This, that and all

It's quite hard to believe that summer break will soon be coming to an end.
Last night we had a terrible storm - a number of tornadoes hit down in our area, but we didn't see any affects at our house other than some wind kicking up.

Around 10 or 10:30 the power went out, so the boys and I got a number of candles and lanterns lit, and the A-man suggested a board game. He brought up Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit for the options. S had a knack for winning with Monopoly, so of course he picked that game.
We played for quite a while, and even after the power came back on, the A-man went around the house turning off all the lights so that we could continue our candle-lit game. I started to get tired, so I suggested we put the small pieces in the box so that they didn't get scattered by the cats. We have plans on continuing the game this evening.
Apparently I just need to 'invite' the boys upstairs and they would love to play games with me. I asked why they never suggested it to me, and neither of them had a reply!

I'm looking forward to playing some more of it, actually.

~~~

Now, on to something completely different...

Another reason to be careful who you add as a 'friend' on Facebook...


I couldn't imagine!!

Time's slipping away...

I think this has been the longest that I have neglected my poor blog!

Quick update on the "farming" side of my life: two eggs were laid the other day (!), we lost two chickens in as many days - silly girls flew out of their run never to be seen again, and a pheasant has some how gotten out of the coop so we are down to 19 chickens and 11 pheasants.

Now, let's see if I can do some recap... Boys and Hubby were off at the cottage and left me home alone for the week. I enjoyed that week even though I didn't really do anything other than housework and read! But I will admit that I did get kind of lonely, too.

The second week of Hubby's holidays was also a holiday week for me. We went up to the cottage on the Friday evening.
On Saturday, we went to the trailer park where Cuz has her 'summer home'. My cousin (that is Cuz's husband) has recently finished his stem cell transplant - which will hopefully knock this blasted cancer out of his body forever - and that Saturday was a fundraiser day for the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. (This is the cancer hospital where he underwent his treatment.) Although my cousin was supposed to me running this fundraising event, we knew the responsibility would fall to others as his heart is in the right place, but his organizational skills are just a little lacking...
Anyway, there was a pig roast, a live band, a motorcycle show-and-shine, and a horseshoe tournament, and the last report that I got is that the event raised over $3,500, which is pretty incredible considering the size of the venue. Cuz and I were able to sneak away to spend a bit of quality chat-time together, but of course it wasn't enough. We never seem to get enough of that.

On the Sunday afternoon, Sammy and her Hubby arrived at the cottage for a week of holiday fun with us. The weather did not cooperate for most of the week, but at least the Thursday and Friday were nice. (We are really having a terrible summer so far - the temperatures and sunshine don't seem to realize that it is July in Ontario!!)

We came home on the Saturday morning, and Sunday was the "Kid's Fishing Day" event for the Fish & Game Club we belong to. I tried - unsuccessfully - to wake the boys to come with me so that as a family we could assist the club, but since it was the first time the boys had slept in their own beds for quite a while, I guess they were happy to stay snuggled under the comforters.
I went to the event to provide my help, and it was very successful indeed! We had over 240 kids participate in the 4 hour fishing day, and it was really great to see the reaction of some of these children when they caught a fish for the very first time. It was also a very nice feeling to be able to give each child their own rod and reel when they left that afternoon. I'm sorry the boys missed it, actually.

This past week went by a blur, to be honest. Monday evening the boys and I harvested some lettuce and went to deliver a bag of it to our new neighbours. (Nothings says "Welcome" like a bag of fresh produce...)
On Tuesday I stopped in to see a friend on my way home from work, and ending up staying for a while to assist her with preparing a legal document. When I got home I started working on updating my resume.
Wednesday night took me to an appreciation dinner. We went to a wedding a little while back, and the parents of the groom held a dinner for those of us that helped with getting the tent ready. Isn't that nice? I told her we helped because we WANTED to and didn't expect anything in return, but they hosted a dinner anyway. It was a very enjoyable evening.
Thursday was my golf lesson night.
Friday I left work early - it was actually sunny and beautiful in the morning, and I'd made plans with Jazzy's mom to have an afternoon on the beach. It started to rain just as we were heading out, but we had a nice visit at their house regardless.
We didn't stay late that afternoon, although she was very kind and had invited us to stay for dinner. I had not been sleeping well last week, and after we left Jazzy's, the boys and I picked up groceries, and when we got home, I left them to put everything away so that I could lay down for a nap. I had a good nap and still went to bed that night at 10:30!

Last week Hubby was on afternoons, and my travels kept me away from the house for most of the nights until late, but the boys managed just fine. I'm in a state of adjustment right now, I think. I'm starting to come to the realization that my kids don't really need me anymore; they are starting to be independent individuals. Okay, that's not quite true - they still need me, but they don't need me as much, for as many things.
I remember longing for those days... when I couldn't pick up a phone without having the two of them break into a fight or suddenly have something they HAD to tell me, when I had to either make all my plans for when Hubby was on days or hire a sitter, when I had to make sure I got home right after work so that dinner was finished and we had some time together before they went to bed.
And now that time is here... now I am simply the person that makes sure there is food in the house and that can transport whenever necessary and that goes to bed before they even think about it... I'm not sure I'm ready for this!

This and that

Last week I was sick. I started the week feeling that a chest cold was coming on. On Wednesday - over a week ago now - I was able to get in and get a massage to try and relax the elastic band that was around my chest, shoulders and back. The massage did help to ease the very tight muscles, but I think it also helped to bring on the cold even more.

Thursday I was bad, Friday even worse. Saturday was the worst I have felt in a very long time. Poor Hubby had come to bed around 3 or 4 and shortly thereafter went to sleep elsewhere because I was coughing so much.

I even took cold medication on Saturday to try and help ease the sinus pressure and pain. That is a big step for me - I hate taking medication.

After a while the sinus pressure began to ease and I was able to open my eyes without feeling faint. In the afternoon, I was even able to go out and watch Hubby and the A-man dismantle the tree fort in the back yard. (More about plans for that in a minute.)

I guess the worst of it was on Saturday because I started to feel better on Sunday. Now I'm just trying to clear my lungs of the icky stuff. I'm also happy to say that my engergy levels have come back to normal and I'm not spending all night, every night, laying on the couch and feeling like a log. I loathe being sick.

