Personal Days

Yesterday Nathan took a personal day to do some taxes for people...not us, but other people. It was nice having him home, even if it was just to watch him work at the kitchen table. I just like being around him. I often tell him he is my sanity, I need him, to be the best me.

I wonder what I would do if I took a personal day. Maybe urgent care is my personal day, the place I go when I am doing something other than the stuff I do most days. No if I really had a personal day, I would like to go to the temple with Nathan, spend some quality time with my power tools, read a book and watch Nathan clean (I just really like to do that, as long as he doesn't ask me where things go all the time!) Then take my kids to a beach in Hawaii and just relax. I mean really reach for the stars when dealing with the hypothetical.

Lately we have been listening to the song 'let it go' from the movie frozen. Like many, many, many, many times a day. I would put a stop to it if it weren't for little Kate acting out the character who is singing. She is just so into it and I love to watch her serious face mouthing the words. She told me a couple of days ago that she wasn't my little girl and more, she was big. It almost made me cry, she will always be my little girl.

daddy daughter dancing while the others are at school

Work

Today seemed like a nothing day. Nothing really got done. It was like subsistence farming, only it was subsistence homing. A couple loads of laundry, play uno with kids over and over and over, make lunch, clean lunch, steam clean carpet twice because the dog has diarrhea...yuck no one wants to know that...least of all me. Then I went to work. Hahahaha that sounds so strange at the end of that paragraph.

That I suppose is how most of our society sees it though. A housewife doesn't really work. I sit more at work than I do at home, and I work in urgent care! That is good though, it allows me to eat more chocolate, although technically I am trying to do less of that.

Anyhow, each day when I leave for work I wish I were staying with my littles. Even on the rough days at home, when all are against me because I am being meany mom that enforces work and manners, etc. I don't want to miss out on the good moments, and they happen every day...I just really have to pay attention to them.

good times hanging out with the littles a couple years ago

This past family day weekend we went to Red Deer. We love Red Deer. We love our family there, the parks, the skating, the pools, the great pizza place and sushi place we go to as often as possible. Laurel and her cousins went skiing for the afternoon on saturday, while the rest of us played and skated at Chris and Laura's. Then the adults went out to dinner and a play (not at our sushi place...but a mexican place which is always a great choice). The play was so good we left at intermission...so it was a cliffhanger. We spent the rest of the evening playing cards and chatting, it was great. I think my husband's family could all live on a compound together and be quite happy. It is great being together with everyone. On monday we went skating at Bower ponds and the weather was great! We played at the park with the little ones and just had a great day.

There is a LOT of snow in Red Deer!

Allison taking a "break" while skating

fun at the park at bower ponds

Alli breakin' all the rules

Monday was the beginning of winter break week for us, so lots of play will be going on this week. I took away Will's ipod this week because he would spend all day on it if he could, and I cut out t.v. as well, unless we are watching a family movie together, so every hour I get a request from Will to change the new rules back to the old rules which were essentially no rules and me just nagging the kids to play and turn off the t.v.. The second day has been slightly better than the first. It really is like I'm punishing myself.

Getting the kids out of the house to walk to the library

Today has been a busy one. I had told Katelynn that her favorite cousin was coming to play which didn't happen because she wasn't feeling well (her cousin that is), so I decided to get myself ready for the day and go to Calgary to get some running around things done. It seems I have a list a mile long of things that are needing to get done, and I seem to accomplish nothing lately. I just don't know where to start. So I was all ready to go, and putting Kate in the car when the school called. Michael was kicked in the face (accidentally) at recess, his mouth was apparently still bleeding but otherwise he was okay. So we went to get Mike. He was sitting in the office trying to be brave, the secretary said he hadn't been crying therefore he was likely fine, but when he saw me I saw his little chin starting to quiver. Allison and Emma came in from outside and came to check on him, I said he just got hit in the mouth and would be fine, Allison said, "I know I kicked him". Nothing like honesty. It was an accident and she felt bad though.

Michael with his swollen upper lip, he couldn't smile any more than this

We went for lunch with grandma instead. Then we came home to hang out and let me do more of nothing. I actually fell asleep on the couch. Tonight after supper I just needed a Pepsi, you know those times when all things will fall apart unless a little Pepsi is there. Now I just need to wash my little girls and go get some other girls from activity days, then put some kids to bed, do laundry and clean up...no problem, I still have some Pepsi left.

This weekend was fun. Nathan took Laurel and Will skiing for the first time (pictures to come), and I took the four younger ones to see Frozen at the theatre in Calgary for Kate's birthday. We had family and a couple friends over for cake and presents in the evening and altogether had a great time. Well my group did...Nathan got kicked in the face with a ski and his tongue swelled up so he sounded like he had just had dental work done.

