How does a parent go about instilling passion in a child?
Sam was on the receiving end of a lecture today. Actually, four lectures all on the same subject: his apathy towards school. I'd like to know what goes on in his head. Why does he "forget" about assignments or tests? How can he "forget" that he was dropped off at school early in order to get extra help from his math teacher? It is highly frustrating and troubling, and yet he doesn't seem to care enough to make an effort.
What can we do as parents? We nag and push and push. Do you homework. Study. Do more! We encourage and lecture. Why do we lecture? The circumstances are different, but I well remember the lectures that I was subjected to as a youth. I hated them. I listened with a closed mind even though the tears poured out. I don't want to lecture my son, but I can't simply say nothing. Somewhere there is a balance of pushing and letting go, of frustration and understanding, of nagging and encouraging, of iron will and love. I expect that Sam won't easily see our more positive aspects (he's a teenager and we're the parents), but I hope that at some point he will realize that we aren't out to get him. We love him and want what is best for him.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
Monday Mumblings
I guess it has been a little while since I last blogged. It has also been a while since I last wrote in my journal. There are many things to say but sometimes it is simply easier to say nothing.
Casey was a piece of work yesterday. He was cranky and argumentative for most of the day. He lied and tried to cast blame on everyone but himself when he was caught in his lies. So typical of him. Today was a better day.
I was given another raise at work. Took me by surprise it did. It wasn't very long ago that I was given a raise, but I noticed on my pay stub that my hourly rate had increased. There are days when I don't enjoy working and there are things that I don't always enjoy about my job; however, I have two great bosses. Being appreciated is a wonderful thing.
I am frustrated with Sam today. He finally received his last big Socials test back and the mark was less than impressive. He had "forgotten" to tell me that he had a test to study for even though I ask him about homework EVERY SINGLE DAY after school. I learned about it at his parent-teacher interview about a week before the test. On the multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank sections, he did reasonably well; however, he completely bombed on the questions requiring paragraph answers and on the two maps. He never even attempted the map questions and gave one sentence answers instead of paragraphs basically throwing away 30 marks. Instead, he found himself with spare time and doodled all over the back of the test! When I asked him why he didn't do the maps, he said that he didn't understand the questions. He never even bothered to ask the teacher to explain the questions to him!!! Hello??? So, no computer, no video games until such time as Kane and I see fit to let him have such privileges. Sam will also be heavily nagged about homework and studying. And he thought he was already nagged too much about it?! Ha!
I cleaned the boys' room last week. For some strange reason, it was easier and faster than cleaning Abby's room. You would think that a room housing two people would make more work than a room housing one, but I guess that Abby is just a complete slob. The boys are also slobs but I think they have less toys and clothes. Now they have even less toys.
Spring break is rapidly approaching and with its' arrival I am taking slightly more than a week off work. I want and need this time. The first weekend of spring break is Sam's final hockey tournament and then I still have a week free. What will I do besides sleep in and stay up late? I've been dwelling on the idea of painting the kitchen during that time, but I'm not convinced. I want to paint it, yet I don't know that I want to tackle something so tedious and labour-intensive during those precious days of freedom. There really isn't a lot of wall space in the kitchen but the ceiling would also need to be done. And the prep work and primer and taping and...
I don't know what else to say that makes sense, so I think I'll go and just write what comes to mind until 24 comes on TV. There are words and phrases and feelings that need to be put to paper before I lose the words and the courage.
Casey was a piece of work yesterday. He was cranky and argumentative for most of the day. He lied and tried to cast blame on everyone but himself when he was caught in his lies. So typical of him. Today was a better day.
I was given another raise at work. Took me by surprise it did. It wasn't very long ago that I was given a raise, but I noticed on my pay stub that my hourly rate had increased. There are days when I don't enjoy working and there are things that I don't always enjoy about my job; however, I have two great bosses. Being appreciated is a wonderful thing.
I am frustrated with Sam today. He finally received his last big Socials test back and the mark was less than impressive. He had "forgotten" to tell me that he had a test to study for even though I ask him about homework EVERY SINGLE DAY after school. I learned about it at his parent-teacher interview about a week before the test. On the multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank sections, he did reasonably well; however, he completely bombed on the questions requiring paragraph answers and on the two maps. He never even attempted the map questions and gave one sentence answers instead of paragraphs basically throwing away 30 marks. Instead, he found himself with spare time and doodled all over the back of the test! When I asked him why he didn't do the maps, he said that he didn't understand the questions. He never even bothered to ask the teacher to explain the questions to him!!! Hello??? So, no computer, no video games until such time as Kane and I see fit to let him have such privileges. Sam will also be heavily nagged about homework and studying. And he thought he was already nagged too much about it?! Ha!
