Kids, School, and other reasons I love being a Mommy..

I love school. For more than just the reasons you are thinking...yes, it gets my little ones out of the house for most of the day, and its almost-free babysitting while I am at work...but that is not why I love school.

School is one of those fabulous opportunities for my kids to shine. And shine they do! I was never more proud of them than I was today.

My eldest daughter and her brother both go to the same school, and today she had an accident. The kind of mishap on the school grounds that can provide excellent fodder for the less reputable kids in the yard to use to humiliate a child for years to come. The kind of accident that would cause a child to run to the bathroom and hide in a tiny stall until mom or dad show up. She fell in the playground and ripped her pants from stem to stern.

The older boys were having a field day. My son, being an older boy, could have joined in on this revelry, mocking and ridiculing her. But he did not. And at the supreme disappointment of his friends, he stood up for his sister. He stayed with her and made sure that she got safely to the washroom. He made the call home on her behalf for someone to come to his sisters rescue. And for that, I am very very very proud of him.

My middle boy and his little brother go to a different school (until the construction is finished, and then they will all be going to the same school). They attend grade two and kindergarden. Today is my little kindergardener's second day of school, and his first time riding on the bus. His big brother stayed by his side the -entire- time. Big brother helped him on the bus, helped him off the bus, and according to him, was there at recesses as well to help him on the big equipment. I am SOOOO proud of how they stick together.

My heart is just bursting right now for how my family helps each other, for how they are there for their brothers and sisters when in need. I am SO proud right now I can barely stop smiling.

Kids, Clothing, and More Reasons to Yank My Hair Out

I hate clothes.

Okay...so you've seen me start a post like this before. We all know I do not hate clothing, but I do dislike the way my children manage clothing. There are two basic situations in which clothing can be mis-managed: What you do with them when you are wearing them, and what do you with them when you are not. My children are experts in both.

Okay, so after the shambles that was the first morning of school, I asked my beloved brood to decide what they were going to wear for the next day (yesterday) and put it aside -- on their dresser where they do not have to go looking. They all (apparently) obliged. So, yesterday morning arrives and my 10 year old son comes downstairs wearing a heavy black wool sweater and black denims. So I asked my young Johnny Cash if he was wearing or taking a T-shirt to change into in the afternoon. You'd think I had just asked him if he had murdered his best friend. He got really defensive and argumentative! I let the subject drop.

I will be honest here. I am not a morning person. In the wee small hours of the morning (any time before 11am) my idea of "pleasant" and others idea of "pleasant" may not agree. I am pretty sure I asked my son about his sweater "pleasantly" but I could be wrong. I could have pointed at him like he was guilty of drowning his sisters pet fish and demanded why he was stupid enough to put on a hot sweater on such a beautiful day. Only God really knows the truth at this point. My memory is vague having not yet been fortified with vast quantities of caffeine.

Anyways. So I did not pursue the matter with my son...not immediately anyways. My daughter comes waltzing into the room wearing clashing colours. Pink and orange which I am sure look fabulous together in the dimly-lit pre-dawn light, but not so great in the florescent floods that are in my kitchen. It hurt my eyes. Wondering if maybe she just had not noticed I asked her about it, and after having my head ripped off and handed to me by my son, I made an extra attempt at being sensitive: "My sweets," I started, "I am not sure that that shirt matches those pants exactly. You might want to go take another look." You'd think I just told her that her pet fish had been drowned by her brother. She went off on a tirade about how she had nothing else to wear, how she had no clothes, and how I need to do laundry. I censored the first few responses that came to my head and eventually settled on reminding her that if she wanted to wear something that was dirty, I would have washed it last night, that is why I had asked her to put her clothes out. I also (perhaps not so gently) reminded her of the $300+ shopping trip to Value Village on the weekend. She stomped away sulking.

This is when I realize that my middle son has not yet made an appearance downstairs. I opened the door to the upstairs (yes, my stairwell has a door at the bottom) just in time to hear my husband bellow at my son: "GET DOWNSTAIRS!!" My hubby is not a morning person, either. My son fled down the stairs crying noisily and completely naked holding a stash of clothes twisted up in his hands.

