School is finished!!
Last week we tied up the last of the assignments, Google Meets, and farewells for the school year. We had goodies for the assorted teachers who have adjusted and put in so many extra hours over the last 3 months as the shift to home learning was enforced. We had a few distanced meet-ups to say goodbye to staff, catch up a little with friends, and enjoy the first days of summer break.
Sunday evening we started a new end-of-school tradition - we took all the papers from school that didn't need to be kept and we took them to burn. Cathartic and symbolic :)
Monday we started a major shift in the house. With the end of school, the return of living space as living space and no longer doubling as learning space, we put ourselves to the task of moving things around. The idea was Hubby's. In order to help make our space work for us longer term we needed to do some serious culling and downsizing of toys (don't judge me, I've been holding on to baby toys). Hubby and I have moved our bedroom to the basement for a while so we shifted things this week so the boys finally, for the first time ever, have their own bedrooms! The girls are still sharing, but they now have the larger of those rooms. And are no longer in bunk beds.
The change feels good. The littles are more able to have their space and organize it the way they want without things falling underfoot. We are now just over 24 hours after completion of the task and it feels amazing!
Tied in with that is that report cards went live recently. Reading the teachers' observations about this crew, seeing the growth and development through the upheaval of lockdown and having life so significantly shifted. We have such a terrific group of children. Their personalities, their strengths, the way their wit and humour comes out in the class setting, it makes my heart smile. They aren't perfect, we certainly have our struggles; but the smile I got reading those report cards, seeing the way they are growing into adults that I want to spend time with, I feel incredibly blessed and fortunate to have these 4 sharing space and time with us. I might be feeling a little sappy. And happy.
There are 10 or so weeks until the beginning of September, and it will likely be an interesting time. I anticipate low key, some day trips, some fishing, some lake time. Lots of walks and bike rides, Pokemon Go walks too. Depending on travel restrictions we may get family visiting time in as well. Really hoping that will work out for us.
Friday, June 26, 2020
Tuesday, June 9, 2020
A Handful of Birthday Reflections
37. I don't put much thought into getting older, not since becoming an adult really. In my mind and spirit I'm still 20 or so, which causes a little dissonance when I notice my first born is taller than me and is almost at an age to start driving... over the last year my hair colour has changed a few times, and I have an appointment tomorrow to change it again, but I watch my roots with an interest that I notice is less common. I see white hairs and they make me smile. They are more coarse than the rest of my hair, more curly, and every few months I notice a few more. Hubby says I'm imagining things, as does Smarty. Sergeant sees them and tells me I'm not old enough yet to have them.
They are badges though. They show that the last handful of years have affected me differently than the previous ones. It's that or everything is starting to catch up, I'm not sure. I have lived and survived, am continuing to survive, even thrive in a lot of ways. These interesting times we currently live in aren't really going to stop, children will always be children as will teenagers. Family dynamics will continue to cause joy and frustration, and the learning and growing will never stop.
Growing doesn't stop. Girlie doesn't want to grow up. This has been a consistent fear of hers, she has had bedtime tears surrounding it since she was 4. However, she will be turning 10 in 3 months and needs to have some of the types of conversations she would rather not have; you know the ones I mean - age, puberty, body changes. We have had them before, age appropriate but still very open as we are an open and body-positive family. She really dislikes them but I think I have finally helped her understand that she needs to know and be aware, even if she doesn't like to talk about any of it.
We try our best to set the kids up for success. For fitness and heart health, for communication with others, for conflict resolution, for faith and spiritual growth. This time of school-directed home learning has been incredible for my own growth and the kids. A little more pushing than I'd like to have done on my part, but it's forced me to take a more active role in a lot of ways that I hadn't been taking and I have noticed bits of maturity changes in the kids, the older couple in particular. I have enjoyed seeing the increase in awareness of what time some assignments will take, how to plan out the week so there is time for fun as well as work, pride in a really good test mark, paying more attention to detail. I have grown as a parent and the children are growing into amazing people.
They are badges though. They show that the last handful of years have affected me differently than the previous ones. It's that or everything is starting to catch up, I'm not sure. I have lived and survived, am continuing to survive, even thrive in a lot of ways. These interesting times we currently live in aren't really going to stop, children will always be children as will teenagers. Family dynamics will continue to cause joy and frustration, and the learning and growing will never stop.
Growing doesn't stop. Girlie doesn't want to grow up. This has been a consistent fear of hers, she has had bedtime tears surrounding it since she was 4. However, she will be turning 10 in 3 months and needs to have some of the types of conversations she would rather not have; you know the ones I mean - age, puberty, body changes. We have had them before, age appropriate but still very open as we are an open and body-positive family. She really dislikes them but I think I have finally helped her understand that she needs to know and be aware, even if she doesn't like to talk about any of it.
