Fun with Fall

The fireworks from the party..... this was the best shot. Not bad for a cheap digital camera!

That afternoon, at the park (my impulse field trip because the weather was so unseasonally fantastic!), I talked them into helping me pile LOTS of leaves at the bottom of the slide, and WHOOSH!

Like I said, the weather has been really wonderful..... I think maybe being shirt-less was a bit much, but they were running hard too!

Weathering the week

I had another busy week. It was a good one though, much less hectic and a nice balance of work and play.

I will post some pictures tomorrow (T has the camera right now, otherwise they would be in here now). The weather is nothing to complain about, my favourite mix of warm, wet and windy fall storms and beautiful crisp and balmy days! We broke a record here on Tuesday, an unbelievable 20 degrees (that's warmer than I keep my house in the winter!) The previous record was 19 degrees set in the 60's so that was the warmest October 23 in anybody's lifetime anyways. And it was so clear and lovely! The air smelled natural, that unique blend of fallen maple leaves and greeeeeeeeen grass. I absolutely LOVE this time of year! I do remember snow on the ground one Halloween, I doubt it will happen theis year!

Speaking of Halloween, we went to a lovely party last night. One of Cammy's friends has acreage outside the city limits, every year they host a Halloween party complete with tractor rides down the Jack-O-Lattern lit paths in the forest, a really top-knotch haunted house (I cheated and went through with a flashlight -- scary enough that way!) Hot chocolate, hot dogs, a huge bonfire and a grand finale of fireworks lighting up the night..... cost of admission, just bring some foreworks to ad to the show if you can (and I had some that Dave left so it was great)! The boys had a really good time, even though we got there quite late and the missed the tractor ride.

This year fireworks are banned from my city and the neighbouring township, but the in-between space is immune to the by-law as of yet. I hope they stay safe and can keep it that way. Too much vandalism and other irresponsible use of them was happening, injuries, fires etc. So those few idiots ruined it for all the other responsible folks that want to entertain their kids and neighbours. I am going to miss the light show that went on at our street, it was a great time to get together and be a real neighbourhood!

It was fun (the party).

I will post the pics of our fall activities soon.

Oh the joys of having BEEN somewhere!

I so get it now!

My eyes used to glaze over when my friends would talk about the places they have been and the tings they have seen. I was happy for them, but I just couldn't relate.

NOW, I see the places I have been everywhere!

I was at my local thrift store.... looking at jigsaw puzzles (for some reason I wanted a puzzle for the first time in my life) but I wasn't feeling inspired by the selection UNTIL I saw the one of St Marco's in Venice! Oh YES! for 99 cents I have 1000 pieces of truly gorgeous architecture that I have seen with my own 2 eyes, it's like being there all over again as I put together the bronze horses, the marble saints, the pillars and mind-numbingly-detailed gold mosaics.

And today I opened my bank statement.... the usual junk mail came with it, but this time I stopped and stared! The travel insurance flyer had a couple holding a map..... and in the background, somewhere I have stood. Oh yes, it too was Venice. I scrounged my photos and found the exact place that this idyllic lifestyle flyer's image was shot. I had shot it too. The details are undeniable, and I was there. Sigh.....

Then there was another vacation flyer I got, the happy family was stepping out onto their balcony, and I could have SWORN it was the same place we stayed at in Stresa (the railing was different though).

Then there was the newest James Bond movie, oh ya! I was squealling with glee, "I've been there, I walked there! There is bank machine right - THERE!!!!! " (as 007 runs around a corner)
My poor family, they think I have lost it.

It's the other way around, I have found it, and I love it!

tidbits of life this week

Imagine a chicken with it's head cut off..... flapping, running amock all over the yard, maybe even up a tree before finally stopping the gruesome dance to collapse lifeless on the ground.

