stiches!

Well my oldest boy got his very first stitches last night!

We all went to the local public pool after dinner and enjoyed splashing about, my munchkins jumping, rolling, frollicking as exhuberant boys will do. Then afterwards when we were all showering up in the family changeroom he says "Ouch! my head hurts" Well he bonks it a lot so we weren't overly concerned and neither was he, but we looked and EWWW! He had a rather nasty gash in the very top of his head! He must have cut it on the edge of the tiles during some forward flip off the edge or something!>!? We all got dressed and went over to the Lifeguard station to report it..... they looked at him, did the vitals, filled out an accident report and told us he would need stitches.

Away we went to the walk-in clinic looking like a family of drowned rats in our flipflops and pool clothes, but the service was amazingly fast and painless (no pun intended). He was stitched up in no time and he didn't whine or complain at all. It was really not a big deal at all, and now he has 2 stitches on the very top of his head! A real trooper!

weird dreams

Something was in the air last night.... maybe it was because of the first rain we have had in weeks pattering in my subliminal ear as I slept, but I had really neat and bizarre dreams!

I Love it when it happens.

Firstly, I was on some sort of bridge of a massive intergalactic capital city (a starship but it was the governing leaders of a nation). The leaders were negotiating a commerce or travel arrangement... they were fair and accomodating to the tiny (by comparison) ship that had approached them with the request. And then as the agreement was reached and everyone looked relieved and happy, and they prepared to turn their small ship home..... lo and behold, the large behemoth ship flared it's propulsion and simply incinerated the smaller ship!!!! AAAA! Why go through the bother of making them happy before toasting them like some insignificant insect? I was horrified at the alliance I had made with these leaders and having serious doubts about my safety with these seemingly amicable hosts. Then with no warning, the giant floating city started plowing through it's own accompanying fleet! Shock of shocks, no sense, no remorse, just destruction with the leader maintaining the same gleeful friendly expression as ever. Then, again no warning I was suddenly aware that the company would no longer be required of myself and my male traveling companion (I think it was an ex of mine that passed away 6 years ago) and a young child.... and WHOOSH! We were suddenly in the freezing depths of space, and the transition to death was swift and cool.

It was a misty, light slide like drifting into at a forming nebulous cloud, really beautiful! Then all three of us were in a waiting room. (Funny!) Clean and official, like a clinic's. We each were directed to our rooms, like state rooms in a boat. Tiny, clean with a bed and a chair and a couple of drawers, though I had nothing to put in them. Nobody minded if we wandered around our new surroundings... I looked around the corridors and found a few exits, but I didn't feel I knew enough to try them yet. I explained to the child and the man that we had to be dead, and they did not seem any more worried nor surprised than me. The child wanted to explore and so we went out one of the doors onto a farm road -- dirt with grass growing up the middle. There was an orchard of ripening red apples and brown cows grazing underneath. The cows seemed mildly interested in us looking with their soft brown eyes, chewing on their cud in the quiet manner that content cows have. The child liked them alot, the man seemed completely uninterested. We went on down the road and came to a very busy highway. All the vehicles were going in one direction and I couldn't see where they came from or where they were heading, but they all were shiny new fast cars and trucks (lots of Hummers with chrome) dream cars, luxury cars. The dirt road continued across the dangerous highway and the child bolted! There was a white limo just across the way with its passenger door open, beckoning. I was afraid of the limo and losing the kid, so I crossed the highway dodging traffic and caught the kid, dragging it back to the farm side. I felt I had saved it from something that looked good but wasn't really...

We went back to the waiting area building and the child asked where the man went. I cried. I knew he wasn't waiting anymore and a decision had been made, but I couldn't be sure what that was. Then the child was gone, and I new it was a very good decision so I cried even harder from joy. Then all alone in my stiff, waiting room chair, I woke up....!

I love weird vivid dreams like that. There must be mountains of symbolism in it!

Clutter Beware!

I am on a mission! And for once I have the energy to face it head on!

Now some say my house isn't that bad, but I know better.... every cupboard, every drawer, every closet and corer of my home is stuffed solid with STUFF.

I even have furniture that I don't need. (Anyone want to buy a large, light, oak harvest table?)
You see most of the trouble is that I really enjoy looking at these things on their own ( I LOVE that table, but it will NOT fit in my kitchen nook), and I hang on to them because I WISH I had a place for them. The good news is that I think I have strength to let go -- I must remember where I live and the real physical limitations of my space!

I don't have Spider Girl's basement, nor her spare room/library to accumulate the treasures and crafts. The good news is the "family room" is really close to done! Which makes my living space that much bigger, but my storage space that much smaller.

Time to tighten the clutter belt with force and purpose!

So Spider Girl is getting some stuff for her flea market/travel fund and the local charities are getting some ugly old mismatched particleboard furniture that used to house craft materials.

Victory shall be MINE!

Sleep!

I had a fantastic sleep last night!

I went to bed at 10 pm fell asleep fairly quickly (for me) and I didn't stir until my hubby got up for work at around 5 and then fell right back asleep until my alarm went off at 7 am!!!!!

Glorious SLEEP!

Sometimes it's the simple things that make me the happiest.....

the 21st ALREADY?!

Where did the month of September go?

So fast, and crazy, I just can't believe it.... I don't feel I have achieved enough for the month to have raced away that quickly.

Time is relative.

Me SLEEPY

I stayed up WAY past my bedtime last night working on a layout for a brochure that is still in the concept stages. I hate wasting my time on stuff like that, where I don't have the real copy and I don't have the real photos and I don't have a client budget, but I still need to close-crop, fit text and generally make it look FANTASTIC anyway..... I spent 8 hours straight on it and now I am spent. And there are still 2 panels to finish.... sigh... I'm tired.

