Sunday, October 5, 2014

Going to Town

When I was a girl, I used to ask my mom (okay, I harassed her, not asked) to go shopping
all the time.  I didn't really want to buy anything, and I had no money to do so anyway.
I just really enjoyed going to the mall and looking at all the pretty things.  

She always said no.  

Why?!  Didn't she want to leave the house and peruse all the fancy things that we wanted but
couldn't have?  Didn't Woolworths have that irresistible pull on her, too?  Wasn't she just dying
to watch me try on shoes and outfits?  

Her no always baffled me.  That is, it baffled me until I became a busy mom of four.

Need something picked up from the store at a moment's notice?  It's urgent?  There's a deadline?
Well, no problem!  Ask a mother of four to pick it up for you.  This is how that 10 minute errand will go....

1:06 - Get the phone call.  My mission is to obtain a prized food item at a ridiculously low price from the under-stocked store.  Every other mother in town is on the same mission.  We must suit up, man up, and get ready to push and shove our way to the display at everybody else's expense to claim the Holy Grail of grocery items.  

1:07 - Realize that our one car is gone.  To work.  With my husband.  Duh.

1:08 - Call the husband at work.  He can make it back at break time if I promise to make it snappy and get him back to work before his 15 minutes is up.

Waiting.....

2:30 - start getting the kids ready to leave.  Wash hands, wash faces, get snacks.  Where are the shoes?  WHERE ARE THE SHOES??  Where's the other one?!?!

2:50 - Stand outside so as not to miss the 'bus'.  If the husband leaves at 3 pm, he'll be here at 3:07 pm, leaving us 8 minutes to transfer, drive back, and drop him off at the door.

2:58 - Kid 2 is hungry.  Run inside for a snack.

2:59 - Kid 3 has to pee.  Runs inside.

3:00 - Husband should be leaving work.  Kid 4 has to pee.  Squats in the driveway.

3:01 - Run inside with Kid 4 at arm's length.  Change her.  Start laundry.  

3:05 -Waiting.  Waiting.  Don't get dirty!  No, you can't get another snack.  Hold it in!!

3:07 - Van arrives.  Throw the kids in.  Momentarily panic as both drivers try to figure out if husband driving is faster, or the wife.

3:09 -  Emergency stop 200 ft from the drive.  Forgot to buckle Kid 4.

3:11 - Stuck behind a tractor.  Turn up the radio to muffle any adult words from the driver.

 3:16 - Drop husband off at work.  Hope no one notices the 16 minute break.

3:24 - Meant to go to the Superstore, but went the 'scenic' route downtown instead.  

3:25 - No, we can't go to the library.  No, we can't get Timbits.  No, I don't have money for the second hand book store.  No, I said we can't!  

3:47 - Quiet in the back of the van as the kids munch on donuts and read library books.  Driver is hoping the extra caffeine from the coffee will take care of the jack hammer between her temples.

4:06 - Drive by the Dollarstore on the way to the Superstore.  No, we can't get a toy.  No, it will just break the first time you use it.  No, I'm not paying for more junk I'll just have to pick up off the floor anyway.

4:22 - Kid 1 is pouting, Kid 4 is wailing.  Plastic pieces are strewn throughout the van.  Kid 3 inquires about Dollarstore warranties.

4:29 -  Pull into the Superstore.  March the kids in single file to the front doors.  

Bedlam.  Mass hysteria.  

4:32 - Carry Kid 4 so as not to lose her.  Kid 1 has her stiff upper lip on, while Kids 2 and 3 hang on to my skirts to battle the crowd.  Freezer empty.  Display case empty.  Staff looks like they'd rather be anywhere but here.  No radio to turn up.

4:38 - Realize it's time to pick up husband, and supper should be on the table in less than half an hour.  Buy some cheap frozen pizzas and a throw together salad for health reasons.  No, we can't buy Kinder Surprise Eggs.  No, they're illegal in the USA.  Seriously!!  Yes, we're Canadian, what's your point?!

4:50 - Back to the van.  Where are the keys?  WHERE ARE THE KEYS?  Not in the ignition.  Dump purse onto pavement.  Got 'em.  

4:52 - Emergency stop.  Forgot to buckle Kid 4.

5:01 - Screech to a stop at husband's work.  He knows enough not to ask.  

And that is how an entire afternoon is wasted, and how the pharmaceutical industry makes so much money off nerve pills.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

I Can't Live Without You

My facebook status today read:

"What one thing can't you live without (and don't say food or air!)?"

Top runners were Jesus, God, freedom to worship, family, friends, love, books, the church....

Initially the answer to my own question was that I just can't live without a really good paring knife.  My sanity, and therefore safety, is also dependant on a pen and notepad - though any scrap piece of paper will do.

I'm reminded of a show I watched where the wife and husband are trying to reconnect by having a deep talk.  She says, "Let's talk about our fears.  Sometimes I get so afraid that we're drifting apart, and that we'll run out of things to say to each other.  My deepest fear is that we'll grow old and grow apart and that you'll look at me and wonder why we're still together, and that secretly you'll resent me for taking the best years of your life.  I couldn't bear that, I'm so scared of losing you.  What are you most afraid of?"

