Spring Fever

We're having a series of days with highs a little under the plus ten mark, so it has felt very much like the beginnings of spring. The snow is certainly melting, creating the annual swamp at the back of our backyard, and we've seen our first butterfly, our first chipmunk, and our first squirrel, so we have high hopes that winter is indeed on it's way out.

The weather has also gotten my mind into "spring clean-up" mode, and I've found lots of new motivation to attack those projects that have been sitting around for the last little while. I really enjoy this phase every year, it gives me the energy to tidy up lots of little things that have been irritating me but that I've been too apathetic or busy to do anything about over the winter months.

I even bought a bathing suit! I know, it's a bit early for that, but I've been on the lookout for a Lands End swimsuit for quite a long time (they're so elegant yet also modest, which is a hard combination to find most places) and I got one on sale.

All I'm hoping now is that my body continues to fight off the cold the kids both have, so that I can continue to work away like a busy bee. There's so much to do, and only tiny pockets of time to do it in. Hurray for spring, and all the good things it brings!

Proof that I will never understand Men

Trev got a thank you card from his Dad and Carol, and enclosed was the gift from his Dad for being his Best Man. It was (I am not joking) Tim Hortons gift certificates. I was shocked. Trevor LOVED his gift - he said "Dad knows me so well!" and laughed and laughed.

I regard this as proof positive I will never truly understand the male mind. But then, would I want to? A little mystery is good for everyone. *grin*

Random Points of Interest

1. Our snowman, who has hung in faithfully since just before Christmas, has now officially passed on. Spring is starting!

2. I have acquired a harness for Connor. With his temperament, I figure the sooner the better. He wore it around the house today without any problems, but I suspect that once I add the 'leash' part, there will be some objections. I comfort myself with the thought that I'd rather have wailing then see him falling from a great height if I fail to watch him for more than a few seconds.

3. My little girl will be turning four in two weeks. She's spending a lot of time these days figuring out what she will be able to do now that she's a 'big girl'. Soccer, reading and adding are on the 'yes' list...using my sewing machine, staying home by herself, and carrying Connor have all been vetoed to her great disappointment.

4. The branches I cut to hang our Easter eggs on a week before Easter have grown leaves and are looking lovelier than ever. I've kept them on the dinner table because they make the whole room springy.

5. I don't really have enough of a brain to write a cohesive post about all of these things, but I thought I'd throw them out there for y'all.

Just Do the Next Thing

Little Connor is having a rough time at present, with a head cold, cough and teething all combining to make him a fussy, whiny cranky little bear who needs his Mama at all times. He's up a lot at night too, waking up because of the coughing or because of being unable to breathe. Poor little fellow. So a lot of our regular activities are on hold, and we're just trying to get through despite the lack of sleep.

On the plus side, I'm discovering that having a few years of parenting experience has helped me cope with times like these a lot better. Rather than trying to do everything, I'm focusing on the most important first: is everyone dressed, fed, and reasonably clean? Have I got a decent supper to serve, and a lunch for my Trev the next day? If those are done, I don't stress about the rest. Sure if there's some extra time and I can get some of the other regular chores or some laundry done, that's great. But I'm not beating myself up about it if they have to wait a day or three. I'll just keep trudging along and doing the next thing until I catch up again.

It's nice, every now and then, to realize that maybe I am getting a little wiser as well as older, year by year.

Listmakers Begetting Listmakers

Adara is just as into organizational details as I am. She needs to know the day of the week, the date, and the temperature as soon as she gets up. She loves to look at the weather report on my computer and give me a rundown on what the weather will be like for the next few days. And she delights in checking the daily schedule to see what will come next for activities.

The problem has been that my very detailed schedule is a little overwhelming for her. So when we were in Edmonton, I saw a small whiteboard for $1 and I grabbed it. We put it up in the playroom, and now every morning I write the day of the week and the date, followed by a list of the 3-5 most important things I want to get done that day. These can be anything from taking a walk to cleaning the bathrooms, fun things as well as chores, as Adara helps me with about 90% of the household chores.

This solution has really worked for us. Adara loves reading the list each day and reminding me of what's on it, and we both get a kick out of looking at the list at the end of the day and being able to say we got those things done. Like mother, like daughter, I guess. *grin*

At this Rate, I'll be Grey Before I'm 40

I knew my kids would be different - I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. But I guess I hadn't anticipated just how different they would be. Adara followed the general developmental guidelines pretty closely, with the exceptions of being a fairly early walker and her obsession with the alphabet and words. She was relatively careless and had a fair amount of bruises, but wasn't reckless. She would try to run away in stores but would never run far.

Connor, now, is a completely different breed. He is just over 15 months, and is pulling shenanigans I would expect from two-year-olds. He climbs like a monkey onto stools and chairs and from there onto tables and toilets. If he gets stuck and can't get down, he won't ask for help, he just walks off the edge and falls. His ultimate climbing achievement so far has been to escape from me at the grocery store and find a ladder - he got more than halfway up before I could catch him! Not only that, but he's really mechanically inclined and has an eye for detail. He can imitate exactly after watching you do something once, which means he can do things like switch our electric fireplace on and phone people on the telephone. I'm avoiding thinking about what this means for future escapades.

Furthermore, he's a very independent sort. Most kids will follow right after you if you tell them "bye bye" and walk away. Connor beams, waves goodbye, and heads off on his own. At 15 months. I'm not kidding. And starting yesterday, he started saying his fourth real word....folks, his FOURTH WORD is "NO". And he means it, too. *sigh*

Don't get me wrong, he's got lots of good qualities too. I love him dearly and wouldn't trade him for any other child in the world. But don't be surprised if I'm a nervous wreck by 40. Or even 36, which is only three weeks away.

Culture at Last!

Mom and I went to see Ballet Jorgen perform "Anastasia" tonight, and it was just lovely. Trevor gallantly put the little ones to bed despite their protests. Since I'm very reluctant to leave my kids for evening outings before they're at least one, these guys are really not used to the idea that Mama might be absent at bedtime. The ballet was totally worth it, though, and I'm really looking forward to moving somewhere with a few more 'cultural opportunities', so to speak. Going to the symphony, musicals, plays, the ballet, art galleries....all that good stuff.

In more mundane news, I'm going back to the menu plan system for mealtimes. I've drawn up two plans, a summer and winter mealtime rotation, and we'll tweak them as we go. Being the planning type, I've done up a menu plan for two full weeks (well, 6 out of the 7 days for each week, leaving me a flex day to catch up, eat out or improvise) for warm and cold weather. I've then done up a grocery list for each week, with all of the major items needed for the recipes listed, and added all of the recipes into the document so they're all together. I'll be able to add anything else I need for breakfasts/lunches/household stuff when I do up my shopping list Monday nights, but this should streamline the process. If you're confused but intrigued, I can email you the plans, they're done up in Word so I can fiddle with them easily. If you're confused and so very glad you're not a planner like me, that's alright too. Even I admit I'm a little obsessive about making lists and such things.