Now imagine me, sitting at my computer to jump up to scan, jump up to switch computers, answer the phone, collect faxes, sort through tall, leaning piles of ad submissions and typed out instructions, checking emails, replying, answering calls..... I am a designer with my head cut off right now. (Just insert fowl imagery) AND don't forget the regular tasks, running the kids to school, getting milk, putting out the trash, laundry, packing lunches, task-mastering the homework, planning and making 3 meals a day and all the other nuisances of being the primary caregiver. I am run ragged this week, and I am even making insane clucking noises as I go (though I guess a HEADLESS chicken doesn't do that).

Good news is I think I will get the 36 page thing out on time ---- IF ---- the last 3 ads come in and ---- IF ---- nobody comes up with terrible changes to the layout and/or copy and ---- IF ---- I don't run off up a tree and hide. (Or fall to the ground dead of course)

So WHY am I doing it? For money of course! Not gobbs of it, but believe me every little bit helps. I recently reviewed our budget and found that we can NOT live on just T's income with our present needs. It's not desperate by any means, but it is an uncomfortable realization to be sure. We really want to replace our rusting vehicles in the next 2 or 3 years.... that will take cash (we aren't comfortable taking out car loans) and the truck needs tires NOW, and all that other maintainence crap that happens with houses and cars and kids.

That's Life.

OH! By the way..... I am going to be giving the fancy new mattress to my sister for her daughter's big-girl bed when she is ready to take it. I am trading it for a dresser of hers that I like for Cammy. I talked about it with mom, and she's fine with it. I explained how Steve is whining bitterly about not liking springs, and that my sister wants at get a bed for her littlest, so mom thought that was good that I found a good use for it (after all that is her Grandaughter too). Steve is happy, Sister is happy and I am happy so we are all goo (I think)

AND we attended the parent-teacher interviews yesterday. I am happy to report the boys are doing fine. Cammy is fitting in and attentive in Grade 1 showing a bit of immaturity to printing and reading that is very normal for boys vs girls. Stevie is doing the best he can and holding a good attitude with lots to contribute to the class in Grade 5. I think they both have very good teachers, I am so proud of my little boys!

what to do about MOM

My mom says.... "Steve has had his foam mattress for 6 years, he needs a new one with proper springs".

I say, "Mom, his bed is 4 1/2 feet off the floor, he does NOT need it to be springy, and untill he stays dry every night, I don't want a new mattress to get peed on, he loves his foam mattress anyways."

Mom replies, "Those are good points.... I guess"

2 weeks later mom sends me an email that she has purchased a top of the line kids mattress for Steve and it can be picked up at the store on October 2nd. Sure enough the store calls and says its ready for pick up.

AAAAARGH!

So I prepare for the mattress, I "lower" Steve's bed (read: chop the legs down)

When Steve got home he cried for hours how I ruined his whole room.

THEN we installed the mattress. And woah be he that replaced his beloved foam with springs!!!! There were tears, temper tantrums and big pouty lips!!!!

I feel for him, I really do! My parents replaced my custom-made foam mattress bed ( that had big drawers) with a double box-spring bed when I was about that age, and I HATED it. Not that I could say much about it of course. I still prefer a good thick foam over a spring coil.... I hate the trembling after-shocks of rolling over. (My hubby needs the springs because of his substantial heft).

What to do? I can't really make his bed tall again, luckily he seems to be getting used to the lower bed..... the issue is the mattress!

• He sleeps on the new one as well as ever (he doesn't sleep much)
  
• I have caught him bouncing on it.... (oh ya, that makes me happy all right).
  
• He still says he hates it 3 days later.
  

Should I put his foam back on and return the spring one? the reciept says she paid a whopping $338 for it!!!!! DOUBLE what replacing the foam would have been. So do I return it and snub my mommy's generosity? Do I say thank you very much and snub my son's foam preference?

OR do I just hide the mattress until my sister's daughter is out of her toddler bed?

BTW: To try to appease his disrupted life, I agreed to paint his room (not black) so here is what he came up with......