I cleaned the boys' room last week. For some strange reason, it was easier and faster than cleaning Abby's room. You would think that a room housing two people would make more work than a room housing one, but I guess that Abby is just a complete slob. The boys are also slobs but I think they have less toys and clothes. Now they have even less toys.
Spring break is rapidly approaching and with its' arrival I am taking slightly more than a week off work. I want and need this time. The first weekend of spring break is Sam's final hockey tournament and then I still have a week free. What will I do besides sleep in and stay up late? I've been dwelling on the idea of painting the kitchen during that time, but I'm not convinced. I want to paint it, yet I don't know that I want to tackle something so tedious and labour-intensive during those precious days of freedom. There really isn't a lot of wall space in the kitchen but the ceiling would also need to be done. And the prep work and primer and taping and...
I don't know what else to say that makes sense, so I think I'll go and just write what comes to mind until 24 comes on TV. There are words and phrases and feelings that need to be put to paper before I lose the words and the courage.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Cast Away
Casey's cast came off yesterday, yet Casey left the doctor's office with tears in his eyes. The doctor gave orders for Casey to NOT play basketball (or anything like that) for at least a week. Casey was crushed. I had expected such an order.
Casey had come home from school yesterday with the news that he could still be on the basketball team. The team has an away game today after school and Casey can go. Only now he can't play. I don't know how much of the season is left; Casey didn't jump on board at the beginning of the season for a couple of reasons. Of course, the restrictions also meant that he couldn't play ball hockey last night and cannot play indoor baseball tonight.
We also need to go back to the hospital for a follow-up x-ray. After spending about ten minutes on hold, I finally was able to get an appointment for tomorrow afternoon. The doctor also recommended coming back to the office in a week to follow-up on the finger. Naturally, the finger is stiff and still a little sore, but the doctor gave Casey instructions on stretching it.
Casey had come home from school yesterday with the news that he could still be on the basketball team. The team has an away game today after school and Casey can go. Only now he can't play. I don't know how much of the season is left; Casey didn't jump on board at the beginning of the season for a couple of reasons. Of course, the restrictions also meant that he couldn't play ball hockey last night and cannot play indoor baseball tonight.
We also need to go back to the hospital for a follow-up x-ray. After spending about ten minutes on hold, I finally was able to get an appointment for tomorrow afternoon. The doctor also recommended coming back to the office in a week to follow-up on the finger. Naturally, the finger is stiff and still a little sore, but the doctor gave Casey instructions on stretching it.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Recap
Alright, I feel more human now and it is only 11:19am! After two less than restful nights in a hotel room, I had been hoping for a good night's sleep in my own bed last night. I was to be disappointed. Kane had difficulty sleeping and moved himself to the futon in the living room where he soon fell into a wonderful sleep. I was left to a fitful sleep as I shivered beneath my blankets and tried to squeeze every last drop of warmth out of my hot water bottle.
The weekend was fun, relaxing and good. The roads were dry and our travel was uneventful. We ran into a bit of a brick wall when we arrived at the hotel. Figuratively, not literally. There was some confusion as to what type of room we had reserved which is a bit complicated to explain. After we had made our original reservation back in November, we were asked to bring along one of Sam's teammates. His parents had also made a reservation already but were no longer able to come to the tournament. In exchange for bringing their son, they paid for the suite they had reserved and transferred the reservation to us. When we checked in, the hotel tried to tell us that we were getting a 'mini-suite' and not a 'full suite'. They tried to tell us that the mini-suite was just as capable of holding all six of us as a full suite. Ha! We took a look at the mini-suite and promptly walked back out of that room. It had two queen beds and a table and chairs divided by a half wall. No kitchen. No room for a cot or even a sleeping bag on the floor. Not even a mini fridge! We had come prepared for a kitchen as we were told explicitly that we were receiving a full suite. Of course, the hotel didn't want to back down, but they eventually did give us a full suite so long as we paid extra $ to cover the difference. They gave us a deal, but I'm still not happy about the hassle and mix-up. Last year, for a hockey tournament, we stayed in the same hotel and had a similar problem upon check-in. We had reserved a room with a kitchenette, but they didn't have one available for us.
Casey and Abby were quite thrilled to discover a jacuzzi tub in our suite, and they both enjoyed a short bath in the jacuzzi Saturday night. I wasn't so lucky; there just wasn't enough time. If I'm going to have a bath, I want time to soak and enjoy it.
The hockey tournament was well run for the most part. We all thought the play-offs were handled in a rather strange way though. It wound up that each semi-final game was between two teams from the same pool. There were four pools each with three teams. In our semi-final game, we played a team from our pool. The same thing happened with the other semi-final game. That should not happen in a tournament format!