~~~
Saturday is the A-man's 16th birthday! Wow - legal driving age. Such a scary idea for the parent of an ADHD child. Now I will admit, the idea of S driving a car scares me far more than the idea of the A-man driving does. He has calmed quite a bit, and matured so much that I don't think his ADHD should even have a factor in to things. I'm going to look in to the cost of driving classes and talk to Hubby about giving that to the A-man for a gift.

I've invited a number of people over for dinner on Saturday night, and I've not mentioned it to the A-man. People are just going to start arriving and wishing him a Happy Birthday. I'm planning on making all of his favourites for dinner, and then the 'kids' will get the run of the downstairs while the adults chat upstairs. It should be nice. I know he will like the fuss and attention, even if he won't get the whole element of "Surprise" being yelled at him when he enters a room.

~~~
Okay, now on to the most exciting adventure our house has ever tried. The A-man and Hubby were dismantling the tree house because we are going to 'renovate' the shell of the tree fort and turn it in to a chicken coop!

Yup - sometime around April 22, we are going to be receiving 3 week old Black Sex Link chickens! 20 of them. :o)
At first they will look like this but then when they are fully grown, the girls will look more like this:

Pretty little things, aren't they?

Then, a few weeks later - the first Tuesday in May - we will be getting a dozen day old ring-neck pheasants. They will be wee tiny, and will require the whole brooding process. I'm quite nervous about because it's quite a task caring for little baby birdies!

At a day old the chicks will look something like this

and when they are fully grown will look more like this:


And, why, exactly are we doing this? Who knows?
It will be an interesting adventure for us, and it will be kind of fun to learn about what's involved in raising them. By September we should be starting to get eggs! Until I'd started reading about how to raise them, I didn't realize that chicken's lay eggs every 26 hours or so.

Then, in the late Fall, we will start to fill the freezer, I guess. I will not be involved in that process - that will be all Hubby's doing. (He was raised on a farm and this is something very common for him!)

I've told the boys that they will have to help with the chores involved in raising the birds, but I don't know how involved they will be. S is very excited about getting the babies, but I don't think he realizes how much care they will require.

It'll be an adventure that I'm looking forward to talking about on here!

Status quo

I think this is the longest I have ever gone without posting to my blog. Almost 2 full weeks. That is just crazy.

When I first started this blog, I guess it was a bit therapeutic for me. It was a way for me to vent about the frustrations of dealing with educators that didn't understand, of doctor's appointments, of homework dealings.... For a bit, I even used it to track certain actions/behaviours.

I have now come to the realization that things have changed in my household in the past year and a half. I don't have the daily 'issues', problems and frustrations that I used to have. Phone calls from the school seem to be a thing of the past - but a fading memory. Never to be a 'fond' memory, but fading is okay too!

Oh, we still have our homework-completion issues, and the "it's not my turn to empty the litter" issues, but they just seem so small in comparison to the larger ones we've had in the past. I am not complaining - nor do I ever want those days back.

I'm just saying it's almost like my original reason for keeping this blog has now become a thing of the past. The original reason is now obsolete. (Isn't that great?)

~~~

Seems like everyone is celebrating Obama today. When I checked my Facebook this morning, I was surprised at the number of people that were commenting about the inauguration today, and how excited they were.
I, too, am happy that the US finally has a President that brings hope and promise, but I am just amazed at how many people that normally aren't all that politically-minded are now getting in to the wave of excitement.

I am left wondering if it's because of the man himself, or if it's because we are watching history unfold. "America's first black President."
Had Hilary won the race, we would be still be watching history - "America's first female President," but I don't think it would have been as exciting. (It's been either Bush or Clinton on the ballot far too long, imho...)

It's an exciting time, but also a very difficult time for this man to take office. If the economy doesn't start to show improvement, there will be the ney-sayers that blame Obama for not doing a better job. (Even though the mess was created before him and now he gets the wonderful clean-up job.)

