Tired Mama.com

High School?

So, my daughter picked up her high school timetable today.

High. School.

Just yesterday Tired Papa and I were thinking about having children and now, boom! - next week she starts high school.

So, personally? I'm in denial about the whole thing.

Fortunately, I had a fairly decent high school experience.

I did well, I had friends and I didn't make too many geeky mistakes.

I wish the same for her.

Good luck eldest daughter and um, I'll be here for you every step of the way. Especially on the days when you don't want me there.

Yep, that's a promise.

Love you too.

I don't like this feeling

It's that time of the year.

Summer is winding down which means I need to attend the end of the year baseball and soccer finals as well as buy new shoes and supplies for school.

The family is coming over for a BBQ tomorrow because we haven't seen some of them all summer (guilt) and we've got a birthday party to go to tonight for a good friend.

It seems busy right now and school and all the fall activities haven't even yet begun yet.

I've started thinking about Christmas too. I even went to the local electronics store and pre-ordered one of the new video electronic thingys that's being released in October. My kids have already mentioned it and I'm not standing in line in December EVER again to find out I can't get one of these stupid must have teen things.

I've started making lists again. I haven't had to do that for a while - okay, I haven't done it for a few weeks.

I'm starting to feel it - that panicy busy feeling is starting to return.

Sigh. Where did the lazy summer days go?

It really is the most wonderful time of the year

It's only eleven days, twenty hours and about about fifty-one minutes away.

If this means nothing to you then you don't have children who go back to school after the Labor Day weekend.

Yes, we're VERY ready here for some time apart.

Kids, if you're reading this? I do love you, but you know it's true.

And yes, it works both ways.

Hugs.

Klutzy Kids

My youngest daughter fell out of her bed last night and woke up the whole house.

My eldest daughter fell off her rolling desk chair today. It sounded like she was falling through my office ceiling.

My son kicked a wall today while walking and bruised his foot quite badly.

Yes, my children seem to be uh, balance-challenged these days.

They get that from their father's side of the family.

Dreaming

As I sit here and listen to my children bicker in the next room, I can hear my husband trying to intervene to create peace.

Me? I'm dreaming of being single and living somewhere exotic.

I'm dreaming of beaches, floaty dresses, fruit drinks, warm weather and a life of financial freedom.

Reality?

I need to go get groceries and throw in a load of laundry before heading out to my daughter's soccer game. It's pouring rain out too.

Sigh.

My meat sauce is doing what?

Great.

One of the quick and easy meals that my family eats regularly is pasta with meat sauce. I serve it to them with salad and rolls.

To make a quick meat sauce I brown ground beef and then stir in the sauce.

Easy and quick. My whole family loves pasta and I can have dinner on the table in about fifteen minutes. Some nights that's even too long for me to get dinner on the table before my kids turn into bears or before someone has to be at some activity.

The problem with this meal, I discovered tonight, is that I have always used a Teflon based frying pan to brown the meat.

A few people on the internet seem to think using this pan is killing me and my family.

Yikes.

Does anyone know anything about Polytetrafluoroethylenes?

I'm almost scared to ask the question.

I need to sleep nights and I'm not sure I can handle the guilt of knowing that I've been inadvertently poisoning my family for the last fifteen years or so.

Sigh.

Anyone know anything about this? Please share if you do.

Gently.

Thanks.

Sittin' in the evening sun

If you want to see some great photography go over to this site.

http://www.soeursdujour.com/

Today Kath posted a 'school report' about being at the cottage for her summer vacation. She inspired me to put up my favourite picture from my cottage vacation too.

You know what? I could sit by a lake in a muskoka chair watching the sunset forever. Yep, I could. Vacations are just waaaay too short.

Gutsy

One word.

Wow.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/fashion/16drunk.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

Good for her.

I've always assumed that when Moms talk about drinking on blogs that we're all kind of kidding around about it.

Naive little me, I guess.

I give this lady credit; I wouldn't have the guts to come clean on the web and in the NY Times like this.

I'm also blessed that I don't need to. Honestly? I don't drink excessively because when I do, I babble on like an idiot to anyone who will listen and then I hate myself the next day.

Usually I like who I am, and so I try to keep it that way as often as possible.

Yeah, words to live by, I know.

Sigh.

Mums aren't us - yet.

Yep, I'm back.

And yes, I had a wonderful two week northern cottage vacation - thank you for asking.

The down side of being away however is that some of my flower pots uh, died.

Yes, we finally had sun and heat while I was gone and it seems my plants had gotten use to all that cool rainy weather we had here for the ENTIRE month of July.

So, when I was picking up milk and bread tonight I had a quick peek at the garden centre to see what was available to replace my dead flowers.

What did I see?

Fall Mums.

Ack.

It's way too early for Mums.

I guess we'll be plantless for a few weeks.

Sigh.

Can you say, stupid?

My eldest daughter has school exams in June every year.

My youngest daughter has musical voice exams in June and dance exams in February.

So, I decided this year to have them both do their piano exams in August instead of June to kinda spread things out a bit.

We have now come home from our two week cottage vacation to spend two days doing the girl's piano exams.

Yeah.

I know, what was I thinking?

We won't be doing this again. Summer is no time for piano lessons or exams.

Sorry guys, Mom blew this one.

What can I say? It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Sigh.

*****
Edited to add:
Yes, my kids are in too many activities and yes, they actually do practice and prepare without complaining and yes, I am INSANE. Thanks for asking.

Warm, comfy and possibly slightly insane too

I’ve decided that I’m going to spend the rest of my life living in track pants.

Yep, I am.

It’s been cold up here in my vacation country and so yesterday I did a wander through the seven shops that are located in the small town by the cottage we’re renting. I ventured into the teen shop and saw that they had fleece track pants on sale. Now, I haven’t worn fleece track pants in eons but since I was cold I bought myself a pair in size large.

They are now my new best friend. Track pants have totally changed since I was a teen. These pants are soft, warm and are quite possibly the most comfortable thing I have ever worn. They are also almost two feet too long for me and so when I sit down they totally cover my feet and keep them warm too. I love them.

This cottage has no full length mirrors but heck, I’m in northern Canada so who is even gonna notice how wide my behind probably looks in track pants these days.

I tell you I don’t think the bears and the deer up here really care and although I haven’t checked what the mosquitoes think, I gotta tell you these things are so thick I don’t think they’ll be able to bite through them.

I don’t care if I’m stylish - I’m comfy, warm and bug bite free.

I love vacations.

Lazy Hazy Days

We are at the cottage.

It is uh, drizzling.

My boys are out fishing in the rain.

My girls are doing crafts in the cottage, out of the rain.

I’m in the cottage out of the rain too. I just finished reading the first of the seven Henry James books that I brought to the cottage as I’m trying to get some of my summer reading done before my classes start in September. It took me about six weeks to read the first book though so the idea of getting through another six books in the next two weeks isn’t looking too promising, unless of course we get a lot more rain.

So far spending time at the cottage in the rain hasn’t been too hard, as a matter of fact it’s been almost relaxing, as I don’t really have much to do and the kids have been busy amusing themselves and their father.

Yawn.

I should go and read or something but I think I’ll take a nap instead.

I could get used to this.