Turns out, my boy could not find any clothes for himself, either. So I asked him: "Where are the clothes I asked you to take out for today?" He presented me with what looked like a handful of clothes that he just randomly grabbed out of his drawer: two long sleeve shirts, a pair of suspenders, and a single sock. "This is what you took to wear for today?" I asked. He burst out into fresh tears. So I went upstairs to get him better clothes. I also grabbed one of the several t-shirts I found in my eldest boys drawers for him.

When I presented the t-shirt to my eldest after I got back downstairs, he asked me where I found his shirt. As he was putting it on, I got the third degree again: he had looked through his drawers and did not see any, and he did not think he had any clean t-shirts and why had I not done any laundry yet.

For those of you who might be wondering....I had done laundry just two days before.

As the kids were walking out the door, I was too busy fuming over how they suddenly do not like orange juice or green beans - despite that they had ASKED for them - that I did not bother to point out that my eldest had put his sweater on backwards. Or that my daughters shirt was on inside out. Or that my middle boy had not tucked in his shirt. No. Better for them to discover those things on their own.

----- Update: When my daughter arrived home, she asked if I had noticed her shirt being inside out. She had discovered it at second recess and was very embarrassed. I am told in no uncertain terms that I should point these things out if I see them. Can't win for lossing some days.

Kids, Food, and Other Reasons to Yank Out My Hair

I hate food.

Well, that is not true. I love food. I just hate preparing food.

Well, no. That is not entirely accurate, either. I love preparing food for those who appreciate the effort and the joys of eating good food. Basically -- I do not like cooking for my kids. It does not matter what I make, all I hear is: "I don't like that. Can I make a sandwich instead?"

So now, I make supper for my husband and I, and I tell the kids to make sandwiches. Is this even appreciated? No. Now I hear: "I don't want sandwiches...I want something good for supper." And for those of you without children, "something good" equals Macaroni and Cheese mixed with a can of beans. *sigh*

Supper is not the only meal of the day that I dread to the core of my being. Lunch, the one meal I have no choice but prepare, is also pretty brutal. Let me give you an example: I was making sandwiches for lunch this morning for the first day of school. I hear: "I don't want jam. I don't like jam."

So I put the jam away and got out the bolona. "I don't want bolona." so I put the bolona away and bring out the deli meats (turkey/corned beef/ham).

"I don't like those either." At this point, I sighed and made the mistake of asking what they wanted for lunch. "Peanut Butter and Banana."

Again, for those of you without kids: Peanut Butter is a no-no at school. And we don't have any bananas.

I sighed and went on with making them a deli meat wrap with mozerella cheese (that they don't like, btw), cheese slices (which they only like in grilled cheese sandwiches I learned this morning), and cucumbers, which they didn't want in a sandwich because that's apparently quite gross. Silly me.

The lunch woes don't stop at the sandwich, though! Oh no. I also packed them pears which I cored and sliced for them. Apparently they only like their APPLES cored and sliced and peeled, they like to eat their pears whole.

They were given a handful of their favourite chips: "But mommy! I don't like that flavour!!! What flavour is that, anyways?" *deep sigh*

They argued over what colour sucker was the best colour. This discussion actually came to blows.

They got a yogurt, which started an argument over whether the yogurts were stirred or fruit-on-the-bottom which my kids -- are you ready for this? -- don't like. This discussion also came to blows. Mostly delivered by me.

And so insued the argument over spoons....one wanted plastic, one wanted metal, one said that metal spoons were banned from school, one said that plastic spoons were banned from school, one said neither were banned from school. I took the spoons away and told them to use their fingers. They just stared at me.

Is it any wonder I don't cook for my kids? And I get to do it again tomorrow morning. And the morning after that, and the morning after that, and the morning.....you get the idea.

And for those of you who might suggest that I let my children make their own lunches, don't. I gave it a good 3 weeks. It ended abruptly when I got a call from the school with a helpful, sympathetic secretary offering the numbers of the local food banks. *shudder*

I hate food.