I'm looking forward to watching history today. It is an exciting day.

~~~

S had to do a public speaking assignment, and he chose to write his speech on ADHD. I thought that was pretty cool. He didn't really do a lot of research on it - he went more from personal experience. I don't know that the speech is going to be long enough to consider moving him forward in the competition - not that he would be comfortable doing that anyway - but I think it will be a bit of therapy for him. It will give him a chance to explain to some people, "Hey, it isn't all my fault!"

The A-man had his History ISU presentation yesterday. He said the teacher commented that they were very original in their presentation, but I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. I have always been a firm believer that it is good to be unique, and the boys worked hard and presented the information well. Hopefully the marks are up to the levels the boys are wanting.

Exam time is also upon us. The A-man has one on Thursday - Science - and then one on Tuesday for History. Then he will start "a semester of classes I love," is how he described it to me last night. His next semester includes Math, English, Religion and Civics. He is excited about the first three; and has heard the Civics teacher/class is boring. No matter; he is excited about English!
I never thought I'd see the day.

Now I understand why tigers eat their young... ;o)

I don’t know what has been going on with the A-man lately. He is just so grouchy all the time, and for the last couple of days, he seems to be set off at the smallest thing. I don’t know how many times I have heard, “I’m so tired” from him, yet when I suggest he goes to bed earlier, he doesn’t go.
This morning he was up early – almost a full hour before his bus was set to arrive – yet, again this morning he was ‘rushed’ at the last minute and wasn’t ready. I reminded about half an hour before the bus was to arrive that he needed to shower. He grunted and went in to his bedroom. 15 minutes later, I open the door to his room to see what he is doing; he’s lying in bed. Now, with only 15 minutes until the bus arrives, I tell him he is going to be pressed to both shower and dress in time, and I get yelled at because he still “needs to go to the washroom!”
He went to the washroom and was back in his room with plenty of time to dress, yet I was calling him to tell him the bus was approaching the house. He did not have his shower. For the second day in a row.

I was just alerted by a text message – it was the A-man asking S to do something that he forgot, I guess. I replied that it was being done, and that I was not very impressed with him this morning. Will be interesting to see if (or how) he responds.

He responded with “I’m sorry Mom. I will do better from now on.”

I don’t want him to feel guilty, but at this point in his life, I want him take a bit more responsibility for his own personal hygiene and self care! Will have to try and explain all of this to him tonight, I guess. Hopefully I catch him in the right frame of mind, and if not, it will have to wait.

I called S’s school yesterday to talk to the principal about my participation in the Grade 8 end of year trip. S has told us the first installment for the trip is due tomorrow, yet I haven’t been told if I (as a chaperone) will receive a discounted rate. S has expressed a few times that he doesn’t want me to go – he thinks it will be embarrassing to be the only student to have his mom there.
I can understand his point, but given his history, I can also see why the school feels that it is important I attend. Anyway, when I was talking to the principal, I told her how nice it has been to not be in constant contact with the school and how S has been having such a great year. (touching wood, now) The Principal then told me that she had been approached by S’s EA and that the EA didn’t think it would right to have me on the trip.
Now, I’m not sure if I should be insulted or not. This is the same women that wouldn’t allow S to go on the bike trip at the end of last school year unless I could attend, and yet she now doesn’t want me to go with them to Ottawa? This is a three day trip, and is more than 5 hours from home!
Hopefully she is requesting this because S has been having such a good year that she doesn’t think its necessary, but still, I don’t think that as his EA that should be her call. The decision must be that of mine and the principal. Period. The Principal and I left it that I would submit payment for S’s portion of the trip, and we would simply address my participation as the time got closer and we would then have a better feeling of S’s state of mind, etc. I would like for him to not have to have me there – it would be great for him – but I am going to have to keep that option open, just in case.

October 1

HOW can it already be October? In my heart of hearts, I still feel like it should still be August. Where has the time gone?

Hubby is currently on the afternoon shift, and was on the afternoon shift last week as well. Last week, I had stuff going on every single night except Friday. The A-man made the comment that he had to cook dinner every night and he didn't like that responsibility. This statement was not quite true, but I am sure he felt like he was doing a lot more than usual. I was in bed on Friday night at 10 pm - the earliest of all week long.

Saturday was a friend's daughter's wedding. Sunday I went grocery shopping for the week and has asked the A-man if he could clean out the fridge while I was out. (I just meant go through and get rid of mostly-empty containers, that sort of thing.) He did clean out the fridge, but he also took the job one step further. He reorganized each shelf to make it "Proton Friendly" (or something to that effect.)
The A-man is taking a Hospitality and Tourism course, and they are required to learn all about safe kitchen standards, etc. He was very serious while explaining the theory behind my revamped fridge. He even wipe down all of the shelves and then mopped the floor afterward. (I know - I'm still wondering where my child is...)

Monday morning was not a good one for me. Quite simply, I think I was beat. I had gone in to work on Sunday afternoon, then Boss made dinner for Hubby and I - was another late night. I was very tired on Monday and the "cleaning of the fridge" left much mess/garbage in the kitchen that hadn't been cleaned up. I didn't take the messy kitchen very well.
Monday night - fitness class.
Tuesday, work in the morning, then off to the city for a wine event for work.
Wednesday, back from city to home to quickly put something in the slow cooker for dinner. Work, then dinner, then off to a board meeting.
Thursday night - dinner with "the girls."
Friday - off to Montreal for the weekend.

No wonder I am beat. I was actually very grateful that the event finished early(ish) last night and I was able to just have some downtime in my hotel room. I even watched more than one half-hour television show. (wild child, huh?)

My poor babies - they are missing me, too. I will make it up to them when I get home tonight and again tomorrow night.

My bully wish

The Bully Factor.
It would appear that it is a part of life, regardless of where you live. My dear friend Bear shared a blog excerpt with me today. It was written by a young man living with both bipolar and Aspergers.

In his blog he explained the vicious cycle whereby being a child with Aspergers caused the bulling, which caused the anxiety, which caused post traumatic stress, which then aggravated his bipolar, which then brought out even more Asperger symptoms. What a sad, sad, never ending cycle.
I'm not sure if his parents/guardians were aware of what he was going through when it was happening, but they must have been. How could they not? He was in a fight so bad that he ended up with a broken jaw!

If I could be granted just one wish, it wouldn't be that all bullying stopped - I think that would be next to impossible.
My wish would be that all people were educated about the seriousness, the full detrimental effect that bullying, teasing, and tormenting can have on a person. I do believe that the bully often times believes they are 'just having fun' and not truly aware of how their so-called 'fun' can be at the (very serious) expense of another human's mental well-being. If THAT awareness could be raised, I think the world might just be a better place.

If I could add an additional educational tag to this wish, I would also wish that all parents have the knowledge, the time and the willingness to do battle against a bully and the yeast that allows this spawn to continue to ferment.
Last Spring I spoke to the mother of a girl that was actually not in school for the last two months of the year because it was just easier than going through the proper channels to make the bully stop. I was so upset by this.