In the final game, we ended up playing another team from Kelowna, a team that we have slaughtered every time we have played them before. The difference this time was that they really weren't the same team. They didn't have enough of their own players coming to field a team, so they brought two very strong players from a different Kelowna team as well as a few strong players from the host city. In the championship game that we lost against them, almost every one of their goals was scored by someone that was not a regular member of their team. So, while that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes, it is a little frustrating and disappointing to lose that game with the knowledge that their team wasn't their team. It is a boost for them, but how exciting is such a victory when you know that it wouldn't be possible without bringing in outside players? If the shoe was on my foot, I know that I would feel happy about the win, but it would be a very hollow happiness and I wouldn't be bragging too strongly about it.
Our team worked hard as individuals and as a team. Sam scored 4 goals and our captain scored 4 or 5 goals over the weekend, but we saw goals scored by many different players on the team. We scored 25 goals and had one disallowed (which really should have counted). Off the top of my head, I think that we had at least 9 different players score our goals! We have a great team. We didn't have any kids swear at the referees, but our opponents did. Our parents cheered on our team but didn't trash talk the other teams or harass the referees. We listened to the parents of our opponents do that. Our coaches never lost their cool, but an opposing coach was ejected from the game for harassing the ref. Before the final game, the opposing team entered our change room, swore at our boys and threw their things around because our players were in the wrong room. Our boys just changed rooms. Before the final game, a parent from the other team was telling us about the "voodoo doll" her son had with pins in it representing each of our boys. We just have good kids and good parents. When some of Sam's teammates were joking about his short stature, another teammate simply said, "He'll grow." It was a simple and subtle statement, but it shows a lot of maturity and integrity in that boy. When Sam scored his second goal of the game on Friday, the volume of noise coming from his teammates was incredible. When Sam scored the go ahead/game winning goal on Friday night, he was nearly mauled by his teammates. When Sam's name was called for earning the MVP award, once again, his teammates cheered more loudly than is typical. They are a team in all the ways that a team is important.
The weekend was fun, relaxing and good. The roads were dry and our travel was uneventful. We ran into a bit of a brick wall when we arrived at the hotel. Figuratively, not literally. There was some confusion as to what type of room we had reserved which is a bit complicated to explain. After we had made our original reservation back in November, we were asked to bring along one of Sam's teammates. His parents had also made a reservation already but were no longer able to come to the tournament. In exchange for bringing their son, they paid for the suite they had reserved and transferred the reservation to us. When we checked in, the hotel tried to tell us that we were getting a 'mini-suite' and not a 'full suite'. They tried to tell us that the mini-suite was just as capable of holding all six of us as a full suite. Ha! We took a look at the mini-suite and promptly walked back out of that room. It had two queen beds and a table and chairs divided by a half wall. No kitchen. No room for a cot or even a sleeping bag on the floor. Not even a mini fridge! We had come prepared for a kitchen as we were told explicitly that we were receiving a full suite. Of course, the hotel didn't want to back down, but they eventually did give us a full suite so long as we paid extra $ to cover the difference. They gave us a deal, but I'm still not happy about the hassle and mix-up. Last year, for a hockey tournament, we stayed in the same hotel and had a similar problem upon check-in. We had reserved a room with a kitchenette, but they didn't have one available for us.
Casey and Abby were quite thrilled to discover a jacuzzi tub in our suite, and they both enjoyed a short bath in the jacuzzi Saturday night. I wasn't so lucky; there just wasn't enough time. If I'm going to have a bath, I want time to soak and enjoy it.
The hockey tournament was well run for the most part. We all thought the play-offs were handled in a rather strange way though. It wound up that each semi-final game was between two teams from the same pool. There were four pools each with three teams. In our semi-final game, we played a team from our pool. The same thing happened with the other semi-final game. That should not happen in a tournament format!
In the final game, we ended up playing another team from Kelowna, a team that we have slaughtered every time we have played them before. The difference this time was that they really weren't the same team. They didn't have enough of their own players coming to field a team, so they brought two very strong players from a different Kelowna team as well as a few strong players from the host city. In the championship game that we lost against them, almost every one of their goals was scored by someone that was not a regular member of their team. So, while that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes, it is a little frustrating and disappointing to lose that game with the knowledge that their team wasn't their team. It is a boost for them, but how exciting is such a victory when you know that it wouldn't be possible without bringing in outside players? If the shoe was on my foot, I know that I would feel happy about the win, but it would be a very hollow happiness and I wouldn't be bragging too strongly about it.
