25 May 2010

Home Sweet Home

Just a quick post to let folks know that hubby, Drew and I are happily settled into our new house. The move was exhausting and I was sad to say farewell to our first place but, as more and more boxes are unpacked, our new abode is starting to feel like home.

The move went very smoothly thanks to an excellent moving company, what a wise decision that proved to be! The truck arrive at 8:00AM on Tuesday morning and everything was in five hours later without any chips or dings to the walls or furniture. Most of the day was spent cleaning, unpacking boxes and getting Andrew’s room ready for his return from Mimi and Grampy’s house that evening. Thankfully, he had no trouble settling in whatsoever.

For the remained of the week, hubs and I have been unpacking, decorating and setting up the house. Our days start at 6 AM and don’t end until well past 11:00 PM. We try to make the most of Drew’s naps by rushing around and getting things done; it certainly is more exhausting than when it was just the two of us moving into our first place. Despite being tired, we are reminded of how fortunate we are every time we see Drew rolling around happily on the floor of his new playroom, it makes the hard work and added expense worth it and I think he’ll appreciate the added space to spread out. I honestly never knew he could roll so well because, quite frankly, he didn’t have anywhere to roll to in the old place.

I feel sorry for poor hubby as he has spent every waking moment of his vacation working on the house. Neither of us really enjoys living amongst boxes or unfinished projects; we rather tire ourselves out to get everything done at once and enjoy the house that much sooner. So far we’ve had the big expenses installed this week - air conditioning and eavestroughing. The rest our large projects will have to wait for future years. We will hopefully be able to save up and get something new accomplished every few years. We plan to stay here until we are old and gray so we have plenty of time to get things just right.

Not much else to report right now. I hear some boxes calling my name so I best get back to it. I promised pictures and you shall receive, just as soon s I unearth the upload cable for my camera.

17 May 2010

All packed up

Today is the day we get the keys to our new home. Hubby is bouncing off the walls with excitement; I would bounce too but I’m too damn tired to barely even stand straight. At this point I just want to get in there, unpack and start enjoying the fun that comes with setting up and decorating. I don’t think I want to pack another box for a good twenty-five years…which works out well because that’s how long it will probably take us to pay off the mortgage – Ha!

Cross your fingers everyone for a smooth move. We’ll be taking over some of the fragile ourselves today and we have movers coming for the rest of the furniture and heavy boxes tomorrow. We’re in for some exhausting days ahead but we’re very happy and thankful to be able to move into a family home – something I didn’t anticipate happening for another two years or so.

I’m still feeling quite emotional about leaving our first home. I’m sure I’ll tear up when I come back to clean it and see it completely emptied. I think it’s Andrew’s nursery that gets me the most. I’ll never forget the hours spent rocking him while looking out his bedroom window during those rough first three months. I’ll never forget seeing him roll for the first time across his bedroom floor or running laps around the entire house, jumping up and down, when I found out I was expecting him. I have so many wonderful memories attached to these walls. I think that some of the best years of my life, thus far, were spent here. All this being said, I’m sure our new home will witness some wonderful new memories.

Okay, so now that I’m crying (I think I need to have me head examined), I’ll sign off with my last official post from my first home. See you on the other side. I’ll be sure to post a few pictures of the new digs when I manage to find my camera connection cord.

13 May 2010

Five more sleeps

Get me out of here! These bare walls are starting to drive me bonkers and I’m tired of stubbing my toes as I navigate around boxes. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, I hate moving! Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy and thankful that we are able to move into our “forever home” but, as far as the process of packing and moving all our belongings, I hate it!

Last night hubby and I worked on tearing things down and packing up until 11 PM. I think I spend every second that Andrew is napping packing boxes. I broke down and finally escaped on Tuesday evening to go to the gym for a sorely needed change on pace and a long-overdue butt kick as we have been eating garbage lately.

Having my license has proved very handy as I have been running errands and shuttling things around for the move. With two drivers on moving day, things should go a lot more smoothly. I still haven’t braved the highway but I have been jigging around Orleans a good deal. I love the freedom of it!

Today’s errands consist of: bringing frozen meat from my deepfreeze to my parents place for storage, dropping off empties at the beer store, getting applesauce and searching for a drum for Andrew…because he’s really in a ‘smashing’ and ‘banging’ phase right now. Okay, so they aren’t the most glamorous or exciting errands to run, but at least I am able to do them on my own without relying on hubby.

With any luck, and providing Drew naps well this afternoon and lets me pack more, I may get to head to the gym again tonight. It’s probably good that I keep myself as busy as humanly possible, otherwise I’d just be sitting here getting excited to the point of bursting…almost there!

10 May 2010

Vroom Victory!

Perhaps it is a small victory for some, but finally getting my license after 11 years of deliberation feels like a huge accomplishment. Ever since I got my “first” learner’s permit when I was eighteen, I have been carrying this monkey around on my back, wanting so badly to drive and constantly doubting my ability to do so. I really had no excuse, even my mother got back into her car after losing her leg to an impaired river, yet this was one wall I couldn’t seem to climb over. It’s not like me to be afraid of things; I felt abnormal for not being enthusiastic about something that the rest of the teens my age were doing at the time. Perhaps I really wasn’t mature enough to get behind the wheel. It took becoming a mother to finally make me feel responsible enough to quit the excuses, get over my fear and just get on with it. It is important to me that Andrew never remembers his mother as someone who was too afraid to try. And so, for the past several months, I have been driving around town with a hollering baby in the back of the car and a very patient and wonderful husband insisting that I, “calm the heck down, believe in [myself] and keep on trying.”

