From Vegetables to Musicals

I'm trying to decide if I should go downtown to the Farmer's Market this morning. It's overcast - dark actually - and I just know that by the time I get there it will be raining. I'm afraid I'm not quite that devoted to locally grown produce. I know, I know, in some people's eyes that makes me a bad person. Well, so be it.

I went to see Mamma Mia! last night. Loved it! Main Man decided to come with me, and I don't think he loved it as much. The early show sold out, so we went to the late one, which was dangerously close to doing the same. Still, we counted the males in the audience, and I think we achieved a grand total of 19.

So - yes- it's a chick flic. So what? I adored the kitschy-ness of it all.

We had seen the stage musical when it danced through town a couple of years ago, and I think Main Man enjoyed that more than the movie. I enjoyed them both - in different ways. I didn't really find the stage musical kitschy, and that was what I considered one of the best parts of the movie.

Some notes:
1. I'm not a big Meryl Streep fan, but she was amazing in this. She sings beautifully, and with real emotion. I also got the feeling she was loving every minute of participating in this production.

2. Pierce Brosnan can't sing very well, but he makes for great older-guy eye candy.

3. Julie Walters mesmerizes me when she's on the screen. I love her. She is hilarious in this, but I've also seen her in more serious roles that she masters perfectly.

4. Colin Firth seems like he would be the nicest guy if you ever really met him. Who knows though? Maybe he's just a really good actor.

5. If/when you see this movie, make sure you stay for the closing credits. There are scenes worth seeing as the credits run.

6. If possible, see this one with your girlfriends, girls, and not with your main man.

To New Beginnings

Often at this point of time in the summer, I'm feeling depressed. I look at the glass as half empty, the summer as half over. This summer, though, is different.

July has been a very busy month. Our family spent the first two weeks in beautiful British Columbia. Then, #3 had a dance daycamp in our home city on the third week. And last week, I took him to Calgary to a different dance camp. We spent the week with my aunt and uncle. As wonderful as it was to reconnect with family I hadn't seen in a while, it felt so good to get home at the end of the week.

And - this summer - August is full of possibilities. It's so nice to have all that pesky travelling over with. Now I can concentrate on little projects, field trips with the kids, and some plain, simple R & R.

I feel as if my summer is just beginning!

Out of the Loop

It's been so long since I've written.

I'm sure no one will read this. I feel as if I'm starting all over again.

And in many ways I am.

I've enjoyed the lack of commitment over the past months. I mean - really - should a hobby be a demand on one's life?

I already have a sufficient number of demands. Really.

Still, I've missed the online interaction. I always considered my readers close personal friends, even though I had met very few of them personally.

Well, I'm hoping to join the community of the blogosphere once again - if you'll have me.

I hope to re-enter the loop.

All is Fine

All is fine in our lives.

Christmas was wonderful. It was chaotic...but wonderful. There's this unbearable lightness of being one feels watching children open their stockings.

"He knew! He knew! How did he know?!" exclaimed #3 as he tore through his stocking items. And I concur. Just how did Santa know exactly what little things #3 wanted? He really must have spies.

Routine has set in once again. Life is busy at school. My debate team is hosting a tournament on Thursday, and performance nights for the musical I'm helping direct will be mid-February.

#1 did not make the basketball team at his school, but has stepped up to offer to help the coach as team manager. He's eager to be in the loop, even if he can't make it in the hoop.

#2 will be eleven years old on Wednesday. Time flies so fast once you have kids. Is it the zombieism from lack of sleep or is it that time's effects show so much more on kids? Just why does the very act of giving birth seem to put the entire rest of your life on fast forward?

Main Man is brutally busy at work. He goes back to the office just about every evening after supper to work on his current project. Huge deadline toward the end of the month. Then hopefully he can catch up on his life.

Nothing much more to add. We keep putting one foot in front of the other. It seems to keep us heading in the right direction.

STRESS with a Capital S

Today was report card day. It's a really stressful time for me. Three times a year I get to experience mind-numbing stress and debilitate my family with my vile temper.

I like to think that I would be diligent with my responsibilities in any case, but I teach in an interesting community. It's a suburban community in which most of the population is composed of urban professionals with college educations and expectations of the same for their children. Many of them tend to hold the teacher responsible if any of their little darlings get a mark which doesn't please them. It is very important for me to have documentation up the wazoo in order to justify every mark on every report card.

Next week - Tuesday and Wednesday evenings to be exact - parent-teacher interviews will be held. Those are the height of stress. Christmas can begin in our household and in my heart when those are over with.

The kicker of it all is that last night we received an email from my mother-in-law informing us that my sister-in-law (Main Man's sister) is experiencing a very stressful time. I believe the quote was "STRESS with a capital S". Her stressful time is that she is in the process of preparing to move her family into her dream house (with the financial help of my mother-in-law; it's a long story - for another time, perhaps). She (my sister-in-law), incidentally, is a stay-at-home-mom (something I've dreamed of being all my life but, alas, I don't have the nerve to ask others to pay my bills; if I sound bitter, I am).