Our team worked hard as individuals and as a team. Sam scored 4 goals and our captain scored 4 or 5 goals over the weekend, but we saw goals scored by many different players on the team. We scored 25 goals and had one disallowed (which really should have counted). Off the top of my head, I think that we had at least 9 different players score our goals! We have a great team. We didn't have any kids swear at the referees, but our opponents did. Our parents cheered on our team but didn't trash talk the other teams or harass the referees. We listened to the parents of our opponents do that. Our coaches never lost their cool, but an opposing coach was ejected from the game for harassing the ref. Before the final game, the opposing team entered our change room, swore at our boys and threw their things around because our players were in the wrong room. Our boys just changed rooms. Before the final game, a parent from the other team was telling us about the "voodoo doll" her son had with pins in it representing each of our boys. We just have good kids and good parents. When some of Sam's teammates were joking about his short stature, another teammate simply said, "He'll grow." It was a simple and subtle statement, but it shows a lot of maturity and integrity in that boy. When Sam scored his second goal of the game on Friday, the volume of noise coming from his teammates was incredible. When Sam scored the go ahead/game winning goal on Friday night, he was nearly mauled by his teammates. When Sam's name was called for earning the MVP award, once again, his teammates cheered more loudly than is typical. They are a team in all the ways that a team is important.
More Weekend Photos
I guess I forgot to say that we finished the tournament in 2nd place! We won every game except for the final, the most important one. The final score was 8-5, but we just didn't play the way we had been playing all weekend. Whether it was a case of being tired, too full from brunch, nerves or over-confidence, I don't know. There were 12 teams in this tournament, so finishing in 2nd place is nothing to hang our heads over.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike2.5 Canada License.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Not Quite Champions but Close Enough
Sam is #13 in black taking the shot that would be his fourth goal of the tournament! I don't know what came over my son this weekend, but he was the man with the golden stick and the hot hands. Four goals, two assists, six points and an MVP award! My boy?!
Sam on the wing. One of our players didn't come to the tournament which meant Sam was pulled up from defense. He makes a better winger than defenseman, but he goes where the coaches need him most. While we missed our other player, his absence coupled with Sam's linemates abilities and sportsmanship, sparked Sam's success.
Sam taking the puck.
There are a few more photos up at the family blog http://threeboystwogirlsacatandahamster.blogspot.com/ and I might put up a few more tomorrow when I am more awake. It was a great weekend, but I did not sleep well. The beds were comfortable, but between Kane's snoring and the 'not my house' factor, I was awake more than asleep.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike2.5 Canada License.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Wiped
I am so tired. My eyelids feel heavy and my body desires nothing more than to ooze into a puddle in my bed. Soon...after CSI.
It has been a busy day and yesterday was busy, too. Yesterday I worked from 10-2. From 4pm to 4:30, I was at parent-teacher interviews for Sam, after which we went to Wal-Mart to buy new shoes for Casey. He destroyed yet another pair of shoes! We were home by 5:30 to eat a quick supper of leftovers before Kane took the boys to church for their activities. Today, I worked from 10:30 to 2:30, came home and changed and picked up Casey, Abby and her friend, picked Sam up from school at 3:10, and dropped Abby and her friend off at church for 3:30. Then, the boys and I went to get Sam's hockey skates sharpened and picked up some groceries for the weekend. By the time we were finished with those errands, it was time to pick Abby and her friend up and drop the friend off at home. It was nearly 5pm by the time we were back at home and unloading the van. We ate a simple supper while watching Smallville. Kane had finished work a bit early today, so he had cleaned up the kitchen for me while I was out doing errands. (That made my day!) After Smallville, it was time to drag out the suitcase and cooler and start packing and organizing. The kids did some last minute tidying while I gathered clothes to pack. The kids have all had baths or showers now, and the only things left to pack are Kane's clothes and the perishable food.
We're leaving first thing in the morning which translates into roughly 7:30am. I don't care how much I need to "finish" in the morning, I'm not getting up before 7am! It has been difficult to get out of bed these past few mornings; tomorrow will likely be no exception. Still, I'll be ready on time.
Casey was talking in his sleep last night. Very amusing. We could hear him berating Sam about something; he was talking quite loudly. Kane and I both went to investigate and found Casey on his knees in bed frantically searching under his pillows and blankets for something and crying. We asked what he was looking for. His shoes. Which shoes? His old ones. Remember we had just bought him a new pair yesterday afternoon. We asked why he needed his shoes. Because he liked them. It took a bit of coaxing to get him settled back in bed. I prayed with him and hugged him as best I could as he sleeps in the top bunk, then he said once again that he needed his shoes. I told him that the shoes were either by the front door or in the closet in the hall. How did I know, he asked. Well, that is probably where he took them off! I found out this afternoon that Sam had heard the entire dialogue but pretended that he was asleep. Turkey. I think I would have had trouble staying so quiet...it was kind of funny.
So, we're off in the morning. No updates until at least Sunday night depending on when we actually get home and how exhausted I am. I booked Monday off to recover though. Always take an extra day...you'll need it!