We wanted to make William's first skiing experience a good one because he is going with his school this week to the mountains to ski, and we didn't want Will having a breakdown on the hill from frustration. So good ole dad took him out and dealt with the frustrations as best anyone could...until he got kicked in the face (accidentally) by Will when trying to help him up after a wipeout. I think I would have wanted to kick him back, Nathan didn't retaliate and so I consider that a success.

My Kate turned 4 today. Happy and sad. Mostly happy. I love my kids and want my littles to stay little just a while longer. This morning the kids all sang happy birthday to Kate while we were in the car on the way to school, she was beaming.  I love Kate's snuggles, her imaginary games, her attempts to convince me that I don't really have to brush her hair today, I love dancing with her to whatever music is on in the kitchen, I love hearing her joke (she only says one knock knock joke, the interrupting cow one) over and over and over again, I love making her peanut butter sandwiches with the peanut butter on one slice of bread folded in half because that is the only way she eats them, and I like knowing how to make them so she eats them. She is my girl, and my heart. Happy birthday baby.

The kids did a balloon drop for Kate and she loved it, these were the first of thirty!

She loves her princess dresses

Kids are like water. Parents are like mountains; strong, steadfast and immovable. We are supposed to be the guides to our children even when they want to defy your guidance, we are to be steadfast. Then when they are older they say' I'm glad my mom made me stick that out.

Yes I am talking about the fight to learn piano. Laurel gets in these 'I hate piano' moods and nothing I say or do will get her out. Two thoughts run through my head at those times. 1. Don't let her give up, it is hard now but she will so appreciate being able to play one day, she loves music and will enjoy her talent when it is developed. 2. This isn't worth it, maybe piano isn't her thing, and it costs $80 a month that I could use to learn myself because I actually want to!

What to do. My kids of water are starting to erode me over time, what parts am I willing to give and yet still be steadfast?

Today was so cold I was forced to stay inside and do nothing! Okay maybe not forced, and perhaps I could have done something but I had lots to do and no motivation. I did exercise, and do laundry, and clean the kitchen, and dance with Kate, and teach her how to write her name, and shovel the driveway...but it didn't feel like much. I should be painting doors, and my bedroom, and making a headboard (but the wood is out in the freezing cold shed!) Anyhow I guess those things will wait, and I can enjoy my little girl while she is here with me. She turns 4 on monday...I should maybe get her a present and plan a little party or something.

Tonight I helped the twins practice violin, they are getting better and it is fun to see them with their tiny violin. I don't think everyone is as happy about hearing them play though. I guess I did tell Alli at one point that she sounded like a dying cat. So she did her best to correct that. Maybe next year I will rent a violin and practice along with them...if you can't beat 'em, join'em...

I am writing while I'm waiting for some cinnamon sugar breadsticks to bake. They smell tasty. Today was fast sunday. I love the gospel, I love its simplicity. I love coming to know my Saviour and my Heavenly Father. I love coming to know the version of me that they know, and the potential I have. That knowledge is really a slow process but so worth trying to get.

I think my mothering skills were lacking today. I don't know if it was hunger or PMS that made me grumpy and testy, but those were definite descriptive words of me today. Tonight Nathan and I talked about my interest in becoming a nurse practitioner. Is it worth the time and money...and effort? The knowledge interests me a lot, I know I love learning, but is it worth it? How much of my time with my kids would I be sacrificing? These are things I need to find out before making any decisions. Nathan is supportive of me going ahead with it if I really want to do it, he's fantastic.

Saturdays are often anticlimactic. I get up thinking of all the things to be done and things we could do as a family, and by about 3 in the afternoon I am annoyed because we are all still hanging around doing nothing! My high hopes have tanked again. The saying 'if you fail to plan, you plan to fail' goes through my head.

Today we had a birthday party in the evening, and so I took the little girls out for a short walk to the park for some fresh air. I love my time with my kids. I mean the time we aren't cleaning, or practising music, or doing the jobs of daily life. I love the kid time, hanging out and playing  without a schedule or place to be. I think I would have liked having children in the 40's. Less distraction from the outside world. I wonder if someone from the 40's would agree with that. Maybe I should create that as best as I can here. No tv, ipods, etc for a month. Just play games, read... I can just hear the weeping and wailing that would start off that little experiment!

at the park with my Alli pally

swings are much easier to get into with 2 ft of snow beneath you

at the party skating for the first time