I think I will lay on the couch and watch "treehouse" with my 4 year old.... BUT I still have the other clients to impress still this morning. So much for some brain-dead quality time.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz................................

My new SYSTEM

Well, I think I have a system that shows promise for at least one area of my life....

Stevie has been diagnosed with ADHD (as anyone that knows me is aware), so school is a particular torture for him. Grade 3 is the most challenge he has ever faced already even after only a couple days. It is absolutely essential to build good work habits now or it will just get harder for him -- this isn't just my opinion, it is documented fact.

Stevie is very "reward" oriented, and I am going to use that to my advantage while teaching him responsibility for his own actions. I have devised a point system where each point is worth 10 cents. He can earn points very easily by doing his chores and his homework. He can earn "bonus points" by doing stuff without me having to ask, and by asking for extra chores. He will also be able to lose points for whining about his chores or homework or lying or skipping out on his homework, or hurting his brother.

Up till now the only consequence for not doing his work has been us getting angry, and he was able to draw and request out painfully with whining, procrastinating and temper tantrums. Now he knows that behaviour will cost him precious points! So far it has been well received, he was excited at the prospect of getting the points (and the $). And he has earned 8 points, but lost 2 of them. He's up 60 cents and proud of himself (and some homework got done!).

Its Fine

Thank you for your concern my dear friends.
I am now convinced it was anxiety after researching it more.
I WILL SEE A DOCTOR! But I am not too worried about it anymore.

Any-whoooo.....

Life is hectic and I can't keep up with my workload, but otherwise my personal life seems to be going well. I am trying so hard to set up a schedule that is good for my clients and my family... particularly for my oldest son who needs some structure for school.

Its hard for me, I have never been a particularly "disiplined" person when it comes to time and it seems to be getting worse instead of better these days.

Aaah well, we'll all survive!

Weirdness

Now I am not trying to alarm anyone here..... and it probably is nothing.

I woke up last night to the sensation that we were having an Earthquake. Last time we had one of any signifigance, the bed shook -- gently bouncing me up and down, so I though that's what was happening. So I woke up my hubby, "Hey are you bouncing?" to which he responded, "Nope."

Okay, lets see what it is.... I rolled over onto my back to find the bouncing stop, but a rather fast and hard pounding in my chest!!!!!!! OH! I layed there awake for a bit. My breathing was normal, my temperature felt normal, no sweats, no dizzines, no lethargy nor giddiness.... so why the HECK is my heart pounding SO FAST AND HARD! Literally waking me from a sleep and jiggling my entire body!

I though about it, nothing seems out of whack and I am calm....?
I don't remember an alarming dream......?
I reach over and feel my hubby's chest. His heart is beating as regular as ever and at about 1/2 the rate of mine, he is sleeping soundly.
I give up and get out of bed. Wander around my place thinking and breathing calmly. It's not slowing so I just climb back into bed and resolve to check the internet when I wake up.

I fell back asleep no problem, go figure.

And I did check the internet this morning. Accoring to the symptoms lists, it couldn't have been a heart attack and it was unlikely to be an anxiety attack, so I am stumped. The rapid heart beat is always with something else. Vigorous excercise, over-full stomache, pain, sweatiness, emotional trauma, elevated adrenaline, SOMETHING! I am just going to have to chalk it up to WEIRD and mention it to my doctor next time I see her (soon).

My Neighbourhood

Well, my oldest has had a whole day of school so far (thanks to the mystery illness). He was placed in a 3-4 split which alarmed me at first. I requested he get last year's teacher if she was teaching a 2-3 again, but that obviously didn't happen. I asked to talk to the new principal about the decision and it was REALLY obvious after she said their reasoning. It was that the 2-3 split had only four Grade 3 students, so the ones chosen had to be independent workers. Boy, that sure is NOT my boy! So that's good. The instructor that he is with is his first male instructor.... and he seems very nice and I have heard good things about him. He has the classroom on the very oposite end of the school than the other rooms (it used to be the music room).

The school seems to be growing in size every year, indeed it has more than 50 students more enrolled than the first year we were there. They are going to have to do portables at this rate by next year.... and the school is only5 years old! We are at maximum capacity and there are other Elementary schools not 15 minutes away are being shut down. Sad really.

Our neighbourhood is hot though, new homes filling every existing spare lot in the valley and new developments making the valley bigger too. The 2 lots next to us were cleared last summer, but the contractor got all funny about the grade so nothing has happened yet. 4 years ago we could have got those lots for about $20G each, now they are asking $55G for one and $70G for the other now that they have been cleared and the plans approved by the city to build.

I love my neighbourhood really. The school is really above par and the neighbourhood is a nice demographic of lower middle income families with a higher than average ratio of married with one income (ie stay-home parents). Pretty much exactly what we are! Most of the folks are supportive of each other (though there are some grow-ops here to be SURE). The homes are modest but mostly taken care of and there is a whole lot of kids!!!!!

And the real selling feature for this neighbourhood for me was the natural features that define the valley such as the ample amount of trees still standing and the lake, creek and marsh down at the bottom. Set that with the farm (and horses) at the bottom of the main road and you can visualize the rural feel to this suburban area. Yep -- I like it here.... now if only we had a detached shop and enough yard to plant some fruit trees we would never need to move!

I'm Baaaack!

Well, I am back and its really very hectic. Quite suddenly within a day of being home, there were deadlines coming at me for ALL my clients!!!! Aaaah!

I am feeling extreme pressure to "let go" my assistant from that immovable force called my husband, but I just can't afford to right now without letting down some of my clients.

It's too much.