It has been a busy day and yesterday was busy, too. Yesterday I worked from 10-2. From 4pm to 4:30, I was at parent-teacher interviews for Sam, after which we went to Wal-Mart to buy new shoes for Casey. He destroyed yet another pair of shoes! We were home by 5:30 to eat a quick supper of leftovers before Kane took the boys to church for their activities. Today, I worked from 10:30 to 2:30, came home and changed and picked up Casey, Abby and her friend, picked Sam up from school at 3:10, and dropped Abby and her friend off at church for 3:30. Then, the boys and I went to get Sam's hockey skates sharpened and picked up some groceries for the weekend. By the time we were finished with those errands, it was time to pick Abby and her friend up and drop the friend off at home. It was nearly 5pm by the time we were back at home and unloading the van. We ate a simple supper while watching Smallville. Kane had finished work a bit early today, so he had cleaned up the kitchen for me while I was out doing errands. (That made my day!) After Smallville, it was time to drag out the suitcase and cooler and start packing and organizing. The kids did some last minute tidying while I gathered clothes to pack. The kids have all had baths or showers now, and the only things left to pack are Kane's clothes and the perishable food.
We're leaving first thing in the morning which translates into roughly 7:30am. I don't care how much I need to "finish" in the morning, I'm not getting up before 7am! It has been difficult to get out of bed these past few mornings; tomorrow will likely be no exception. Still, I'll be ready on time.
Casey was talking in his sleep last night. Very amusing. We could hear him berating Sam about something; he was talking quite loudly. Kane and I both went to investigate and found Casey on his knees in bed frantically searching under his pillows and blankets for something and crying. We asked what he was looking for. His shoes. Which shoes? His old ones. Remember we had just bought him a new pair yesterday afternoon. We asked why he needed his shoes. Because he liked them. It took a bit of coaxing to get him settled back in bed. I prayed with him and hugged him as best I could as he sleeps in the top bunk, then he said once again that he needed his shoes. I told him that the shoes were either by the front door or in the closet in the hall. How did I know, he asked. Well, that is probably where he took them off! I found out this afternoon that Sam had heard the entire dialogue but pretended that he was asleep. Turkey. I think I would have had trouble staying so quiet...it was kind of funny.
So, we're off in the morning. No updates until at least Sunday night depending on when we actually get home and how exhausted I am. I booked Monday off to recover though. Always take an extra day...you'll need it!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Candid
I went shopping for some lingerie yesterday, a process both frustrating and humiliating. Shopping for clothing of any kind is typically bothersome to me, but I spent nearly two hours yesterday browsing through three stores. What I was in search of was some new lingerie. What I got was some lingerie and a kick in the butt. I am overweight by about 30 pounds which isn't breaking news to me, but there is nothing like seeing your half-clothed body in a full length dressing room mirror to shock your system into action.
It is embarrassing just to know that I am putting this information in a place accessible to people that actually know me in real life, but as long as I keep those types of thoughts hidden within me, I will never break out of this rut. Without accountability and transparency, there is always the safety net of knowing that I can fail without the need to answer to anyone. So, as much as I want to hold the delete key until every word that I've typed has been erased, I won't. Now you know.
With the warmer weather that we've been experiencing, I want to start walking more. Of course, today is not so nice a day and snow is falling. The trouble will be finding the time to walk consistently. The bigger challenge will be to control food rather than being controlled by food. I am terrible for eating at night or when I am bored...big NO NOs.
It is embarrassing just to know that I am putting this information in a place accessible to people that actually know me in real life, but as long as I keep those types of thoughts hidden within me, I will never break out of this rut. Without accountability and transparency, there is always the safety net of knowing that I can fail without the need to answer to anyone. So, as much as I want to hold the delete key until every word that I've typed has been erased, I won't. Now you know.
With the warmer weather that we've been experiencing, I want to start walking more. Of course, today is not so nice a day and snow is falling. The trouble will be finding the time to walk consistently. The bigger challenge will be to control food rather than being controlled by food. I am terrible for eating at night or when I am bored...big NO NOs.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Monday Mumblings
Our weekend was relatively quiet. It was a rare weekend without a hockey game. Kane took it upon himself to do some "cleaning" and "re-arranging" on Sunday afternoon, a process I found both amusing and frustrating. A few times a year, Kane will get these urges and will begin following through, usually without consulting me first. Our bedroom tends to be a catch-all for anything that has no place to go or for things waiting to be dealt with. For example, the bags of clothing and toys that I removed from Abby's room had been placed in my room until such time as I could drop them off or have them picked up. A lazy-boy chair has been in our room for over a year now, not because we have a spacious room but because there was no place else to put it at this time. So, Kane decided to tackle our bedroom.
Ha ha! Now, my bedroom looks great. It is mostly UN-cluttered and neat. He even swept the floor! My living room is another story. Remember those bags of clothes and toys? They are in my living room. A large stack of puzzles that had been in my room waiting to be dropped off at a thrift store is now in my living room. How long will they remain there? The lazy boy is sitting on our sundeck wrapped in plastic and tarps.
