures need to be taken every two hours.
I got to love it when customers approach me with their requests for a straw or an extra packet of sugar or cream instead of disturbing the front counter staff member who served them in the first place. Not that I mind helping them out, but it is a little irritating when I am in the middle of making a sandwich with four or five more orders waiting to be made.
By the end of my shift, I had a headache brewing, and I had a bruised and sore finger. The base of my left ring finger took a nasty whack from the end of the mop handle. It is a little blue and red with a painful lump. I think I'll survive.
I did receive a high compliment from my manager before I left work this afternoon. We are rewarded with "staff dollars" when the drive-thru speed is quick enough or when otherwise merited in the eyes of management. Today, we all earned two staff dollars for our hard work during our non-stop busy day. Before I left, my manager pulled me aside, giving me two more staff dollars, because she said I did an outstanding job on sandwich bar!
I'm just glad to have that early shift finished; hopefully, there won't be another for a while.
I worked from 6:30am to 2:30pm, and what a day it was! The first hour was okay, even though we had someone pull a 'no show' for their shift, leaving us short. The rest of my shift was crazy busy. Well, it wasn't overwhelmingly busy, but it was steady busy. Other than my two fifteen minute breaks, I was kept running. No idle time for me.
I was on the soup/sandwich bar for my entire shift. While I don't mind working that area, eight hours of steady busy is a long time to be there, especially alone. I was all alone today. The person working this area needs to be able to multi-task, something I think I manage to do well most of the time. However, this is a job that is almost too much for one person to handle during days like today.
The soup/sandwich bar person needs to prepare bagels, sandwiches, chili and soups after they are ordered by a customer at the counter or in drive-thru. Quite often, there are multiple orders coming in from both areas at the same time. Then, I also need to re-stock my supply of bagels and buns, which entails pulling them from the freezer and popping them into the oven. I need to keep my station stocked with deli meats, cheeses, lettuce, tomato slices, cucumber slices, egg salad fill, chicken salad fill, tuna salad fill, five kinds of cream cheese, and sauces. I need to cook bacon and sauted veggies. I need to ensure that extra chili, chicken, and soup are being cooked in the kitchen. Cleaning is ongoing, of course. Inserts need to be changed frequently, and temperatures need to be taken every two hours.
I got to love it when customers approach me with their requests for a straw or an extra packet of sugar or cream instead of disturbing the front counter staff member who served them in the first place. Not that I mind helping them out, but it is a little irritating when I am in the middle of making a sandwich with four or five more orders waiting to be made.
By the end of my shift, I had a headache brewing, and I had a bruised and sore finger. The base of my left ring finger took a nasty whack from the end of the mop handle. It is a little blue and red with a painful lump. I think I'll survive.
I did receive a high compliment from my manager before I left work this afternoon. We are rewarded with "staff dollars" when the drive-thru speed is quick enough or when otherwise merited in the eyes of management. Today, we all earned two staff dollars for our hard work during our non-stop busy day. Before I left, my manager pulled me aside, giving me two more staff dollars, because she said I did an outstanding job on sandwich bar!
I'm just glad to have that early shift finished; hopefully, there won't be another for a while.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
More than a man
I'm working my way through the book of Matthew. Today, I read chapters 16 and 17. There are several underlined and highlighted passages within these chapters in my Bible; so much of interest and reason to pause.
It always amazes me to realize just how "human" the disciples were. In my church brat upbringing, I think I've held a distorted view of many, if not all, the Bible heroes. I've set them on a shiny pedestal, high above me and my frailties. How wrong that view is!
It is easy to see over and over again how the people closest to Jesus often missed the point.
Matthew 16:5-12 "Later, after they crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any food. 'Watch out!' Jesus warned them. 'Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.' They decided he was saying this because they hadn't brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he said, 'You have so little faith! Why are you worried about having no food? Won't you ever understand? Don't you remember the five thousand I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of food that were left over? Don't you remember the four thousand I fed with seven loaves, with baskets of food left over? How could you even think I was talking about food? So again I say, 'Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.' Then at last they understood that he wasn't speaking about yeast or bread but about the false teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
How quickly the disciples forgot who they kept company with!
Matthew 15:33 "The disciples replied, 'And where would we get enough food out here in the wilderness for all of them to eat?'"
They had their own ideas about how things should work.
Matthew 16:22-23 "But Peter took him aside and corrected him. 'Heaven forbid, Lord,' he said. 'This will never happen to you!'"
They messed up!
Matthew 26:35, 69-70"'No!' Peter insisted. 'Not even if I have to die with you! I will never deny you!' And all the other disciples vowed the same."