My feeling was that rather than showing her daughter that she was there to help her, she (in my opinion) was simply showing her, "Well, I can't do anything about it. Just stay home and avoid that group of girls."
I tried to educate this Mom in to the "proper procedures" that need to be followed within the board; basically how to work the system to her advantage. She listened to what I suggested, but I'm sure she was thinking, "That is just too much work." It was simply easier to keep the girl home.

Education. That is my wish.

Ramblings and updates

Guess what I did last night?! I drove a front-load tractor! Yup… and I moved the bucket both up and down, I even dumped it. I DROVE the tractor – both forward and reverse – and I didn’t do too badly. Such a renaissance girl, I am… ;o)
(Hubby and I were trying to get the pool’s sand pad totally level, and it got to the point that Hubby was simply shoveling the sand into the low areas, so after he brought the tractor over and was starting to move around the pool area, someone had to bring the tractor to him. I was that someone.)

Yesterday morning I called Hubby at work and gave him heck for being so miserable with me when I got home the night before. He apologized, naturally, and then last night we were sort of having a follow up conversation about it and he confessed that he had planned on calling me about 10 minutes after I had called him. He didn’t know what time I got going in the morning and knew he didn’t want to wake me. All is forgiven.

Hubby and the boys are going to be away next week for Hubby’s final week of summer holidays. Oh, woe is me – whatever will I do with my entire family away for a whole week??
I’m sure I will working a bit later each night, and then spend my evenings getting the house whipped back in to shape. There is bound to be a night of back to school shopping/organizing, and I’m hoping to have at least one night that I can visit with friends. My bet is that next week is going to fly by on me.

Have I mentioned that the A-man, S and I are going to be participants in an educational DVD about ADHD? I was contacted via email a few weeks back, asking if I would consider helping this marketing company produce a DVD that would educate both doctors and teachers about ADHD. A pharmaceutical company has hired the marketing firm - not to push their particular medication – but to be an information tool. They are going to interview parents, adults with ADHD, adolescents with ADHD and children with ADHD. I got a phone call this morning from the producer of the DVD and they are going to come to our home to do the interviews. Should be interesting to see how the boys behave in front of the camera.

Tonight is the night Hubby and I go on our anniversary date! We are celebrating our 18th anniversary (which is on Monday, when he is away), and also the changes at work that will happen for Hubby when he returns from holidays. I have a new dress that I am going to wear, and I think I may even leave work a little early so that I can primp myself for the night. I’m looking forward to it! Thai food... alone with Hubby... being big people on a date.

And again I am left wondering - when did I suddenly become a grown up?

Blogging, the Internet, random musings...

I just realized that my "One year blogging" anniversary is coming up. Since I started my blog last August, I have made over 260 posts, and since November, there have been over 2,300 people look (and hopefully read) my blog. That's pretty cool, I think. The Internet has given us such a great way to meet and connect in a way that just would not have been possible in the past. A very good and helpful tool, no doubt. But, as with 'real' life, a tool that can be abused in the worst way.

I am so glad my sons are both quite computer savvy, and very cautious while online. The A-man noticed that I have quite a number of friends on Facebook and his one question to me was, "Do you know all of those people personally, Mom?" I think he was a little surprised when I told him, "Yes, I do." (Mind you, some of them I haven't seen since we were 8 years old, but back in the 70's, we were TIGHT!)

Like blogging, Facebook is another way to get in touch with people, to see where life's roads have taken them... I love doing the whole "catch up" thing when I get a new friend on Facebook. Then I look over the pictures they have posted, and that is pretty much it for contact with them. Still, it is nice to be able to see how others look - and to compare your age lines with theirs... (I look MUCH younger than most, if I do say so myself! ;o) ) Funny thing is, though, most of these people still look the same as they did when I last saw them. Of course, hair styles and clothing is different, but I would be able to look at them now without anyone telling me their names, and I am pretty sure I would be able to name at least 90% of them.

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Do you remember last week how I mentioned that we were using the storage cabinet in the R-man's old bedroom for storing various items? I am astounded at how much room this cabinet has! I mean, I knew there were lots of drawers and cupboards, but as I purge and clean areas, then store things in that cabinet, I am left wondering, "Wow, is there still room?" And there is!
I am such a pack rat. I'm getting better, but I do think it's a sickness. My mom is the most organized pack rat I have ever seen, and I do come by it honestly, but I will admit that it did feel good to just get rid of all that STUFF we don't use any more.
Now that I can get back in to the crawl space under the foyer - this space is well over 100 square feet - I can get all of the Christmas items organized in such a way that I won't be scrambling next December when I am looking for things. And here is a crazy concept that I think Hubby has never heard of before - the entire space will be organized! Crazy but true...

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I stayed home from work again today. I was feeling better than yesterday, but still not 100%, and knew that my foggy brain just would not function at the level I am used to. I don't think Boss was very happy about it, but what can you do? I will be back in the office for sure tomorrow and it just makes more sense for me to rest up today so that I will be effective when I am in. Used some of the time today to putter in the kitchen and get all of that tidied up, and then I reorganized my closest with some new hooks for my purses and belts. Didn't tackle the shoe boxes though - couldn't imagine doing too much bending over with a stuffy head...

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And my final thought for today: One of my favourite quotes! Oscar Wilde said it best when he said, "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go."
My goal in life is meet the first half of that quote!

Never ending

Today was another day like yesterday. The big project I had been working on yesterday was finally completed this morning, and I was able to send it off to the client and then breathe a big sigh of relief.

Next - new section of the website took up a fair bit of time; tracking down the .gif and .tifs that I needed. Starting get ahead on that.
Followed by - next outdoor event for big client. Advertising deadlines - requested the date over a month ago. Was advised today that the ad is needed tomorrow. Tomorrow??!!?? Yeah, don't think that is going to happen. Graphics guy is good - not that good. Dealt with that... and then it was lunch time....

Afternoon was pretty much a repeat of the morning - but just didn't seem as hairy. Just had a number of smaller things to finish up. Then, when I got home, I stayed on track with the declutter bug.

The yard sale on Saturday is a go, so I really had to get things hauled out. Hubby is taking advantage of this mood - I rarely feel the urge to purge. I'm borrowing a truck tomorrow afternoon, and then it's all going! I even purged the linen closet, the bookcase... early tomorrow afternoon I am going to purge the coat closets. (I know there are a number of coats in there that haven't been worn in a very, very long time.)

As I have been purging, I have also been cleaning. Well, if you were to walk in to the house right now I am sure you would have a hard time believing that I have been cleaning - there are piles of 'stuff' everywhere, but when you look at certain places, you can tell I have been there. If I could have a full day, with no interuptions, I think I would have a pretty good dent in the entire house.
