Hey Mom - I did it!

This morning while perusing the internet in an (effective) attempt to avoid the dirty dishes, laundry and multitude of general chores in my house, a tidbit of info caught my eye. I tried to ignore it, I called the bank, called my mom, you know, trying to distract myself. In the end, however, I had to give in. That's right, I went swimming.

Now let me clarify this a little for you. I am not a water-baby. I was raised by a woman who did not enjoy water recreation either. I would never choose to take a bath if a shower was available. I've been known to go boating, but I prefer to watch the kids while everyone else takes the rides. I reluctantly go to the pool when my kids have field trips. I've even gotten in the water twice, you read that right, TWICE, out of a sense of obligation to help my children learn to enjoy it. I remember this one time in high school, I went swimming with 2 friends - it was toward the end of grade 10. Yup, that was the last time I remember getting in a pool because I thought it sounded like a fun way to spend some time. (Might be important to note here that those two friends grabbed my legs and sunk me - kicking, screaming, and sobbing - to the bottom at the deep end.)

I'm actually a fairly confident swimmer (thanks, grudgingly, to swimming lessons at the local pool growing up. Oh Phil, did you ever come to a realization of what a creepy swimming instructor you were?) and I do have some soft spots in my heart for swimming pools. I dated a lifeguard in high school and the chlorine smell makes me think of doing my homework on the carpeted 2nd floor bleachers while waiting for him to finish teaching a class. I love the echo-y-ness and the warm humidity.  Maybe that's why if found myself drawn to the pool bleachers in university, where I'd eat lunch, study and nap between classes.

So I took myself off to the pool, shaking my head the whole way and even saying aloud at one point, "I can't believe I'm actually doing this." I steeled myself for the experience by choosing some specific cardio activities to do so that I could reinforce this incomprehensible decision with some purpose. In the end? I had a great time. So if you see me out and about this week still wearing my proof of payment waterproof wrist band like a badge of honour - well, now you know why.

(PS - did you know that the first Tuesday of the month is Toonie Tuesdays at the Leisure Center, now you do!)

when my kids get older I will...

I've read a lot of parenting articles/advise over the years that kept repeating the same thing. Basically, "don't spend you're time wishing away these labor intensive ages and phases - they will be gone all too soon as it is." I've tried hard to follow this line of thinking and enjoy the moments we're actually living in.

However, I just have to take a moment to acknowledge that FOR THE FIRST TIME (!!!) I really, actually, truthfully, do love the ages and stages of my kids right now. Potty trained? Check. Can get their own snacks (and sometimes their own breakfast)? Check. Dress themselves, read to themselves (almost) and play outside alone? Check, check and check. Still want a hug and kiss goodnight? Yup. Hold my hand to cross the street? Uh-huh. Giggle, tickle, cuddle and tease? Sure do!

Sometimes a phrase or look jumps right out of the Junior High onto my 7 year-old's face. My 5 year-old runs around singing, "weeeee are neber, neber, neber getting back togeber!"

I guess I'm saying, that for as hard as I've always tried to live that great advise, I'm finally understanding it.

where were you last week?

A few Facebook friends commented on the snow in the neighborhood behind our kids in the picture in my last post. Just for documentation purposes, here is our neighborhood today (about the same time of day).

It's like a second chance at all the unfinished fall clean-up I didn't get to a month ago!

hallelujah

I love that my kids chose to wear the same costumes as last year, aka "the best costumes ever"!

They are Mario and Luigi, if you can't tell - with kids this cute, I'm gonna rake in the candy tonight!

Five and a half months ago (whoa, wait a minute while I recount ... yup, that's right) I declared that this year would be the best ever. Then I promptly stopped updating my blog. You all (all three of you, that is ...Mom, you're still there, right? ...Mom? Hello?) have likely determined that I overshot in my predictions and am neglecting my blog out of a sense of defeat. Well, wonder no more folks! (the two of you that are left... you still read my blog, right Julie? *crickets chirping*)

The truth is that this year really IS the best EVER. (It is also the BUSIEST ever - but I'll not bore you with the details.) Mostly I just wanted to take a moment to take stock of my many blessings, which are (in no particular order):

2 healthy children, a thoughtful husband, good health, a warm and cozy home, hobbies I enjoy, opportunities to serve and make a difference, children in our church school and neighborhood that I can love on, a Father in Heaven who knows me and my needs and loves me enough to give me what I need in spite of what I ask for, a husband with a job that provides for us, the privileged of raising my children as a stay-at-home mom, friends - so so so many friends that look after us in ways big and small - thank you, a spouse who more than just tolerates my odd sense of humor, people around us who go the extra mile every day for our benefit, friends who tell me that I'm good enough when I sometimes feel like I'm dropping the ball, the parts of God's plan that help us to know what he wants from us and how we should direct our lives, a second vehicle and all the other luxuries we are able to indulge in, and so much more...