"Meanwhile, as Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, a servant girl came over and said to him, 'You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.' But Peter denied it in front of everyone. 'I don't know what you are talking about,' he said."
And they messed up again.
Matthew 26:71-72 "Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, 'This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.' Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. 'I don't even know the man,' he said.
And again.
Matthew 26:73-74 "A little later some other bystanders came over to him and said, 'You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.' Peter said, 'I swear by God, I don't know the man.' And immediately the rooster crowed."
Yet, these "heroes" also walked with Jesus, they saw miracles, and served Him, often to the point of death. They didn't understand everything; in fact, they often missed Jesus' point entirely, but they answered His call. They went against the flow. While everyone chose to see Jesus as simply another prophet or good man, they knew differently.
Matthew 16:13-14 "When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?' 'Well,' they replied, 'some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.' Then he asked them, 'Who do you say I am?' Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.'"
Jesus' question could still be asked today. Who do I say that Jesus is?
*New Living translation
It always amazes me to realize just how "human" the disciples were. In my church brat upbringing, I think I've held a distorted view of many, if not all, the Bible heroes. I've set them on a shiny pedestal, high above me and my frailties. How wrong that view is!
It is easy to see over and over again how the people closest to Jesus often missed the point.
Matthew 16:5-12 "Later, after they crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any food. 'Watch out!' Jesus warned them. 'Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.' They decided he was saying this because they hadn't brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he said, 'You have so little faith! Why are you worried about having no food? Won't you ever understand? Don't you remember the five thousand I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of food that were left over? Don't you remember the four thousand I fed with seven loaves, with baskets of food left over? How could you even think I was talking about food? So again I say, 'Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.' Then at last they understood that he wasn't speaking about yeast or bread but about the false teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
How quickly the disciples forgot who they kept company with!
Matthew 15:33 "The disciples replied, 'And where would we get enough food out here in the wilderness for all of them to eat?'"
They had their own ideas about how things should work.
Matthew 16:22-23 "But Peter took him aside and corrected him. 'Heaven forbid, Lord,' he said. 'This will never happen to you!'"
They messed up!
Matthew 26:35, 69-70"'No!' Peter insisted. 'Not even if I have to die with you! I will never deny you!' And all the other disciples vowed the same."
"Meanwhile, as Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, a servant girl came over and said to him, 'You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.' But Peter denied it in front of everyone. 'I don't know what you are talking about,' he said."
And they messed up again.
Matthew 26:71-72 "Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, 'This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.' Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. 'I don't even know the man,' he said.
And again.
Matthew 26:73-74 "A little later some other bystanders came over to him and said, 'You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.' Peter said, 'I swear by God, I don't know the man.' And immediately the rooster crowed."
Yet, these "heroes" also walked with Jesus, they saw miracles, and served Him, often to the point of death. They didn't understand everything; in fact, they often missed Jesus' point entirely, but they answered His call. They went against the flow. While everyone chose to see Jesus as simply another prophet or good man, they knew differently.
Matthew 16:13-14 "When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?' 'Well,' they replied, 'some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.' Then he asked them, 'Who do you say I am?' Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.'"
Jesus' question could still be asked today. Who do I say that Jesus is?
*New Living translation
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
From Funky Chicken to Just In a Funk
I am not in the best of moods at this moment in time. Really, I am fuming silently while steam escapes from my ears and my lips are thinly pressed together. In such a state my resistance is paper-thin, and so I am nursing my fourth Diet Coke with Lime of the day. I hadn't planned on having another, but I caved. Yes, I am addicted; I'll deal with it tomorrow...when I am in a better frame of mind. ;o)
Honestly, the source of my fury is found in my middle child; the child who always knows the quickest way to get under my skin. What is his problem today? I don't know! Tonight is the premiere night of the second session of his 56 Club through the church, something to which he was looking forward to. They are going to the YMCA. I assume that they will be in the pool playing games and having fun.
Casey is the most fish-like of my children, but today he acts as if his skin is highly sensitive to H2O. He doesn't want to go tonight. He won't have fun. The water is too deep, too cold. They will probably have to do "diving". Hello?! You love water. You love swimming. You're going, and you will have fun!
We had this "discussion" the entire drive from the church, where we dropped Abby off, and home. Sam and Casey were to promptly head out to deliver their newspapers, but Casey decided it would be more prudent to pout and carry on like a two year old. With today's start-up of Abby's music/craft club and Casey's 56 Club, our Wednesdays once again take on a chaotic, frenzied pace.