We try our best to set the kids up for success. For fitness and heart health, for communication with others, for conflict resolution, for faith and spiritual growth. This time of school-directed home learning has been incredible for my own growth and the kids. A little more pushing than I'd like to have done on my part, but it's forced me to take a more active role in a lot of ways that I hadn't been taking and I have noticed bits of maturity changes in the kids, the older couple in particular. I have enjoyed seeing the increase in awareness of what time some assignments will take, how to plan out the week so there is time for fun as well as work, pride in a really good test mark, paying more attention to detail. I have grown as a parent and the children are growing into amazing people.
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Start of June!
I have had my tonsils, adenoids, and part of my uvula removed! Before the lockdown started I was booked for this procedure to help treat obstructive sleep apnea. I have always been a chronic snorer, sometimes stopping breathing for a bit during the nights, which doesn't help Hubby's sleep... so after sleep study and diagnosis we looked at options. Trialed CPAP without much difference, looked into prescription mouth guards, got booked with an ENT to see what else could help. Strongly recommended this procedure, so I was put on the wait list. I was scheduled to have it done in March but with the shutting down of non-emergency procedures to try to slow the spread of the pandemic it was called off until things could safely resume. I am now nearly 3 weeks post-op.
It was a really difficult first 10 days. Hubby and the kids were fantastic, I slept a lot and that is about it. By the end of that second weekend I had turned a corner and I haven't looked back! I am sleeping without snoring (which has never, ever happened in my memory) and I'm not as generally tired, which is really cool.
We are in week 10 of home learning, and things are slowing down for summer. We have a groove, it seems to work, but yesterday Smarty had a sudden thought: "What am I going to do to stay busy through summer??" I am positive between Hubby and I we can keep everyone occupied. Probably more than they'd like!
We have a couple birthdays approaching in the next couple days. There is a very excited almost-8-year-old, and a less excited momma. I don't hate my birthday, it just doesn't hold as large a significance as the decades pass. The energy for Monkey is contagious, though. Every chance she gets she tells anyone and everyone how many more sleeps until mommy's big day. Then in short order, how many sleeps after that her's is.
The weather has turned beautiful for the most part! We have had a fair bit of rain too, but a lot of sunshine and blue skies. I even managed to turn my shoulders a little pink already! We have started reminding the kids more and more to carry water bottles with them when they leave the house to play, even just in the back yard. Hats too.
I anticipate a fairly slow summer. We have some plans to move some bedrooms around to make our space more friendly for the ages and stages we are at, we'll do some fishing, go for a few drives. I'm looking forward to more bike rides and walks, generally just being outside. It'll be good to be done driving the home learning train for a bit, even though I think we've really risen to the challenge for it. There are books to read, minnows to catch, birds to watch, sun to lay in. Hopefully there will be more opening up of things so we can be with friends more and socialize too.
It was a really difficult first 10 days. Hubby and the kids were fantastic, I slept a lot and that is about it. By the end of that second weekend I had turned a corner and I haven't looked back! I am sleeping without snoring (which has never, ever happened in my memory) and I'm not as generally tired, which is really cool.
We are in week 10 of home learning, and things are slowing down for summer. We have a groove, it seems to work, but yesterday Smarty had a sudden thought: "What am I going to do to stay busy through summer??" I am positive between Hubby and I we can keep everyone occupied. Probably more than they'd like!
We have a couple birthdays approaching in the next couple days. There is a very excited almost-8-year-old, and a less excited momma. I don't hate my birthday, it just doesn't hold as large a significance as the decades pass. The energy for Monkey is contagious, though. Every chance she gets she tells anyone and everyone how many more sleeps until mommy's big day. Then in short order, how many sleeps after that her's is.
The weather has turned beautiful for the most part! We have had a fair bit of rain too, but a lot of sunshine and blue skies. I even managed to turn my shoulders a little pink already! We have started reminding the kids more and more to carry water bottles with them when they leave the house to play, even just in the back yard. Hats too.
I anticipate a fairly slow summer. We have some plans to move some bedrooms around to make our space more friendly for the ages and stages we are at, we'll do some fishing, go for a few drives. I'm looking forward to more bike rides and walks, generally just being outside. It'll be good to be done driving the home learning train for a bit, even though I think we've really risen to the challenge for it. There are books to read, minnows to catch, birds to watch, sun to lay in. Hopefully there will be more opening up of things so we can be with friends more and socialize too.
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