Michele’s Musings

I can’t believe I haven’t posted here since June 1st!  Between soccer, school field trips, volunteer commitments, work, planning our summer vacation…..  I think this weekend I can finally catch my breath!

Rowan had a great soccer season, had lots of fun, especially in goal.  Only problem is he now has exercise induced asthma.  He has had eczema since infancy so asthma is something we have been watching for in him because they are closely related.  This year he was having a hard time running, having to catch his breath, then coughing after games all evening.  Got him into the dr and he’s now taking Singulair, it seems to help.  His last couple games he had an easier time and there was no coughing.  Master Rowan is now a grade 3er!

Keely now needs to see a physiotherapist for her arm, she was doing really well with mobility, but recently as she makes a fist, her pinkie knuckle becomes indented and she gets a pain in her wrist….. I need to call and make an appointment for that!  She got her hair cut last night, it looks really cute, kind of cut like mine with layers but no bangs.  And she is now a grade 5er!

Arran is happy to be done exams.  He got a Merit award for having over a 75% average with his core subjects…. how he managed that with a 58 in LA I don’t know… I guess the 80’s in religion and gym helped?  lol Anyway he’s onto HS in the fall, grade 10!  Oh my!

I went out Wed night to Jubulations dinner theatre with co-workers and saw Grey’s House of Anatomy, it was really good!  Didn’t get home till 11 though, was very tired the next day!  Today and Monday are going to be stupid busy at work!  Word to the wise, if you don’t HAVE to go to the bank, don’t!  The line ups will be killer!  I have also been taking over the treasurer duties for the community league, wish me luck.

This weekend we have sad plans… we are bringing the cats to the shelter.  They have been fighting for about 9 months and no longer getting along.  It has become too stressful around the house, with hissing and spitting and fur flying…. We kept hoping it would improve, but it hasn’t.  We are surrendering both because I don’t have the wisdom of Solomon.  Give up one and one child is resentful…  They both seem to have accepted the inevitable, but I’m sure there will be some tears come Saturday. 

The rest of the weekend, I’m hoping the good weather will find James out in the yard sawing me some toe kicks and trim for the kitchen!  Otherwise cleaning and laundry.   James has Monday off work, while I get Tues off, so any family plans for Canada Day are shot.  We probably won’t go to the fireworks in Fort Sask as usual because we have to get up early for work on Wed!  We also need to finalize our vacation plans, get the itinerary set and hotels booked!

I have finished reading Voyager, so 1/2 way through the Outlander series, although the last 3 books are longer……  I have taken a break and am reading a Kresley Cole book called No Rest For the Wicked.  When I’m done I’ll probably try to tackle Drums of Autumn.

I hope everyone has a great Canada Day!

with all the rearranging of furniture, we left a table a little too close to the entertainment unit and I couldn’t figure out why Sassy kept wanting to jump up on top….. oh yeah….. I put the Betta fish tank up on the shelf, looks like she’s trying to catch herself another, it was only a month or so ago she dumped over the other one and killed it

Where did the time go?  We have been busy!  On top of all the reno stuff we have a sick cat and the other cat killed one of the betta fish, did you know they can live out of water for HOURS????  We didn’t know that, and when James went to clean up the mess of the dumped betta tank, the fish jumped 5 feet and scared the poop out of him LOL  We ended up having to flush him anyway, he just didn’t bounce back from that experience  

Oh and the sick cat….   Arran’s baby named Sugar started peeing all over the house, but because we have two cats it took us a bit to narrow down the offender, then James noticed her walking away from a cushion with pee on it, and there was blood in it *sigh*  So off to the vet…. we think she has an irritated bladder (cystitis) which can be brought on by the stress from things like home renovations   So she is now on a pricey Rx food and hates it!  We end up throwing most of it out.  And it’s oh so muh fun feeding two different cats two different diets….