Here's what today looks like from afternoon onward:
1:15pm-Casey and Abby get out of school early because of parent-teacher interviews; normal dismissal time is 2:30pm
3:00pm-I drag Abby and an unwilling Casey out the door to pick Sam up from school; his dismissal time is 3:09pm
3:15pm-Sam has made it to our parked van, and we're on our way to our church to drop Abby off at Explore! for the 3:30pm start time
3:40ish-Sam, Casey, and I arrive back home. I nag them to deliver their newspapers, while I work on what supper prep I can do.
(It is 4:12pm right now, so everything which follows is as it is supposed to happen.)
4:30ish-Sam and Casey home from papers. I resume nagging; this time to get Sam working on his homework. I turn on the rice cooker, so supper is ready for 5:00pm; roast is in the crockpot. After a final nag, I leave to go pick Abby up. She finishes at 4:45pm.
5:00pm-Abby and I are back home. Has Sam finished homework yet? Is he even working on it? Highly doubtful on both parts. Nag about feeding the cat and homework, serve supper.
5:40ish-pack everyone into the van. I will need a hot smoothie from Tim Horton's, so that is our first stop.
6:00pm-I am dropped off at the baseball clubhouse to help put stuff envelopes. Abby will stay with me.
6:15pm-Kane drops Casey off at the Y, fills out the paperwork, and pays.
6:30ish-Kane and Sam head to the church where Sam needs to be dropped off for youth at 7:00pm. It is Jell-o games night! How fun.
7:30ish-Kane will arrive at the clubhouse to see how I'm progressing. Will we be done before our kids are done their activities? Depends. We have four hundred envelopes to stuff; how many hands will we have?
8:30pm-Casey needs to be picked up. Punctually.
somewhere between 8:45-9:00pm-Sam needs to be picked up. Did I mention that the Y and the clubhouse are in close proximity, but our church is at the other end of town? Yeah, you do the math!
assuming I'm not still stuffing envelopes, we're back home by 9:30pm and the nagging resumes as we get kids into bed.
Except for the baseball clubhouse thing and the early dismissal for Casey and Abby, this is a very typical Wednesday for us.
Kane just called. He's going to pick Abby up. Thank you! If I would have known this earlier, I would have made potatoes for supper rather than rice, but I already have the rice in the cooker. Rats. Sam isn't going to be pleased; he thinks we have rice far too often. We probably do, but it's cheap and easy to prepare on a day like today.
Now that I am not needing to rush out the door within the next few minutes, I can veer away from my rant and talk about other parts of my day.
I bought a new toilet seat today. How often can you say that you did that? Our toilet seat is old. It is heavy and disgusting beyond the reach of any cleaning agent or elbow grease. In fact, it is so heavy that it was a potential lethal weapon in our house at one time. Poor Casey! Why does everything seem to happen to him? When he was little, I don't know...somewhere between 2 and 3, he had a nasty run-in with that toilet seat. It fell on his penis, while he was standing at the toilet doing his thing. Thankfully, I wasn't home at the time; I was out with a girlfriend enjoying dessert at Perkins' Restaurant. Kane tracked me down and called the restaurant to tell me the news and ask what to do. Like I know! Casey was purple and bruised for a while but otherwise fine. Well, he was scared of lifting the toilet seat for a very long time.
Replacing that toilet seat was one of those things that you always plan on doing but never seem to get around to; it just isn't high on the priority list. As I roamed the aisles of Wal-Mart this morning, killing time as I waited for my photos to be developed, my decrepit toilet seat came to mind. What could it hurt to take a look at the bathroom aisle? Hmmm...not too expensive; I can handle $8. So, I bought one, brought it home, and after 15 minutes of contortion and torture, I finally removed the old seat and had the new one attached. It looks great! The kids all noticed instantly; will Kane?
Also today, I purchased a book by Beth Moore called "When Godly People Do Ungodly Things". An online friend is planning on doing a study of this book as a group; I'm hoping to take part. The book sounds and looks intriguing. I certainly could appreciate this book.
I can hear Sam and Casey in the next room, chatting and arguing about something pointless. Naturally. It seems to involve a girl smacking Sam in the head. ???
Time to resume nagging. Integers aren't exciting but they need to be done.
Honestly, the source of my fury is found in my middle child; the child who always knows the quickest way to get under my skin. What is his problem today? I don't know! Tonight is the premiere night of the second session of his 56 Club through the church, something to which he was looking forward to. They are going to the YMCA. I assume that they will be in the pool playing games and having fun.
Casey is the most fish-like of my children, but today he acts as if his skin is highly sensitive to H2O. He doesn't want to go tonight. He won't have fun. The water is too deep, too cold. They will probably have to do "diving". Hello?! You love water. You love swimming. You're going, and you will have fun!