I wasn’t sure whether to whoop for joy or cry tears of relief when the driver examiner told me that I passed my test this afternoon. For once I’ll be able to drive myself and Andrew to appointments; I’ll finally be able to chauffeur others and help run errands. I feel like a whole new world is opening up to me because I won’t always be stuck at home waiting for hubby to get in – freedom and independence!

It is still going to take lots of practice to get 100% comfortable as a driver but, considering I was shaking like a nervous leaf in a high school parking lot three months ago, I think I have grown considerably. It’s amazing what motherhood will drive you to do…pardon the pun.

09 May 2010

My first Mother’s Day

It feels surreal to be celebrating my first Mother’s Day . I woke up to breakfast in bed and a lovely card from “the boys”. Hubby also tells me that Andrew made me something, however it hasn’t arrived in the mail yet…I’m guessing it’s a photo mug ; )

Our first stop of the day was to my mother-in-law’s grave. It was particularly difficult this year as it was the first time we have been to visit with Andrew. It feels so horrible knowing that she’ll never get to hold him or meet him; she was such a lovely woman and would have made an amazing grandmother. I never got to meet my maternal grandfather and I hated that I only came to know him through pictures or stories. I so wanted for my children to know all of their grandparents, what a shame. It is somewhat comforting, at least, to know that part of her lives on in him.

On the way home we dropped off to The Brick to purchase an entertainment unit for the new home. I really got to show off my “mothering skills” as we forgot to pack the umbrella stroller or a toy. The service was horrendously slow and, by this point, Drew was close to meltdown. I had to whip out the big guns and galloped around the store making “clip clop” noises. It’s amazing how you really don’t care what other people think, so long as your child is happy, healthy an entertained. Thankfully, I was rewarding with huge smiles and giggles…and a few odd glances from shoppers.

The remainder of my Mother’s Day was spent celebrating with my own Mom. Rather than cooking the usual family dinner, I wanted to spend some time relaxing together (AKA: neither of us having to cook or clean). We went to see the quintessential cheesy chick flick, “Letters to Juliet” and ended up at a pub for a Mother’s Day buffet afterwards. It was simple, relaxed and, in my opinion, the perfect end to my first Mother’s Day.

I look forward to future Mother’s Day when I’ll start received handmade cards and macaroni bedazzled necklaces or treasure boxes from Andrew. I laugh now thinking back to all the bizarre stuff I used to make for my own mother – things no human would ever want to wear but that she lovingly assured me were beautiful.

04 May 2010

Two weeks to go

We are living amidst boxes and the excitement is starting to build - only two more weeks until moving time!

I am, however, starting to see a flaw in my preparation. When I went to grab my flip flops to take Andrew on his walk yesterday, I realized that I left the right sandal in the closet and packed the left side. Don’t believe it when people tell you that it always pays to be organized. Maybe I’m just disorganizaly (yes, I’m make that an adjective) disorganized.

Things are starting to look a little bare around here and I think poor Drew is wondering where all the colours went. We try to spend lots of time in the sun these days because soon we’ll be back to no yard…or rather a mud patch for him to slosh about in. Come to think of it, Andrew would probably enjoy mud more than grass ; )

03 May 2010

Thankful

Perhaps I don’t mention it enough, but I am thankful for everything I do have in my life.

I never thought that people would read this blog, a somewhat light and satirical look into my life and thoughts (hence the ‘ramblings’), and actually take offense to what I was posting.
Believe me, that wasn’t and isn’t my intent.

I realize that what I write here is public domain and therefore subject to comment or criticism.
But I’m hardly writing about controversial matters…or so I thought.

While I may complain about little day-to-day frustrations, never once do I actually take for granted what I do have.
I still pray to God nightly and give thanks for all the good things in my life. If I gripe about a bad day with my son, an issue at work or how much I hate packing for the upcoming move, it doesn’t mean that I feel burdened, unlucky or hard done by. I know I have it good.

I won’t get into the specifics re: why I am posting this but I will say that someone personally and publically (via facebook) attacked me concerning what I post here on this blog.
Yes, I can see many of you scratching your heads right now in confusion – don’t worry, so am I. I realize that worrying about clothing size, overfeeding, temper tantrums, etc., are trivial in the grand scheme of things. But you know what? We all complain; it’s human, it’s healthy and it doesn’t mean that we aren’t grateful for what we have. I’ve lost enough people close to me, seen poverty beyond description, and spent countless years volunteering with the less fortunate to know that I’m lucky…but you didn’t know all that about me, did you? I never knew I would have to give my entire life history for fear of an attack on my character.

I am fortunate that my life has been relatively easy thus far, but the path hasn’t always been rosy and perfect.
I do, in fact, live the real world and have been my entire life. Too bad satire is lost on some people, but not as sad as pointing a pessimistic finger at people before you even really truly know them.

If you are looking for sunshine and roses, you may find it here on occasion.
If you’re looking for trivial little anecdotes about my day, you’ll find those too. I’m not looking for a Pulitzer Prize, this is not some underlying social critique. It is a satirical blog, written by an average Canadian woman, wife and mother.

You know what is truly trivial? Getting up in arms over a trivial little blog. You’re right; there are more important things in the world, so I suggest you turn your attention to them and leave me alone.

To those of you that do support me. To the people that make me truly thankful (Hello auties, uncles and cousins across Canada reading this). I love you and thank you.