My mother-in-law will be staying at our house overnight tonight. If my sister-in-law's STRESS becomes a topic of conversation, I may pull someone's tongue out.

Christmas Mysteries

The Christmas commercials have begun.

I'm excited about Christmas. It's my favourite time of year. I love it for many of the reasons that other people hate it. I love the buzz, the excitement, the gift-buying, the card-writing, the concerts, the parties, the getting together with family and friends, and the heart-bursting happiness of it all.

If this season makes me so happy, why do the commercials have the effect on me that they do? They can make me cry at the drop of a hat.

What's up with that?

Thankful Thursday

This week I am grateful...

...that it hasn't permanently snowed yet. Autumn has seemed longer than usual this year. I'm pleased.

...that seven-year-olds actually sleep during sleepovers.

...for slow cookers.

...that I got a raise on my last pay-cheque.

...for long weekends.

...for the excitement of election time, especially when the big picture ends up pretty much the way I want it to end up. (Too bad the little picture didn't.)

...for my church community.

...that Halloween is over.

...that Christmas is just around the corner.

...for those brave men and women who serve their country in the military.

Have a great week, all!

Mother Guilt

I'm encountering heavy doses of "mother guilt" these days. It's no one's fault. No one is intentionally doing it to me. It's just me, wishing I could do a better job.

#3 had a terrible cough in the night. He should probably sleep in this morning and stay home from school. But no, I can't let him do that. I'm already taking a day off later this week, so I can't just out-of-the-blue call in and say I won't be at school today.

#2 is performing a reading at his school's Remembrance Day ceremony later this week. Of course, I am unable to attend.

#1 has a volleyball game after school tomorrow, but, because of musical rehearsal, I can't go to that, either. (Side note: I've only missed one other game so far, and Main Man hasn't been to any of them. I suppose this time it may be his turn.)

I just wish I could be everywhere. We're constantly told at work about how expectations are high, and accountability is very important, but that leaves no room sometimes for expectations and accountability at home.

Why am I a Food Fool?

I wish I could stop eating. I keep sneaking items from the boys' Halloween candy stashes. The worst part is I don't even care what I grab. I scarf down the first thing I touch as I reach blindly into the pillow slip.

Also, for some reason I can't convince my family to eat leftovers. I open the fridge and I see these great leftovers that I don't want to see go to waste, so I fill a little bowl and toss it in the microwave. "Mmmmm," I think, "that sure tastes good. Maybe just a little more..."

I think I've eaten several meals worth of hamburger soup and spaghetti over the last few days - only it's been between meals.

Why can't I stop eating???

Rambles...

We're having a sleepover at our house tonight. #3 is having a little friend sleep over. Come to think of it, it's the first time he's had an overnight friend. I think the bigger boys were almost as excited as #3, as they like this little friend, as well.

Right now the four of them - and my biggest boy, as well, of course - are in the livingroom watching Spiderman 3 while I'm relegated to the kitchen. I'm doing just fine, though. I've got Gone with the Wind on Turner Classic Movies, blogger, and a glass of red wine. Frankly, I think we all feel that we have the best of the deal. Isn't that the way it should be?

Life has gotten the best of me once again, and it has been much too long since I've written. We are in election season here in our province. Main Man is usually quite the political animal, but that hasn't really been the case this time. We don't even have a sign on our lawn. Scandalous!

My biggest interest election-wise is that my niece's husband is running for office. Unfortunately, I'll not have the opportunity to vote for him as he is not running in our city, but I've been sending victory vibes his way constantly, so I hope everything goes well for him. I know that both of them have been working very hard, so, regardless of the outcome, they will be very happy that it will be over soon.

"You should be kissed - often - and by someone who knows how." I love Gone With the Wind!

Life continues to be busy at school. We have begun rehearsals for this year's musical - The Pirates of Penzance. It is always a highlight of the school year, and, although I enjoy the rehearsals, the time commitment is a little overwhelming: every noon hour and an hour every day after school until our performance dates in February. I feel like much of the rest of my life takes a backseat during musical season.

"I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' babies!"

Well, they've decided to take a break from Spiderman, so I've been challenged to a game of Operation. I'm off to remove a funny bone.

Hope this rambling note finds all of you well and happy. Cheers!

How is it...

... that, after being up seven or eight times with a six-year-old with a fever and the stomach flu, I feel like I spent the night running a marathon and he (aforementioned six-year-old) wakes up with energy to burn?

Tell me - how can that be?

Power, Anyone?

On the way home from work today, I ran into a stretch of road where they were doing some construction. They had a policewoman in the middle of the intersection directing traffic. She was doing a fantastic job. She had the required air of authority, and all of the rush hour traffic was courteously following her directions.

As I awaited my turn to proceed, my mind travelled through an interesting maze of thought.

My first thought was, "Oh, sure, send the little woman out to direct traffic while the men do the important jobs!"

My second thought was, "Wow, she's good - and look at the power she has. Look at how all of these people are obeying her, even during rush hour when they're all stressed and in a hurry to get home."

My third thought was, "I would be terrified being her. I never want that much power!"

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone has had a wonderful day.

Today our family celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving. Tomorrow is the holiday off work, but we generally have our big celebration on the Sunday evening.