And while we’re dealing with that…. we’re still finishing off the kitchen!  I don’t have any new pics to upload, but I have a working kitchen again! We have the counter top installed, sink in, dishwasher hooked up and working.  All the cabinets are in, all doors on, all upper knobs installed.  We still have to put the knobs and handles on the lower cabinets and install all the trim.  James also assembelled our kitchen table and chairs so we are eating in the kitchen as a family now!  No more eating in front of the TV!  I’m hoping to get most of it done this week/weekend then I’ll take pictures!  We have another trip to make to Ikea,  probably Saturday morning, one of the drawer front’s is chipped and we need another end panel. 

The kids are enjoying indoor soccer.  Rowan scored a goal on Saturday!!!!!  I have been doing all the running to and from games on Saturday’s while James gets work done in the kitchen.  I keep forgetting to bring the camera though. 

I am trying to make it through the new Greg Iles bk True Evil but it’s a long slow process… I have had to renew it once already.  It’s just dragging on…..  just another 100 pages to go…

So tonight, while I sit here with sore fingers and a need for a cold beer, I thought I’d share some thoughts on what life is really like for us right now.  Weekdays are chaotic.  The morning starts off with James trying to get the kids up and at em so they can get their breakfast out of the way, so that they are out of the way, so that I can make lunches for them, all this takes place at the kitchen table in the corner of the livingroom, I would say please excuse the Saturday night mess, but this is actually how we are living right now

Inevitably they do not get downstairs in time and are therefore trying to get their breakfast made while I make lunches, when there really is not room for everyone in that small space behind the chairs. 

I remind them to feed their cats and fish….  get their bags packed and their stuff together….. My friend’s daughter gets dropped off around 8 and they all walk  to school after I yell for about 5 mintues to get all their stuff and GO!!!!!!  James leaves around the same time for work.  After they leave I get the only hour or so of peace in my day, which I spend online or reading (although Friday morning I put a coat of primer on the walls).  Then I am off to work….. 

After work I try to figure out what to cook in the microwave for supper (this is getting very old btw, I don’t think I’ll use the new microwave after the kitchen is finished for at least a good month!)  Then I have to actually cook it…. then round up the children who are off playing with friends.  After we eat there is homework and home reading and getting the kids ready for bed, around 9 James and I are sanding or mudding or painting or cleaning up the mess we made.  By 9:30 I am so ready to be done…..  But we usually go till 10 or so.  Then I get to read in bed for a few minutes until my eyes are so tired I can’t remember the last few pages I read.  Unless James bugs me for some “attention” which I’m being very begrudging about lately, I mean, haven’t I worked enough already?????  I’m FREAKING exhausted!

Weekends are spent trying to fit in as much work as humanly possible.  This weekend is a long one so there is one extra day to get stuff done!  Painting and hopefully some cabinets built and installed, they are still sitting in boxes on the other side of the livingroom…  yes that’s my last cross stitched project stacked haphazardly on top.  I haven’t touched it in 5 weeks and it’s probably covered in drywall dust *sigh*

Being the weekend I should also try to find time to do regular chores like bathrooms, laundry, vacuuming…. but they usually end up forgotten or set aside till “later”.  This is weekend three I haven’t cleaned bathrooms, I REALLY need to do that tomorrow, I think there is stuff growing under the rim of the toilet seats by now *shudder*  I told myself I’d do them Saturday, but it’s now 11 pm and there is no way it’s happening today.  Hopefully tomorrow, or a least by Monday right?  Last week Keely had to wear a pair of my socks to school because of the laundry procrastination…..  I am doing absolutely no dusting, what would be the point????  Weekend meals are haphazard at best, frozen Eggos or cereal for the kids for breakfast, last night’s left over pizza for lunch, pizza or bbq’d burgers for supper.

Sunday night James and I collapse exhaused dreading having to get up for work the next morning because we really didn’t get any rest.  But onward and upward right? 

We got the first coat of GREEN on the kitchen walls tonight!  We are working together really well and there doesn’t seem to be any strain on the marriage yet, except for the whole Michele is too tired for sex part  We are really proud of the quality of our work, our drywall job rocks!

…….so I have convinced James to reach over and open the fridge from his seat right next to it and grab me a beer, kind of a bonus of the reno, having a fridge in the livingroom  I am off to drink it now. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!  I’ll have more pictures Monday!