Funny thing, though, is about the way I clean. It just sort of goes for being messy, to looking REALLY messy, and then suddenly, it's all clean and shiny. My best friend in high school always commented on that when she would sit in my room while I was cleaning it. We would be talking, I would slowly move my way around the room, and then suddenly before she realized it, the room was immaculate. I guess I just have my own "cleaning groove."
No matter - I like looking at the CLEAN areas. I know that it is so much better there, and there, and THERE.

The boys helped bit tonight, but most of what I was doing didn't involve their 'stuff' so I just them help me a little bit here and there. They were pretty good to help when asked.
Short work day tomorrow - they have already been warned that I will need their help tomorrow. No doubt about it.

What a day!

I just turned around, and BOOM!, my day at work was over. I'm still reeling from it, I will admit. Sometimes is just doesn't seem worth it to take holidays, does it?
On the upside, we have offered the assistant's position to a young man. He is going to join Boss and I for lunch tomorrow and we are going to work out the logistics of his starting time frame. Poor guy is probably going to have to put together his own work station when he begins; no one else has time to do that right now - the magazine will be going to print in less than a month, and Boss is going to be very tied up with that.
The new section of the website/newsletter will be launched in two weeks, and that has me all wrapped up. Throw in the stuff I have off in the graphic's department either in starting or completing stages, and well, quite frankly it is amazing we have managed this long without another person!
Oh well, we might as well work him to realize that it is an 'all encompassing job!'

Last night I took the boys to the movies. We wanted to go and see Momma Mia, but it was all sold out by the time we arrived, so we went to see Hancock instead. It was okay. Not one I would rave about to all of my friends, but one that boys aged 13 and 15 would leave the theatre saying, "That was really good, wasn't it Mom?" It was just nice to have a night out with the boys.
On the way home, we came up with a plan of attack for starting to clean up the clutter in their bedrooms. Both boys have a ton of toys in their rooms, in their TV room, AND the crawlspace. Neither of them even PLAY with toys anymore, but the minute I suggest getting rid of things, the little pack rats in my kids comes out, and there is some sort of sentimental reason to keep each and every item I touch. (I can't really say too much about that - I am a true pack rat, too.)
Last night we all agreed to incorporate the "Top 10" rule. Each boy is allowed to keep their top 10 items from each section of toys. If they have 10 and find something else they really want to keep, they have to eliminate from the 'keep' pile. This will allow them to keep a total of about 40 items - which will be only a small dent in the number of items we have, I'm sure.

Today, both boys tackled the toys in their bedrooms. I have not yet gone through what they put in each pile, but that is okay. The main thing is to get the bins out to the garage, and then I can go through them when I am setting them out for the yard sale. (If I am participating in one this weekend, that is.)
My goal for this evening is to get the kitchen back into a state that doesn't cause me heart palpitations, and then I will pull the bins from the crawl space. Technically neither of the boys even have a clue what is in the crawlspace as it has been in there since the R-man moved in, but I did make the rule, so they are each allowed 10 items from each bin. Fair is fair.
If we don't have a yard sale, I may just take all of these items to the re-use-it centre on the weekend. No sense having it clutter up the already cluttered garage, right?

Okay - off to make dinner and then putting on my official "lets get this house clean so I can mange to not have a heart attack every time I walk in to a room" clothes.
Really - it's that bad. How can such an annal, perfectionist-type person have such a messy, cluttered house? I can't stand it!!

Job Lists

On Friday morning, as we were preparing to head to the cottage for the weekend, I found myself very frustrated with the boys inability to see what needed to be done and doing it.
In fact, after a while of my trying to do certain things, and them just sitting around playing video games, I sort of lost it on them. Not LOST IT, just, well... got greatly annoyed and my voice indicated such.

"This isn't the first time we have gone to the cottage. This isn't the first time I have had to remind you to do this, this and this before we can leave," I fumed. I made sure Hubby packed the laptop in the front seat, and told the boys that I was going to compile a "TO DO" list for them to follow each and every time we are heading away for the weekend.

• Beds made...
• Garbage empty...
• All dishes in dishwasher...
• Dishwasher timer set...
• Cat food stocked...
• Litter cleaned...
• Clean laundry away...
• Clothes packed...
• Pills packed...

This is not an extensive list, nor is it a difficult one for either of them. Yet, each and every time we are packing up, I find myself droning on and on making sure they have done what is necessary.
After I prepared the list - in a lovely excel spreadsheet complete with check box marks for each of them to ensure they have in fact completed the task - I told them that they would be responsible for making sure they complete the list during the day that we are leaving. This will give them an entire day to go through a do things that (I think) should be second nature by now.

While I was typing away on the laptop, and in the "Listing Making" mode (I am such an A-type personality, and I know it) I put together a day to day chores list for each of the boys. You know, tough, difficult chores like "take laundry downstairs" and "set the table for supper." I am such a mean mother, making my children work!!

S gets overwhelmed by a full week's list, so I made his chart in such a way that I can print up a daily sheet for him, and leave it on the table each morning. Again, none of the jobs are overly difficult or time consuming, but somethings - like gathering the items to recycle or for garbage day - are time sensitive.

Maybe I am just being too hard on them. Truly, though, I don't think so. When I was a teenager, out of all of my friends, my mom was the only one that worked full time. I was often required to ensure I got home right after school to either put the chicken/roast in the oven, or make sure the living rooms was vacuumed, or the bathrooms cleaned. It didn't hurt me - in fact, I think it set the path for me to actually know what needed to be done once I started living on my own.
I have tried to explain this to S - "I wouldn't be a good parent if I didn't teach you how to succeed on your own in the real world." But he doesn't buy it. He thinks I am just 'using him' to get work done. The A-man is much more receptive to helping with things around the house, but unfortunetely S is such a lazy sod, the A-man often feels like he has to do both shares of the work so that it is done, and I don't get upset.
The lists I prepared for them for this summer doesn't require any sharing of duties. I will know who didn't do what needed to be done, and will be able to deal with it at the time. And, again, none of them are tough - "water outside plants, take laundry downstairs, brush teeth" but they all seem to be things that are 'forgotten'.

S will be collecting more and more Mom bucks as the days go by. He will like that, for sure.

End of holidays...

Why does time go so fast when on a break from the everyday?
Last week was probably one of the most productive breaks I have had in a while, and it was also one in which we did quite a bit of FUN things, too.

Hubby and I took the boys golfing on Wednesday. Neither of them have ever played before, and they both did really well. I knew both boys had a natural swing - they have joined me on the driving range a few times, and I was always blown away with how well they both could hit the ball. Frustrating, really, considering I am trying to learn this game, and don't seem to have a knack for it as of yet.
Thursday was a yard work day. Hubby and I picked up 3 yards of wood chips, and then S and I spent the afternoon removing weeds and laying the chips down in my badly-depleted garden pathways. Hubby and the A-man had a number of errands to run that afternoon, so they got out of the major slugging. I was very impressed with how hard S worked that afternoon. He was taking the weeds out to the compost bin whenever the bucket and/or wheel barrel was full, and he was also filling the barrel up with the chips from the trailer.