I hosted Main Man's mom, his brother and sister-in-law, their two sons, and our sister-in-law's mom. It wasn't really a houseful, but it was as big a houseful as we're accustomed to.

I served turkey (of course!), stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, yams with orange juice, tarragon carrots, a corn dish I make with sweet peppers, maple squash, home-baked bread and corn muffins, and spring salad mix with red and green onions and peppers and a raspberry vinaigrette. My sister-in-law and her mom brought dessert - pumpkin pie and cherry tarts. The whole meal was a roaring success. We have leftovers galore, so it looks like my diet is not going to start again for at least a few more days.

Much of the clean-up is now finished, although I must admit that I'm hitting the hay with still a few dirty wine glasses on the counter beside the sink and a couple of stubborn pots and pans soaking in the sink.

Main Man and I worked as quite the team today. We really do have massive amounts of abundance to be thankful for.

I'm Ba-a-a-a-a-ack!

Well, I was finding the whole blogging thing a little overwhelming, daunting, even - dare I say it - a little boring, so I decided to take some time off.

Actually, the word "decided" may give me too much credit. It wasn't really a conscious decision, and, in fact, after a week or so of not posting, I wasn't even sure I would ever come back.

It's been over a month now, though, and I've made it through the whole back-to-school time, and I feel refreshed. Indeed, I feel as if I have a new attitude toward my little Nook.

I will not beat myself up if I don't post every day. In fact, I will plan to post once a week-ish. That way, I will be happy with myself if I manage to post more often than that.

I have so missed my blogging friends, and I hope all is well with all of you. I will be by soon to visit and "catch up". I'm not putting any timelines on that, either, though, so please don't take it personally if it takes me a little while.

Laid back. That is going to be Library Mama. Indeed, that's the only way this blog thing can work for me.

There are way too many other things in my life that are true duties. I can't afford to let a hobby become the duty at the top of the pile.

Hi again, everyone.

I thought...

...that seeing Back to School items in the stores as early as July 20th was a little over the top, but this next one takes the cake.

This evening - August 22 - we received our Sears Christmas Wish Book!
(By the way, this isn't a picture of the one we received. I just loved the nostalgia of the picture on this cover. This little girl looks a lot like I used to look.)

Canoe Handle It?

Tomorrow morning #1 is off on a wilderness canoe trip with a group of youth from our church.

I'm sure he'll have a phenomenal time, but, as is a mother's prerogative, I'm worried for him. I'm worried it will rain and he'll be cold and wet. I'm worried he'll drop his backpack in the river and ruin all his stuff. I'm worried he'll run out of toilet paper. I'm worried he'll miss me. (Yeah right - as if that last one will ever happen!)

I've packed his backpack for him, including waterproofing everything as well as I could. I managed to roll up his sleeping bag with his pillow, air mattress and pump all in one roll. I've done everything I possibly can to make his trip safe, comfortable and enjoyable. I guess the rest is up to him.

He has no doubt that he'll have a great time, but he hasn't had the life experience I've had that allows me to look at the situation in a much more realistic (or is that pessimistic?) manner.

Happy Anniversary

Just a quick note to wish my beloved Main Man a happy anniversary.

As of 3:30 this afternoon, we have enjoyed 18 years of wedded bliss.

Well, I suppose not all of it has been bliss, but it has definitely all been worth it.

Thanks for everything, Main Man (AKA Mentok). Here's to the next 50 years!

Next Top Model

Alright, I admit, I have a new guilty little pleasure.

Over the summer I have become addicted to the variety of "Next Top Model" shows.

I've been watching episodes from Britain, Canada, and America.

It's difficult to describe exactly what attracts me, but I think I see them as a type of travel show. I mean, watching them is like learning about a culture very different from my own, from a country very different from my own.

Nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

High School Musical 2

Aren't they just too cute for words?

We've already watched it twice today.

Of course, the second time we had to sit through Main Man heckling it, but that's the price we have to pay in this household.

Hello Again

I think this may be the longest blogger-break I have taken since I first started.

If any of you were at all worried, everything is fine. The days just seem to flow by and, before I know it, it's bedtime. Main Man is usually on the computer in the evening, and, as he is the one working all day, I figure he deserves a little computer recreation in the evening. I haven't the heart to kick him off just so I can blog.

Besides, I could be doing my blog entries sometime during the day when he's at work. I guess I just haven't had the motivation. Something has snuffed out the spark of blogging for me.

I start back to work in a week.

And you know, because it has been such a great summer, I feel okay about that.

The weather has been GORGEOUS this summer! And we've had a couple of great little holidays - our fantasy trip to the Okanagan Valley, of course, and this past weekend, we took a little excursion to my home town for their agricultural fair. I was able to see all of my siblings and my dad and his wife and a few old friends from high school. Also, the boys were able to enter some things in the fair - academic work, crafts, and such - so it was exciting to see how they did. #2 in particular was very successful, earning about $30 in prize money. He's deservedly very proud.

Well, it's almost time for storytime for the boys, so I guess I'll sign off. I hope everyone out there is doing well