He means well. Really. I'm glad that he has reached the point where he wants to see things neater and cleaner, because I'm rather quite tired of having my hard work erased the moment I leave a room. However, I can be somewhat particular in my own way. I am not a neat freak and will never pass a white glove test. I don't believe that I have any obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Honestly, I am typically laid back and able to go with the flow, but in my own home I can be a little bit fussy. I prefer the toilet paper to roll against the wall, although I won't change it when someone puts it on the wrong way. It drives me crazy when my husband puts the clean dishes away in the wrong places and I will put them back in their proper places. I do not like transferring junk from one place to another in an attempt to clean one area. Deal with it or leave it until it can be dealt with properly! Yes, my bedroom is clean but my living room is now unsightly and will likely remain so for much longer than I would like it to be. If it were up to me, I'd take the messy bedroom over a messy living room any day, but that's just me.
Tomorrow is Kane's birthday. It is also Mats Sundin's birthday, in case you are a Maple Leafs fan. Sam is a ML fan. Guess whose birthday he is going to celebrate?
I baked a chocolate cake tonight which I will top tomorrow with ganache. The cake is in the shape of a heart since Valentine's day is the day after tomorrow...two birds with one stone or something like that. Actually, this is an incredibly busy week and Wednesday will be insane, so this is the only way that anything special will be done for the birthday or Valentine's day.
Tomorrow is my only day off until Friday, but we're leaving early Friday morning for a hockey tournament. We won't be back until sometime Sunday, but I am taking Monday off as well. I will need that extra day to catch up on laundry and to take some time for myself. So, I have a lot of stuff to do tomorrow: laundry, a bit of shopping, the ganache, getting supper in the crockpot, cleaning out the van, and organizing/planning for the weekend. Sam has hockey practice from 5:30-6:30 which is why supper needs to be in the crockpot, and I've got girls' night at 7:30.
Wednesday. I work from 10-2. Sam gets out of school at 1:15 because of parent-teacher interviews. I have two pt interviews set for 4:10 and 4:20. Sam and Casey both have youth activities at the church at 7pm. From 5:30-7, there are further pt interviews at the school, and Kane and I have a care group at church at 7pm.
Thursday. I work from 10:30 to 2:30. Abby has an activity at church from 3;30 to 4:45. The rest of the evening will be spent packing and preparing for our departure in the morning.
Friday. We will leave around 8am after picking up a teammate that we're bringing along. Our first game is around noon and our second game is later in the evening around 7 or 8pm. We won't know what time our game(s) is on Saturday until after our second game on Friday. Hopefully, we will do well and go as far as we can in the play-offs. We could be all finished on Saturday or we could play one or two games on Sunday. It all depends!
Next Monday, Casey gets his cast off! I've already made an appointment. He is excited but disappointed that it won't be on the Sunday. He takes things so literally. The doctor said three weeks and Sunday will be exactly three weeks. :o)
I grabbed six books from the church library on Sunday. I've already finished four of them. Guess they won't last me until our trip...
Sam received his second term report card last week. Overall, we are pleased with what we saw. There were a couple of disappointing marks but also a couple of surprises, pleasant ones. His math mark went from a C- in the first term to a C+. That was the most shocking mark to me as Sam struggles with math. In the grand scheme of things, there isn't a whole lot of improvement between his first and second term marks, but yet there is so much improvement, if that makes sense to anyone but me. It's a hard-earned improvement and I am proud of him.
I finally found a Wii points card at a retailer yesterday. While we managed to snag ourselves a Wii much sooner and easier than I had anticipated, finding extra remote controls and point cards has been much more difficult. Nobody has any! The points cards can be used to download class Nintendo games from the old game systems like NES, Sega, and Nintendo 64. After slogging through some hassles with the Nintendo Wi-Fi connections, we were finally able to download three games with our points: Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, and Super Mario 64. The boys are excited about the Super Mario game as they still remember playing it back when we had a Nintendo 64 several years ago. Personally, while I am eager to play Super Mario as well, I am more excited about Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong which are exactly like the original arcade games! The boys don't get it; it means little to them. The graphics are lame and the concept quite simple, but playing those games sends me back in time to Estevan Bowl and the small arcade in the lobby. We lived only a block from the bowling alley and, in small town Saskatchewan, entertainment is scarce. One bowling alley. One movie theatre with one screen playing one movie at a time for a week or more. One swimming pool only open in the summer as it was outdoors. I wouldn't say that I hung out at the bowling alley, but I certainly spent some time there. The video games were much simpler then. Pac Man, Dig Dug, Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., Space Invaders...a far cry from anything in today's arcades. Man! Am I ever getting old.
Ha ha! Now, my bedroom looks great. It is mostly UN-cluttered and neat. He even swept the floor! My living room is another story. Remember those bags of clothes and toys? They are in my living room. A large stack of puzzles that had been in my room waiting to be dropped off at a thrift store is now in my living room. How long will they remain there? The lazy boy is sitting on our sundeck wrapped in plastic and tarps.