I would say that we got just over half of the pathways finished before I had to get showered and cleaned up to head off to my Pilates class, but I am very pleased with how the beds are looking. I spent a fair bit of time pulling out weeds from my greatly neglected gardens as I went along. Hopefully I will be able to continue in that vain later this week.

Friday we went back up to the cottage for the weekend. What beautiful weather! Cuz and her family came up for the weekend, and I would say a fun time was had by all until they got a not-so-nice phone call about my Aunt.
After they left, we were still able to enjoy the weather and the day, but I think all of us were a bit more subdued. Dad was able to take us for a small ride on the new boat, but then the engine started overheating so we quickly came back to the dock. I had prepared a cooler for a picnic, so we all just had the picnic on the dock. Our kids, plus 3 of their local friends quite liked being able to swim up and get another sandwich, or a slice of watermelon!
Later in the afternoon my mom and I went for a toot in the paddle boat, and then had a swim. I was amazed at how warm the water was. Hubby took me out in the small boat to give me a lesson on working the trolling motor, so then he and I spent about half an hour trying our luck at catching the big one. He caught a wee perch - we let it go - and none of the local fish were interested in my lure at all. (pout, pout, pout...)

I was the only one that left the cottage tonight. Since Hubby is on the afternoon shift tomorrow, and the weather was so perfect today, he decided he and the boys would come home late in the morning. My dad had his motorcyle at the cottage and thought he would do some work in the morning and then head back home, and that decided it for my Mom. I can't do that getting up at 5:30 to make it to work on time, so the dumb beagle and I got home around 10 tonight.

Back to work tomorrow - but I figure I will be having to take a day off in the next week or so. It doesn't sound like my Aunt is going to last much longer, I'm sad to say. I was planning on going to see her on Tuesday afternoon, but right now it's all up in the air. Really hard for the kids.

Past Weekend

The family headed up to the cottage again this past weekend. (Actually, that is where we are going to be for the next few weekends!)
The thing that was unique for us this weekend was that my parents weren't there. They had a wedding to attend, so it was just our family of 4. Hubby and I both had a nice time, and I know the boys always have fun when we are there.

The cottage is actually located on a native reserve. Saturday was Aboriginal Day. We didn't get over to the pow wow on Saturday, though. The boys had asked permission to go, but by the time they started out, the event was already done. The evening fireworks, however, was something the entire family was able to go to. Other than the mosquitoes being bad just prior to the start of the display, I would have to say it was an incredible night! For such a small reserve, they certainly did not spare any expense to celebrate. I was really glad we made it over there.

Today was the A-man's last exam. He is very happy that he is no longer "a dumb niner" and will soon be in the double digits of grades. I hadn't thought about that until he mentioned that at dinner, but I guess that is the case.
S didn't go to school today. Given the turn of events on Friday, and then knowing that today was going to be the Grade 8 graduation - at the choas that goes with that - I opted to have him stay home and simply take it easy. Again, I know they wouldn't be doing any actual work, so I didn't feel like I was a bad parent. Sometimes staying home and out of the excitement is just what he needs.
S is going to go to school tomorrow, though. He wants to show his EA that he can have a good day - a day without incidents - so that she won't be so nervous about him going on the mountain biking expedition on Wednesday. He is very excited about getting to do that. I'm not sure if he will go on the last day, so I will get him to make sure his desk is empty tomorrow - just in case.

I am off on holidays next week, so the boys and I are going to head up to the cottage on Thursday night. Hubby is working nights, so he won't be arriving until late Saturday morning. We will likely stay at the cottage until Canada Day (July 1st) but a lot of what we do will depend on my sister in law. She is visiting from England and I know the boys will not want to miss the chance to see their favourite aunt. We will likely head back on Thursday or Friday of the next weekend to finish off our holidays.
Can you tell we love it up there??

Sad to say "Good bye"

The R-man is going to be leaving our humble abode.
He got home on Monday night and later in to the evening, told me that he has bought a house. I knew it was coming - he has been looking for quite a while now - but now that is has happened, I'm a little sad to see him go.

No, it's not like he spent a huge amount of time WITH me, but it was nice to have him with us again - more an adult than the summer he lived with us for his summer job. Now we actually get to have real conversations, share dialogue, that sort of thing.
It's strange how our families have always been inter-connected. The R-man's grandmother and my mother are sisters, with something like 15 years (and World War 2) between them. When Cuz's husband (R-man's dad) was born, my mother used to babysit him, and they became very close.
When I was born, G (R-man's dad deserves a name...) used to spend a lot of time at our house, and I think even lived with us for a time for summer employment. He used to spoil me rotten, apparently. One time road me in to town on his bike and told me I could have whatever stuffed animal I wanted. I picked the biggest dog there was - as big as me - and then he had to ride me and the stuffed animal back home. I was about 3, and he was about 16 at the time.
Then G and Cuz met. Cuz tells me that I was not exactly a shrinking violet when she first met me - I climbed right up on her lap and just started talking away to her. As I grew up, we started camping at the same place, and I remember going over to visit with Cuz and her friends - just to chat and feel 'grown up,' I guess. (She was the only "adult" that always talked to me like a young adult rather than a kid.)
The R-man's younger brother was my ring-bearer when I was married, and the R-man was the only child I would allow at the actual wedding service. I was adament about "no kids" at the wedding, but when Cuz told me R-man just wanted to see me get married, I couldn't refuse him. The R-man and my brother were also quite close growing up, and they used to spend a lot time together fishing, and probably talking about girls. My brother even explained S-E-X to the R-man.

Now, Cuz and I are very close. She is one of my closest and dearest friends - and although I call her "Cuz", technically her husband is my relative - she was just lucky enough to marry in to this great family!
One time - during a family Christmas gathering - S asked Cuz why she and G were coming to the family gathering. I told him, "Because G is my cousin."
S replied, "Ohhhh... I thought he was just your friend's husband. I didn't know he was related to us!!"
Cuz and G - and now their sons - have always just been so tightly inter-woven in to our family mix. It has been quite a privilage to get to know the R-man and his "lady love" over the past few months. It will feel strange to have him leave us in a few short months.
But, if things continue as they seem to do with our family and his, I am sure that I will get to know his lady love even better, and we will likely start another round with the next generation!

Quick update

LOVE the new washer and dryer. All the laundry is up to date - even did all bed linens this weekend!
New dishwasher finally installed. Hubby had some issues with the existing plumbing, but that is now repaired. (Our water is REALLY bad...)

Hubby and I went for a long ATV tour yesterday. Got stuck in a creek...we are such off-road warriors. I should have been doing housework, but it was soooooooo nice out, I just had to be outside enjoying the day! Earlier in the day we got our helmets for the ATV. Mine is pink. :o)

Will update more tonight!

Virtual Clock

Cuz sent me a very interesting link - it's a world clock, based on world stats. Tells you how the population is increasing, that sort of thing.
The interesting thing about this site is, you can determine your 'virtual age' based on your life-style, habits, etc. According to this, and I did answer truthfully, my virtual age is 28.1, and my life expectancy is 85.9! Not too bad for someone that will be turning the big 4-0 in September!!

Anyway, if you are interested in this, the here is the site...

Life Expectancy Calculator