I feel so very fortunate to be so blessed, but (for the most part) these things have always been mine to have. So why is this year the best ever? Because my eyes, mind and heart are open to knowing and acknowledging and accepting them. It's huge. I feel like a different person - I'm happier and healthier than I've ever been and I know it's because my Father in Heaven loves me enough to lead me where He knows I need to be. I'm so grateful for those refining opportunities - in the moment they felt too big, too huge - but now I'm here on the other side knowing that I never could have imagined this blessing for myself, but He did, and now my life is fuller and happier than I had ever thought possible.

Menden-palooza 2012

I could not possibly be funnier or provide more pictures than my mom and sister. So, that is that.

so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye

I've been super-inspired lately. I've installed shelving in a closet, refinished a trunk and a stool, reno'd a dresser into a bench and gave another dresser a facelift. And replaced a whole swack of lights (okay, okay, that one I delegated to the hubby). Pictures will come when I get all my belongings back into place.

I got the bug because my good friend, Nancy, spent that last weeks of summer spiffing up her house to put on the market. Here it is, check it out if you're looking for a house in Brooks. The problem is, for the last 4 years Nancy has been my go-to girl for all things handy and now I've lost her. At first I panicked - "how will I get this shelving cut to size now?!?" and "how do I know that I'm not doing this the completely wrongest way ever?!?". But I bucked up. It's required some nerve and alot of tools, like levels and drills and saws. And it's been SO much fun.

Thank you Nancy - in this and so many other ways you've inspired me to live a more courageous life.

thirty, flirty and thriving...

I was born at 12:06, lunchtime, on May 1st, 1982. Today is my first full day of being 30. I'm calling it first - the best decade of my life so far, starts now. Watch this world - it's gonna be something!

parenting blunders

Last week Josh asked me when he would be old enough to go by himself to the bridge over Marshall Drain that runs behind the houses on the main road outside of our cul-de-sac. I told him that he wasn't old enough yet, but that by the time he learned how to ride a two-wheeler (probably by the end of the summer, I figured) he would be.

Do not underestimate the capacity of a bridge, a back alley and a some mucky water to motivate a 6-year-old to teach himself to ride a bike.

git 'er done

You gotta admire my neighbor kid's determination... if not his method.
If you can't tell, he's scraping the frost off the windshield.

authentic

Yesterday Taylor decided there was something missing from his young life. So he hauled our the "playhuts" that he and Josh got for Christmas from their cousins (thanks Carter and Hayley!) and made a camp in the livingroom. Of course, not too much later the asking, whining, begging, nagging and pleading began. I've been sick with a cold and sleeping on the couch - so of course I said yes.

The play huts are really only big enough for 2 children to sit cross-legged, nose-to-nose, so we made beds with their legs sticking out the doors. The kids really enjoyed their overnight camp-out, complete with marshmallows on a fondue fork roasted over a toaster "fire".

um, ya

For the last TWO WEEKS my house has been in that awkward state of disorder that happens when you decide to move rooms and rearrange furniture. You know, when you can't actually make any progress without making a mess, but then you haven't made enough progress to actually put the mess back away when you're done.

We're "outside the box" thinkers around here, meaning we have toy rooms in bedrooms and bedrooms in rumpus rooms, so we have 4 rooms that are changing purpose (two up and two down)- it's a big job. Usually I hum and haw about room changes for a couple months (no joke) even drawing room diagrams and measuring furniture to make sure everything fits, then plan a moving day for right after I get all the rest of the house tidied so that there is room for moving.

Not this time... we came home from Christmas, dumped the presents and dirty laundry, got groceries and started making this moving mess. WITHOUT THINKING ANYTHING THROUGH FIRST. Now I'm at the point where I move one piece of furniture a day (making the inevitable mess) and then I'm stuck trying to figure out what goes where next. I only have 2 pieces of furniture left to move downstairs and then it's just a matter of reorganizing the stuff I took out of the furniture. At this rate though, a realistic goal might be to be done by Easter. Ya, Easter, I can live in chaos that long!