Well. It looks like it's back to work for me. I was laid off from my job -- don't get me talking about it, I could go on and on and on -- and I went in search of enjoying my time off. And enjoy it I did. I played World of Warcraft. I played Rollercoaster Tycoon 3. And I started to look forward to doing things in the summer with my children. Of course, I left my resumee out on there. I called the various headhunters that I have worked with in the past and let them know I was on the market. Just in case.

Well, no sooner do I get to the nice weather, when I can start to do cool things, than I get a job offer. And not a very nice one. So, now comes the question....do I give up my summer to take this job for next to no wages? I am not sure. If I were gonna do it for the extra money, well, it's not enough for that. I won't be able to go and buy a house, or a boat, or any of the other things I would like to aquire. On the other hand, its peace of mind. I know that if my hubby were to lose his job, we would be okay -- ish. We couldn't live on that salary alone.

Anyways, I'm just thinking outloud. I'll be making a decision soon....ish.

On another note, good to see my cousin/sister blogging again! Check her out: http://lifecamstyle.blogspot.com/

later all.

Where does the time go?!?

Holy SAP!! Has it really been over a year since my last blog? Wow. Where does the time go!?

My orchard has not changed overly much. I have had no additions to the greenhouse. Two years and not only are there no new babies, but I am not EXPECTING any more babies. To some in my family, this is a cause for celebration. For me, it just feels weird. I -miss- not having a baby around the house.

I took down my crib for the first time in something like 10 years, and I honestly shed a tear. My youngest baby, Peanut, is now potty trained, so there are no more diapers to change. And while I rejoice at not having to change any more diapers filled with some of the -nastiest- stuff known to tree or beast, it still feels....strange. No more time spent cuddling a baby in the wee hours when it is just me and the baby cuddling and nursing...no more baby belly laughs....no more first words, or first steps, or first tooth. No one else I know, not even my husband, understands why I am not as joyful about the loss of my ability to have more saplings. While I do not really WANT to have another, I still sharply regret that this period of my life is over.

Still. I have other great things to look forward to. Like my little trees starting puberty. (yes...I've filled that with as much sarcasm as I can stuff into one little sentance). I am NOT looking forward to this. Almost all of my friends have teenagers, and they are beasts. Even Dr. James Dobson, the man I turn to for tree-rearing advice, says that just keeping saplings alive during the teenage years can be a challenge. My eldest son, Almond, has not yet reached that age. He still loves his mom, he still likes to be cuddled, and he has not started to be a mouthy little brat....okay....he's not a little brat....but my point is, he has not hit puberty.

I am answering all his questions as best I can, and answering some that he has not thought to ask yet. He knows how babies are made...and firmly beleives that he will never never do that `cause YUCK! He understands that his voice will change, and that girls are gonna be bigger/taller than him for a while. He thinks that he will look funny in a beard, but that he will eventually grow one, and that he will shave his pits like mom `cause all that hair there looks terrible. I haven't had the heart to tell him where else he'll start to grow hair.

My oldest girl, Hazel, is a long ways from the dreaded Puberty, but she has grown mopie and emotional. I have to step twice as fast and work twice as hard to find out what is wrong and work with her to fix it. And a lot of time, it does not even make sense. She cried for a whole hour one day because she did not want to go to summer camp because she was going to a different school. To this day, I am not really sure how the two are related, but my girl was upset about it, so we talked, and we cuddled, and I let her cry. She was fine after an hour or so, and I never heard another work about it.

My next three are about as far away from the big 'P' as they can get. My middle tree, Cashew, has Middle Child Syndrome something fierce. He is too old to be treated like the little trees, but not old enough to be treated like the bigger trees. His father, Oak, has been working hard to do special things with him, things he hasn't done with the older trees, to help make him feel special...like fishing! He LOVES to fish! He can cast better than I can, and he has actually caught a fish! A little catfish that they released...but he was THRILLED! He is starting full time school for the first time this September -- grade one -- and he is beyond excited!

Pecan, a stoic little 4 year old graff, LOVES taking care of his little sapling-mate. He was CHANGING DIAPERS!!!!! FOUR! and he could do a better job than his eldest brother!