~~~~~
Hubby and I had a good session with the nutritionist. We were there for almost a full three hours - far more than I expected.
Based on her findings, Hubby needs to cut out all starches for a while. Not forever - she kept stressing that - but just until his body gets back to where it should be.
She did some interesting testing that I will describe in more depth on my 'weight loss' blog.
With me, she seemed surprised to find that I didn't suffer from any food issues. My body stayed strong with all of the foods she tested me with. The problems started to arise when she started to test my body strength with amino acids. That is when the deficiencies started to appear. It was quite interesting, to say the least.
Hubby and I came home with our pages of things to follow for the next little three weeks, and then we will see how things are progressing for us.

When we got home, both boys were wanting to go on the ATV. Umm....no. It was late, we were hungry, and it was way too dark to even consider it. The A-man had completed his chores, but S had conveniently 'forgot' about his. Same with the homework. Maybe some day he will realize these are like brushing your teeth - it's just something you do. Oh, right, he often forgets that, too...

The A-man is getting his braces off tomorrow, and none of "the ladies" kissed S today, even though his medallion said to do so. (He seemed okay with that.)

My meeting at the school to add the aspergers to the IPRC was delayed, as the proper people at the board hadn't had a chance to review the report. Just goes to show you that the entire process is a mere formality - the school has already been 'told' what will be allowed, or not. This morning I just did not care to fight that too hard. It was nice that I got to sleep that extra couple of hours...

Getting by without me...

