Where to start?

So this is what happens when I wait a really long time between posts...where do I start to recap everything that has gone on?  Let's see if I can some things up without rambling too much.

Celebrations this summer centred around a wedding - my middle sister got married in August.  We were all so happy for her - she finally found her other half.  The day was not without hitches (and subsequent freak outs), but in the end it was all about family and friends getting together to celebrate with them.  And yes I had to do another speech...and no I didn't make it through without crying.  It really was a fun night, and I could not be happier for her and my new brother in law.

We also managed to get away this summer for 3 weeks.  We spent them in South Florida.  Easy to sum up this part of the summer - it was hot, it rained and the shopping was fantastic.  We are lucky enough to get to go south every year, and every year we come back wishing we could just stay there.  Totally could picture myself being there full time...pretty darn sure it will be part of our retirement plan to move there!!

After I blinked, September was here.  That means back to routine (which I secretly love) and back to school for my girls.  I'm not gonna lie - after all the drama in the school yard last year with my oldest, I was a little (ok alot) apprehensive about what her year would hold for her this year.  Would the mean girls still be nasty to her?  Would she spend more time in tears this year than smiling?  We talked alot about how to deal with "the girls", and worked on accepting that not everyone would see her as the quirky, sweet little girl that I adore.  Glad to report that a few weeks in, things seem to be going better...not perfect but better.  From my point of view she seems to be dealing with it better which is all I can ask for.

My littlest daughter started Grade 2 this year.  She is my little social butterfly and seems to be able to flit from group to group without batting an eye.  She is a chatterbox, so there have already been some discussions about keeping quiet during class time.  Plus she flies through her work in class...is it bad that I want to send extra work for her?

Along with school comes all the fall activities - and my girls are only in two things each!  Hubby and I looked at our calendar for September and October - and discovered we already needed a nap.  Things are pretty nuts, but everyone is healthy and happy which means we can handle the nuts.

Wow...so much for promises about no rambling.  I haven't even gotten into any of my "opinion" posts. Guess I'll have to keep those for another day.

Parting thought - I've seen real strength in some pretty amazing ladies recently.  Hats off to all those dealing with "stuff", and still manage to smile and keep a brave face.  Know my door is always open, the coffee is always hot (or the vodka is always cold depending on what you need) and my ears always sympathetic.  For those of us who have it pretty good, we should just say thanks and leave it at that.

I need more time!

So the summer has come and (almost) gone and I haven't churned out one post.  Not a single one.  And even this one won't have anything too revealing in it...it is more just to say I put a blog entry up during the summer months.

This summer has been a little crazy at our house.  Not to say it doesn't always feel crazy but for some reason this one caught up with me.  I've swooning over my new nephew, I was a single parent for almost 2 weeks while my husband was away on business, and we've been planning my middle sister's wedding.

We did manage to get away on vacation - we just got back from 2 weeks in south Florida.  Love, love, love being able to go there every year.  It really is just what we need to re-charge.  Now I'm back in crazy mode.  The wedding is this Friday, and the kids go back to school next week.  Looking forward to just getting some ahhh time at some point.

Off to finish a speech - please no lectures about procrastination.  I work my best under pressure!!

I'm in love with a new man!

No one panic...my husband is still my number one guy, but about a week ago I fell in love with a new man - my brand new little nephew.  I've been waiting since he was born to gush about him, but needed to wait until my sister and her husband officially introduced him to the "web world" on Facebook.  That happened today, so let the gushing begin!

Evan is a perfect little angel, and my heart melts whenever I see him.  I was lucky that my sister let me help her alot this week - that meant lots of auntie-nephew bonding time.  I will admit that the thought of how nice it would be to have another baby crossed my mind...in a fleeting sort of way :-)  Then I just figured I could get my baby fix, then head home to sleep.  The best of both worlds!!

I can't wait to watch him grow up, and I wish him as much love and laughter as he can handle.  Can't promise not to be an over-protective aunt, but I figure you can't have too many of us watching out for him.

To my sister and brother-in-law, I promise I will spoil him.  I promise to always be his loudest cheerleader.  I promise to be here to help whenever you need me.  I promise lots of babysitting services so the two of you can go for sanity breaks.  I promise to love him (as I do all my nephews) like he is my own.  I promise you lots of pictures (care of my hubby) and lots of scrapbook pages to document your favourite moments.  In a nutshell, I promise to be the kind of aunt/sister/friend that you are to my children.

Tell me this is not the cutest face you have ever seen...I am totally smitten!

Is May over yet?

So I'm not usually one to wish for time to pass (I am way too sentimental about days passing too quickly), but I am looking forward to the end of May.

To say May has been crazy in my house would be the understatement of the year.  All of it was fun stuff and I wouldn't change any of it, but I'm wishing I could have spread some of the festivities out a bit.  First was my solo trip to Florida - I told you not to feel sorry for me :-)

I went to Fort Lauderdale to help my in-laws with their drive home.  As a perk, I got to spend a week at the beach, do some fantastic shopping, and read.  In fact, I got to read 13 books.  I have never read 13 books in such a short amount of time.  It's amazing what you can get through when you don't have to take care of anyone else!  I was grateful to be there, but was happy to get home to my family too.

Then the fun began.  The week I was back was filled with preparations for 2 wonderful events - that happened to be scheduled back to back.

Saturday I hosted a birthday party for my youngest.  My baby was turning seven (insert sentimental gasp here) and I had 6 seven year olds over for a scrapbooking party.  It was so much fun, and I loved seeing what the kids had come up with when they were done.  It helped that I had a superb Creative Memories consultant (who is also a dear friend) over to run the party.  This meant I could take pictures for my own scrapbook!