Peanut, well...she's two. `Nough said. Well, gotta go...gotta put another coat of varnish on my floor...later.

What I Do in the Wee Hours of the Night

I pet raccoons! We discovered these cute little raccoons on our front porch eating peanuts from the big container we used to store birdfeed. After several nocturnal visits, they are starting to get friendly -- they are letting us pet them and feed them by hand! Check out these photos!!!

This little guy has a deathgrip on our door handle. Poor little thing was terrified to let go! Dan wanted to just pick him up and help him down, but he was too afraid that the baby coon would rip him to SHREDS if he even thought about it.



Dan finally got the lid off the birdfeed container and used it as a platform for the terrified little guy. He took off pretty much right away, so he didn't get to try out the delicious apple slices that we brought out for them.


His sibling was not as timid. He chewed down on apple slices and peanut butter. I would wager a guess that this was damned near his favourite meal -- with the notable exception of the steak bones he pulled out of a long surgical hole he ripped in the bottom of my garbage a little later in the evening. grrrrr.




Let me tell you, their little hands are amazing. This little guy reaches out so daintily to take the apple right out of my hand and eats it like one of my kids would eat an apple -- by shoving as much of it as absolutely possible into it's mouth.



They like to be petted, but they are still skiddish if you put your hands too close to their face. Best for your hand to approach from the side, slowly and gently. Their fur is so soft and thick it's everything a person can do to keep from pulling them onto your lap for a cuddle.



When they have had their fill, they run for the spruce tree for shelter. Watching us from the safety of their high perch, I get the impression that we are being scolded for not having more peanut butter and apples for them to eat.

Its All About Me!!!!

Well, it's been probably over a week since I have had the chance to sit down and write in my blog. So, this is post number two and most people still know nothing about me except that I have five children, a husband, and a computer. So I suppose you want to know more about who I am....

That is really hard to answer. This is a question that most interviewees detest and interviewers love. What a person says about themself is quite probably less informative than what aspect of their life they choose to discuss!

Anyways, philosophy aside, I guess I should try to tell you a bit more about me. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so here is a picture of me with my littlest one, Peanut. She is sooooo adorable. She is only just learning how to walk. She lifts her legs like a prancing pony with every step and grins from ear to ear with every successful step. In this picture, she had been walking around the house firmly holding my fingers in a death-grip. She was exhausted by the time I took this picture.

I live in a small town in Southwestern Ontario. I work in Toronto. It is quite a drive, three hours in each direction with the winter weather here. Thankfully, I have a great boss who says I can work from home most of the week. I manage some staff, so I have to go to the office every once in a while. It is a great job. I love what I do and the people I work with. And it pays great, too! (check it out: http://www.ultimatebet.com. Best place to play poker for money or for fun!)

The only problem with having a full time job and a full time family is that I do not have a lot of time for things such as blogging!! I end up dividing my precious spare time between several of my favourite things to do. One of those things is playing a game called Oblivion. I am a junkie. It takes every bit of willpower I have to NOT play this game when I am working from home. For anyone who likes to play any of the games from The Elder Scrolls series, check out this website: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Main_Page. This is the BEST site for anything to do with Arena, Daggerfall, Oblivion, etc.


I also like to read. I am currently reading the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan for about the sixth time. I LOVE this series. Robert Jordan has had some health issues for the past while, but he is still churning out book after amazing book!! If you like fantasy books, I would highly recommend the Wheel of Time. Pick a comfortable spot, bring some snacks, and start reading. Make SURE you have a comfy spot, though, cause you will be there for about six months. There is a lot to read and worth every second of your time to do it. Check out: http://www.dragonmount.com/RobertJordan/ This is Robert Jordan's personal blog.

My other passion is scrapbooking. I am not as prolific as my mother, Katz, or my sister-cousin, Tink, but I have a few pages I really like. I generally head over to my mom's place to do my scrapbooking. Mom has GREAT supplies and magazines and inspiration. Mostly though, I go for inspiration. (I seem to be missing a good picture of my mom right now. Bummer.) Maybe my next post.

Anyways, I guess I will stop for now. I have to go to sleep now. Later everyone!

Dryad