He means well. Really. I'm glad that he has reached the point where he wants to see things neater and cleaner, because I'm rather quite tired of having my hard work erased the moment I leave a room. However, I can be somewhat particular in my own way. I am not a neat freak and will never pass a white glove test. I don't believe that I have any obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Honestly, I am typically laid back and able to go with the flow, but in my own home I can be a little bit fussy. I prefer the toilet paper to roll against the wall, although I won't change it when someone puts it on the wrong way. It drives me crazy when my husband puts the clean dishes away in the wrong places and I will put them back in their proper places. I do not like transferring junk from one place to another in an attempt to clean one area. Deal with it or leave it until it can be dealt with properly! Yes, my bedroom is clean but my living room is now unsightly and will likely remain so for much longer than I would like it to be. If it were up to me, I'd take the messy bedroom over a messy living room any day, but that's just me.
Tomorrow is Kane's birthday. It is also Mats Sundin's birthday, in case you are a Maple Leafs fan. Sam is a ML fan. Guess whose birthday he is going to celebrate?
I baked a chocolate cake tonight which I will top tomorrow with ganache. The cake is in the shape of a heart since Valentine's day is the day after tomorrow...two birds with one stone or something like that. Actually, this is an incredibly busy week and Wednesday will be insane, so this is the only way that anything special will be done for the birthday or Valentine's day.
Tomorrow is my only day off until Friday, but we're leaving early Friday morning for a hockey tournament. We won't be back until sometime Sunday, but I am taking Monday off as well. I will need that extra day to catch up on laundry and to take some time for myself. So, I have a lot of stuff to do tomorrow: laundry, a bit of shopping, the ganache, getting supper in the crockpot, cleaning out the van, and organizing/planning for the weekend. Sam has hockey practice from 5:30-6:30 which is why supper needs to be in the crockpot, and I've got girls' night at 7:30.
Wednesday. I work from 10-2. Sam gets out of school at 1:15 because of parent-teacher interviews. I have two pt interviews set for 4:10 and 4:20. Sam and Casey both have youth activities at the church at 7pm. From 5:30-7, there are further pt interviews at the school, and Kane and I have a care group at church at 7pm.
Thursday. I work from 10:30 to 2:30. Abby has an activity at church from 3;30 to 4:45. The rest of the evening will be spent packing and preparing for our departure in the morning.
Friday. We will leave around 8am after picking up a teammate that we're bringing along. Our first game is around noon and our second game is later in the evening around 7 or 8pm. We won't know what time our game(s) is on Saturday until after our second game on Friday. Hopefully, we will do well and go as far as we can in the play-offs. We could be all finished on Saturday or we could play one or two games on Sunday. It all depends!
Next Monday, Casey gets his cast off! I've already made an appointment. He is excited but disappointed that it won't be on the Sunday. He takes things so literally. The doctor said three weeks and Sunday will be exactly three weeks. :o)
I grabbed six books from the church library on Sunday. I've already finished four of them. Guess they won't last me until our trip...
Sam received his second term report card last week. Overall, we are pleased with what we saw. There were a couple of disappointing marks but also a couple of surprises, pleasant ones. His math mark went from a C- in the first term to a C+. That was the most shocking mark to me as Sam struggles with math. In the grand scheme of things, there isn't a whole lot of improvement between his first and second term marks, but yet there is so much improvement, if that makes sense to anyone but me. It's a hard-earned improvement and I am proud of him.
I finally found a Wii points card at a retailer yesterday. While we managed to snag ourselves a Wii much sooner and easier than I had anticipated, finding extra remote controls and point cards has been much more difficult. Nobody has any! The points cards can be used to download class Nintendo games from the old game systems like NES, Sega, and Nintendo 64. After slogging through some hassles with the Nintendo Wi-Fi connections, we were finally able to download three games with our points: Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, and Super Mario 64. The boys are excited about the Super Mario game as they still remember playing it back when we had a Nintendo 64 several years ago. Personally, while I am eager to play Super Mario as well, I am more excited about Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong which are exactly like the original arcade games! The boys don't get it; it means little to them. The graphics are lame and the concept quite simple, but playing those games sends me back in time to Estevan Bowl and the small arcade in the lobby. We lived only a block from the bowling alley and, in small town Saskatchewan, entertainment is scarce. One bowling alley. One movie theatre with one screen playing one movie at a time for a week or more. One swimming pool only open in the summer as it was outdoors. I wouldn't say that I hung out at the bowling alley, but I certainly spent some time there. The video games were much simpler then. Pac Man, Dig Dug, Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., Space Invaders...a far cry from anything in today's arcades. Man! Am I ever getting old.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
A Dash of This and That
I went to the dentist after work today for a cleaning. Everything went well and I survived the fluoride treatment. When I was in elementary school, a dentist would set up shop in each school for several days, checking, cleaning and treating every student's teeth. The fluoride treatment was always something to be feared. Back then (that sounds so old!), there were not numerous flavour options and the little trays had to stay in the mouth for what seemed like a very loooong time. Today when the hygienist asked what flavour I would like, I made a comment about how all the flavours are disgusting, so she recommended the orange flavour. Wow! The entire time the trays were in my mouth, I couldn't taste anything! The flavour finally hit as she was removing the trays, but it was mild and bearable. I could almost say that I enjoyed the fluoride treatment this time, and I will definitely be requesting the orange flavour in the future.