After everyone left, I had some crafting left to do to get ready for my little sister's baby shower - which we held on Sunday.  It was so fun to watch all our friends and family gather to celebrate the fact that we are adding a new member to our family.  My sister looked and felt great, and she got everything she will need for once the baby is born ( ha ha...so she thinks)!!  There was a little added stress to the day - we discovered that my other sister's wedding venue had burned down the night before!  She was a trooper and got through Sunday with a smile.  Now the hunt is on for a new location!!

The month of May was a fantastic one, but I admit I'm looking forward to a quieter June.  Then the fun starts again while we prep for my other sister's bridal shower and wedding!!  Maybe I should be looking forward to September! LOL

Perspective Can Suck It!

I'm the first to admit every once in awhile I need a good dose of reality.  It keeps me grounded; it helps remind me of what is important in life; it makes me remember that the little things are just as important as the big ones. 

What sucks is when I get slammed over the head with a dose of reality that makes me just want to curl up.  This week I got one of those.   A good friend of my parents passed away.  She was an amazing lady with a contagious laugh, and she had a family that loved her to pieces.  What made this one even harder is she went from healthy to gone in 6 months.  6 months.  That's nothing...it's half a school year, it's two seasons.  6 months.

What it did for me is remind me how precious time is.  How when all is said and done, I don't want to look back and realize I've wasted the gift of time.

The ironic part is this lesson came at a time when I needed it.  I've caught myself working "just a few minutes later" every night - which means I have a few minutes less with hubby and kids.  I'm saying more frequently "not right now" when my girls are trying to tell me something.  I'm trying so hard to keep all the balls in the air that I'm forgetting to pay attention to all the things that keep the ground solid below me - family, friends, giggles and hugs.

How the perspective is doled out can really suck - hopefully the lesson is not lost in the delivery.  For me, it will be about asking the 5 year question - in 5 years will I really remember the extra hours I put in at work?  Probably not.  I may remember the amazing walk to the park where the kids spun on the tire swing though.  Perspective.

Thank you to an amazing lady who reminded me of how precious time is.  R.I.P Heidi.

     

What if the Maid Went on Strike?

So I've never been obsessed with a clean house.  While I was on maternity leave, I considered dust bunnies my pets, and didn't get hung up on keeping the house immaculate.  Just good enough was ok with me.  I do, however, like when things are tidied up.

In my perfect world, everything has its place, and it would get returned there after use so that when I went to look for it the next time, I would know exactly where it was.  School days are a case in point.  I stress the importance of the kids putting their hats, mitts, etc in their bins when they get home from school - that way when we are rushing in the morning to get out the door I can avoid the "Mom I can't find my mitts!".  I like to have things organized...it keeps my mind peaceful.

These days, my mind is not so peaceful.  As much as I try to organize the clutter in my house (and we do purge at least once a year), the "stuff" seems to overwhelm me.  And I'm not sure when it became only my job to make sure that things got returned to their place.  My kids will walk over a mound of stuff that is not put away and not bat an eye.  And my hubby (who I love to no end) leaves a trail of stuff behind him when he comes home.  And don't get me started on dishes left on the counter instead of the sink or in the dishwasher...

Most days, I just sigh and pick up the stuff that is in my way as I come in the door.  But there are days (and today is one of them) where I just can't handle it.  I look around and just see a mess - and I literally have to go hide in my craft room.  I'm left wondering what I have to do to get them to help me keep my sanity.  Maybe I should go on strike...would they notice when things didn't magically get put away? If I do this I would have to spend alot of time in my craft room away from the piles.
 
I'll keep trying to make them see - and if they don't then I will really consider going on strike.  If that happens, I'll give you all warning - cause there would be no visitors allowed!

Off to tackle a pile...

I'm a Control Freak

I've always told people I'm a type-A personality.  I like things done right (usually means my way), and like to be the one giving directions.  I'm realizing that "type-A" is just a  nice way of calling someone a control freak.

Usually, all is ok.  I can reign myself in before anyone finds it too annoying, and most times people seem to be alright just stepping back and letting me do it.  And my family has grown to love this quirk about me (so they tell me!).  Take "pot luck dinners" for example.  Probably one of the most stressful things for me is to have someone say "just make it pot luck and and we'll all bring whatever".  WHAT?  No planned menu?  How will I know all the bases are covered?  What if we end up with only desserts?  My usual response is "It's ok...I like doing this stuff) - to which I'm sure I get an eye roll.

I am getting better - I gave up a little control last year for my sister's wedding shower - although my family will say I did not (I did have a plan for how I was going to handle it if it turn out the way I wanted), all I promised was that I would try.

It also carries over into my parenting.  I went to a seminar recently, and realized I'm what they call an "over-functioning parent".  In a nutshell, I like to do everything for my kids, remind them of schedules, and their experience at school stresses me out more than it does them.  Aren't all parents like that?  I am making a conscious decision to allow them to make some of their own decisions and give them more responsibility around the house.  Who cares if they don't clean the same way I do, right?  And they should learn to accept the consequences if they don't do their homework, right?

I fully expect that it will take some time before I can let go and become "less type-A".  I will try, but I will certainly have a checklist that will tell me if I am doing it right.  And a plan to fix things if the checklist tells me I'm not.  I wish I could heed Yoda's advice: "There is no try, just do".  For now, all I can promise to do is try.

To my friends, feel free to call me out on it.  I won't promise it won't generate a sigh or a look of daggers, but I will promise to take it in stride :-)