We had this "discussion" the entire drive from the church, where we dropped Abby off, and home. Sam and Casey were to promptly head out to deliver their newspapers, but Casey decided it would be more prudent to pout and carry on like a two year old. With today's start-up of Abby's music/craft club and Casey's 56 Club, our Wednesdays once again take on a chaotic, frenzied pace.
Here's what today looks like from afternoon onward:
1:15pm-Casey and Abby get out of school early because of parent-teacher interviews; normal dismissal time is 2:30pm
3:00pm-I drag Abby and an unwilling Casey out the door to pick Sam up from school; his dismissal time is 3:09pm
3:15pm-Sam has made it to our parked van, and we're on our way to our church to drop Abby off at Explore! for the 3:30pm start time
3:40ish-Sam, Casey, and I arrive back home. I nag them to deliver their newspapers, while I work on what supper prep I can do.
(It is 4:12pm right now, so everything which follows is as it is supposed to happen.)
4:30ish-Sam and Casey home from papers. I resume nagging; this time to get Sam working on his homework. I turn on the rice cooker, so supper is ready for 5:00pm; roast is in the crockpot. After a final nag, I leave to go pick Abby up. She finishes at 4:45pm.
5:00pm-Abby and I are back home. Has Sam finished homework yet? Is he even working on it? Highly doubtful on both parts. Nag about feeding the cat and homework, serve supper.
5:40ish-pack everyone into the van. I will need a hot smoothie from Tim Horton's, so that is our first stop.
6:00pm-I am dropped off at the baseball clubhouse to help put stuff envelopes. Abby will stay with me.
6:15pm-Kane drops Casey off at the Y, fills out the paperwork, and pays.
6:30ish-Kane and Sam head to the church where Sam needs to be dropped off for youth at 7:00pm. It is Jell-o games night! How fun.
7:30ish-Kane will arrive at the clubhouse to see how I'm progressing. Will we be done before our kids are done their activities? Depends. We have four hundred envelopes to stuff; how many hands will we have?
8:30pm-Casey needs to be picked up. Punctually.
somewhere between 8:45-9:00pm-Sam needs to be picked up. Did I mention that the Y and the clubhouse are in close proximity, but our church is at the other end of town? Yeah, you do the math!
assuming I'm not still stuffing envelopes, we're back home by 9:30pm and the nagging resumes as we get kids into bed.
Except for the baseball clubhouse thing and the early dismissal for Casey and Abby, this is a very typical Wednesday for us.
Kane just called. He's going to pick Abby up. Thank you! If I would have known this earlier, I would have made potatoes for supper rather than rice, but I already have the rice in the cooker. Rats. Sam isn't going to be pleased; he thinks we have rice far too often. We probably do, but it's cheap and easy to prepare on a day like today.
Now that I am not needing to rush out the door within the next few minutes, I can veer away from my rant and talk about other parts of my day.
I bought a new toilet seat today. How often can you say that you did that? Our toilet seat is old. It is heavy and disgusting beyond the reach of any cleaning agent or elbow grease. In fact, it is so heavy that it was a potential lethal weapon in our house at one time. Poor Casey! Why does everything seem to happen to him? When he was little, I don't know...somewhere between 2 and 3, he had a nasty run-in with that toilet seat. It fell on his penis, while he was standing at the toilet doing his thing. Thankfully, I wasn't home at the time; I was out with a girlfriend enjoying dessert at Perkins' Restaurant. Kane tracked me down and called the restaurant to tell me the news and ask what to do. Like I know! Casey was purple and bruised for a while but otherwise fine. Well, he was scared of lifting the toilet seat for a very long time.
Replacing that toilet seat was one of those things that you always plan on doing but never seem to get around to; it just isn't high on the priority list. As I roamed the aisles of Wal-Mart this morning, killing time as I waited for my photos to be developed, my decrepit toilet seat came to mind. What could it hurt to take a look at the bathroom aisle? Hmmm...not too expensive; I can handle $8. So, I bought one, brought it home, and after 15 minutes of contortion and torture, I finally removed the old seat and had the new one attached. It looks great! The kids all noticed instantly; will Kane?
Also today, I purchased a book by Beth Moore called "When Godly People Do Ungodly Things". An online friend is planning on doing a study of this book as a group; I'm hoping to take part. The book sounds and looks intriguing. I certainly could appreciate this book.
I can hear Sam and Casey in the next room, chatting and arguing about something pointless. Naturally. It seems to involve a girl smacking Sam in the head. ???
Time to resume nagging. Integers aren't exciting but they need to be done.
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