I am almost ready to chop my hands off. From mid-September until Christmas, I had almost unending pain and discomfort in my wrists/hands. The doctor diagnosed carpal tunnel and recommended I wear splints at night which I have done and continue to do. Shortly before Christmas, the doctor finally said that he would refer me to a specialist. Then the pain stopped. More or less. The chronic pain stopped, but I still had some numbness and tingling in my hands for a while. In mid-January, I saw the specialist who agreed that I had the symptoms but the tests came back looking pretty good. Yesterday, I noticed a bit more discomfort in my wrists than I have experienced in the past month. Today, the discomfort is a little more blatant, edging towards pain. In fact, my left wrist feels very much the way it did when all this was just starting back in September. Great!
I am almost ready to chop my hands off. From mid-September until Christmas, I had almost unending pain and discomfort in my wrists/hands. The doctor diagnosed carpal tunnel and recommended I wear splints at night which I have done and continue to do. Shortly before Christmas, the doctor finally said that he would refer me to a specialist. Then the pain stopped. More or less. The chronic pain stopped, but I still had some numbness and tingling in my hands for a while. In mid-January, I saw the specialist who agreed that I had the symptoms but the tests came back looking pretty good. Yesterday, I noticed a bit more discomfort in my wrists than I have experienced in the past month. Today, the discomfort is a little more blatant, edging towards pain. In fact, my left wrist feels very much the way it did when all this was just starting back in September. Great!
Thursday, February 01, 2007
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2. CSI-The original one. Las Vegas. I love mysteries and whodunits and forensics, so this show is right up my alley. The CSI spin-offs have never really appealed to me though. 3. 24-We've only been watching this show for a couple of years now. It is highly addictive! 4. NCIS-Back to the mysteries and forensics again. I've never really been a Mark Harmon fan, but he is bearable in this show. 5. House-Medical mysteries this time with a caustic doctor to solve them. 6. Cross Jordan-Yup, another forensics type show. This one centers on a morgue which drew my interest as one of my favourite book series revolves around a coroner. 7. Criminal Minds-I love Mandy Patinkin in anything, so how could I resist a show which has him and mysteries? 8. Lost-Can't help it; I just like it. 9. Malcolm in the Middle-okay, this show is no longer being made, but we only recently "discovered" it and fell in love with it. Of course, our family is not as insane as their family, but there are so many similarities and common situations and comments that we can't help but love it. This was the first time that I have ever bought a DVD set of a TV show's season. Now if only they would put the other seasons on DVD... 10. Restaurant Makeover-it is interesting to watch the before and afters and all the drama in-between. 11. Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares-there is a LOT of language in this show, but the show is both hilarious and downright frightening. Thankfully, it is a British show, but I wouldn't be surprised to discover restaurant kitchens here in Canada that are in just as poor shape as overseas. Don't watch this show if you have serious food/sanitary issues! 12. Fixing Dinner-at least that is what I think it is called. I don't watch it very often, but I enjoy it when I do. A mother of seven has turned her organizational skills and love of cooking into a career of helping others save meal times. She works with families to create meal plans which involve everyone in the cooking and prepping to save time and yet have nutritious meals. 13. this isn't a show but a disclaimer. While I have listed 12 shows here, I do not watch all of them on a regular basis. Our vcr died ages ago and we've never replaced it, so we don't have the option of recording our programs. Even still, if something is happening during one of my shows, I will miss my show. Easily half of the shows listed are ones that I only watch occasionally when there is nothing else on or there is nothing else I'd rather do. |
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Abby's Room, Part Deux
It took longer than I thought it would to finish cleaning her room this morning, but it is done. I cleared out 2 garbage bags of clothing to pass on to a niece, 1 garbage bag of recycling, 2 garbage bags of garbage, and 2 garbage bags of toys, books, and miscellaneous stuff to pass on to a thrift store. The amazing thing is that I do a major clean like this at least 2 or 3 times a year and the kids always have tons of unnecessary clutter and junk! Maybe I'll work on the boys' room next week, assuming that I have the energy and motivation to do it.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike2.5 Canada License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike2.5 Canada License.
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