I have decided that Hubby is trying to make the boys WANT me to go away more often! ;o)

When I was away two weeks ago, Hubby took the boys ice-fishing on the Saturday. They had the very best time ever - S caught the most fish in the derby, and the A-man won $65 for catching the longest (or biggest, maybe?) fish. They had never been ice fishing before, and they had a blast. (I used to ice fish with my Dad when I was that age, too - it's a fun day...)

So, I was happy that Hubby had a successful weekend with the boys two weeks ago, but THIS weekend takes the cake for sure. Oh, they had a good weekend alright! Hubby even sent me pictures on Saturday night to show me what was making the boys smile...

Hubby started the initial 'trail' in the backyard, and then the boys were allowed to have their time on the track... apparently they like this machine...

On Sunday, Hubby's friend came over with his machine, so both boys got to drive at the same time. (sigh - my babies are growing up...) Hubby and his friend made a few more 'trails' around the backyard, and now my back yard is just a series of ATV marks.

When S woke up this morning, and saw me there waking him, he had the BIGGEST smile on his face, and he hugged me for about 5 straight minutes. Then he started talking about the ATV, asking if I had seen it (yes), been on it (no) and did I see what they did on the weekend. I asked him to show me, and he was so excited to tell me all about the creating of the various 'trails' - but then he grew very serious and told me that they can't ride on that one - he pointed - because they think it goes over the horseshoe pit!!

That is the problem with riding in the snow - ya can't see what is underneath. My poor lawn...

This morning was a little rough for me - I had a very hard time getting out of bed. The A-man was asked to make sure he had all of his uniform stuff upstairs and ready for the morning, but apparently his idea of being organized and mine are little different.

About 3 minutes before the bus arrived, the A-man comes charging out of his room in just his underwear - looking for pants. He made the bus, but she had to wait for quite a long time. He ran outside holding his jacket, and I have no idea if he took his meds this morning or not. Guess we will have to review the tips and tricks of being organized in the morning.

We had bought a number of things for the boys to wear today - St. Patrick's Day!! - but I don't think the A-man took any of them to school this morning.

S came out of his room with his "Ireland" t-shirt his Gramma had brought him, and he was wearing a green necklace with a medallion that says "Kiss me, I'm Irish." He told me he couldn't wait for "the ladies" to see that, "cuz they will all be kissing me all day!" (I didn't have the heart to tell him I didn't think that would happen...) Anyway, he was pretty excited about the whole idea of St. Patrick's Day.

Hubby and I have an appointment with a nutritionist this evening. We actually both have REALLY busy week nights this week. Good thing we are in for a long weekend - I think we are going to need it!

Still shaking my head...

You know, I am not surprised one iota about the 'clinical diagnosis' given to me yesterday. In my heart of hearts, I knew he was going to tell me S had Aspergers. I think I am just so frustrated with feeling the need to learn all I can, now.

I realize no one is making me do this, but my sense of 'right' tells me that it just makes sense to learn about your children in any/all ways available. I had done some research about Aspergers a while ago, and when I did, it just 'fit' with S, but now that I know this for sure...well, I just don't know what I am feeling.

When we were at the doctor's yesterday, we ran out of time before we could start to discuss the actual therapies he would want to consider for S. The information was relatively new to the doctor, also, and he really hadn't had a lot of time to absorb it all, and plan for the next step. We will continue to touch base electronically, and start to devise a "plan of attack" that way.

I had a chiropractor appointment yesterday afternoon on my way home from work, and the doctor and I discussed the results of S's testing in depth. He has suggested that we consider some C1 and C2 specific adjustments for S. C1 and C2 are top two areas of the spine - right below the plate the brain actually sits on. He has worked with a severely autistic girl for 7 years, and he said that he and the girl's mother have been able to establish a pattern for this girl, and he feels that often times, if he notices a variation in her C2 area, and he is able to adjust the C2 on a regular basis, if she still has a seizure, it is much milder than what she has experienced in the past.

Now, he did tell me that this type of 'therapy' will take time to actually find a pattern, and he told me that he wanted some time to read some information about what I told him, and he also wants to prepare a chart of sorts to see if a pattern can/will eventually start to show for S. For example, C1 was shifted to the left, S exhibited this...and see if his body always shifts in one way (or another) before, during, or after any particular events/stessors, that sort of thing. I have gone to this chiro for a number of years, and I often take the boys in, too, but the type of adjusting he is talking about will be specific to the top of the spine only. He will only adjust there. I am going to start setting appointments for S. I'm sure the specialist would tell me that this will not be of any benefit, but then again, he did tell us to start giving S omega 3 capsules, so who knows?

Got a letter in the mail the other day from the A-man's specialist at the Tourette clinic. She is going to be taking 6 months to a year off due to an adoption that is being complete, so the A-man will be monitored by the referring paediatrician for the next little while. Less of a drive for us, but less 'specific' a specialist, too. Now that we know what is happening with him, though, I don't know that seeing a specialist really makes that much of a difference - he has tourettes, it is somewhat mild, and we cope. He is doing SO much better, so I guess seeing the referring doctor won't really make that much of a difference.

Just got a call from Boss a few minutes ago - he advised that I just stay put today, given the weather conditions. I am okay with that. Not feeling 100% anyway, so I think I will just head back to bed. Boys are on ANOTHER snow day, so it will be another jammie day for the three of us!

Oh, and another piece of news that isn't specific to either of the kids! Hubby got a call at work yesterday - our bid for a new ATV has finally come through, so we will be getting one in time for Spring. The boys were over the moon excited about that. The A-man's main question - what colour is it? Answer is 'camo'... (sigh... I was hoping for pink - guess that isn'tgoing to happen when you are the only girl in the family...) Oh well, maybe I will get a pink helmet!!