And he says, "Sharks."

It was interesting to see who cherished what, though.  I can't say that I was all that surprised by the answers.  After all, we live what we love.

I really do like paring knives and gel pens, but I'll give it some deeper thought.  I'm thinking my answer might change a bit once I do.




Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Arthur

Hurricane Arthur hurled into the maritimes a couple months ago.
The rain poured from the skies, although in all honesty it could very well
have come from the next town over as it blew in horizontally most of the day.
Trees were uprooted, power knocked out for over a week in some spots, and
businesses closed.  Grocery stores lost produce and meats, and 
many families had to cut their losses with refrigerated foods.

And my neighbours held a yard sale.

You can't tell but it was raining really, really hard.


And so, 33 new to me #3 - attending a yard sale in a hurricane.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Family Vacay

We missed Caton's Island last summer because of Richard's health.
It was so nice to be there again.  The weather was the best so far, 
especially considering that we were so used to having it pour at least
one day of the weekend.

What a difference this year!  The kids have grown a lot in the last 2 years,
and they were much more independent.  It was kind of nice not
to have to watch them every second of the day.  Of course, 
Gen is not nearly to that point.  She still needs constant 
supervision.  That may be her personality  more than her age.
The other kids felt pretty confident, and rode their bikes on the trails, 
hung out with friends, and participated in the activities.

Whereas two years ago the kids weren't really big enough for the ropes course or rock climbing,
this year they were able and willing.  Here's some snapshots:

Eva on the ropes course.

Graedon climbing the wall...and maybe cheating on the side a bit.

Zip-lining Maddie.

Maxin' and relaxin'.

Me on the rock wall.  I made it to the top!

Wild and wooly beach hair.

Maddie and Gen on the sand bar.

Freezing!!

Roasting hot dogs.

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Moms Gone Wild

Every spring there is a homeschool conference.  I love to go.  It's a time to be 
encouraged, reenergized, and to remember why we've committed to homeschool
in the first place.  Educating one's own children is a hard job, one that requires some sacrifice,
and that absolutely tests a mother's patience and (sometimes) sanity.  But it is an important job, and
immensely rewarding.  Encouragement is not only beneficial, but necessary.

Most times I go to the conference with Rich.  This time I went with my friend, Emily.  It was raining.
We could feel the car lift and slosh from the puddles, so Emily was driving below the speed limit.  
Suddenly, in what seems like the blink of an eye and incredibly slow all at once, we fish-tailed
along the highway, did a 360 degrees and smashed front first into the guardrail.  The guardrail
post snapped off, we skidded to a stop facing the wrong way and just sat for a second.
We were fine.  Not a scratch.  No whiplash.  Baby (Emily's pregnant) seemed good.  I was still
holding my apple in my hand.

Considering the car, it's a miracle we walked away absolutely unharmed.


We only sat there for a few seconds before a nice lady came to the window and dialed 911 for help.
A DOT truck was just going by, and parked his car with arrow flashing to divert traffic.
The lady's husband directed cars away from us, and the RCMP was there in no time.  The officer was 
very sweet, shared her gum with us, had us sit in the back of the cruiser, and later drove us to the 
rental car place.

We pressed on to the conference since there really was no reason to go home.  Emily got a door prize
for having wrecked her car!  Good things from bad, right?


This brings me to my first 33 New to Me:

Riding in the back of a police car!

Help!  We're locked in here!

The next day was beautiful, sunny, and hot.  
We stuffed ourselves at the restaurant, prepared to go home, and...
locked the keys in the trunk of the car!!

This was not our weekend.


Our "Are you kidding me?!" faces

I am so thankful that we weren't harmed.  I'm convinced that God played a hand in that one, undoubtedly.
We should have been hurt.  There could have been another car involved.  We could have skidded to
a stop in the middle of the highway instead of safely on the shoulder.  It could have been night
and we could have rolled the car into the ditch to stay undiscovered 'til morning.

But we didn't.  Our husbands still have their wives, and our children are not motherless.

Thank you, Lord.

This gives me another chance to update my life insurance.


Wednesday, May 21, 2014

33 New to Me

I couldn't resist.  I had to make a bucket list of 33 things to do before I turn 33 in 2015.  
But then I got tired, and I couldn't think of anything interesting or worthwhile to strive for
that was also realistic and not shallow.

Therefore, behold!  I switched it up and came up with
33 New to Me...before I'm 33.

I'm going to discover 33 new things.  They might be food, activities, places, information, who knows?  

I think it's a pretty good compromise.  No skydiving or body building contests, but tsokay.

There will be food.  There will be fun.  There will be new.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Don't Flush Your Drugs

Our town is having a prescription drug collection day.  If you're done with a prescription and have some leftover pills, they want you to bring them in to the pharmacies.  That way your teens won't be selling and getting fixes from your pain meds, and our water supplies won't be tainted with chemicals from flushing pills down the pipes.

So, here I am filtering the ginger tincture I've had macerating over the last 14 days...fully intending to compost the leftovers.  And I guess that's the difference.