DITL - February 23

Monday came early today. I lay in bed, waiting for the alarm and when it went off, proceeded to lie in for another half hour. When B got up to shower, I got up as well.

I got my winter things on and with the dog, went out for a 20 minute walk. Sometime between last night and this morning, I managed to strain a hip flexor. I figured my walk would loosen it up. Not the case however, and I've been trying to ignore it all day.

Once home, I went about getting ready for my day. I spent half an hour pulling schoolwork while having my morning coffee. At 8:30 I made R his breakfast and checked that K was getting out of bed. I got the laundry well under way, cleaned the bathroom and vacuumed.

At 10:30 I was ready to begin our schoolish stuff. K was using an Usborne Art book and making some really nice watercolour paintings and R was creating with Lego. I felt bad about interrupting them for boring school stuff, but I am flexible! I am adaptable! Ok, I would like to be those things. In reality, I feel the pressure (self-induced, but no matter) to accomplish some bookish, schoolish things. It makes married life that much better. R was happy to leave his Lego in favour of some read aloud. We're reading through some of this year's Silver Birch selections. After his reading, we tackled his math.

At 11:30, I took to the kitchen to get lunch ready. Lunches are bigger, family affairs since B has been working from home. We enjoyed lunch together while B filled me in on his day so far. We cleaned up and rebooted the laundry, again, before getting to our books. K and I did her math lesson. Really, she's fairly independently working through her second Saxon level this year, but I like to read the lessons. Her math is at the point where my math developed gaps. It's a weird feeling to be learning alongside one's 11-year-old. I went to R's room with his French book. He practiced some work from L'Art de Lire 2 while I scribed and he built with Lego. I was thinking how fortunate I was to be able to teach and learn with the kids. Not many teachers can say they have the luxury of teaching while lying in bed and watching their students keep their kinesthetic selves busy creating with Lego.

On Mondays, we have a standing skating date at the local rink with other homeschooelrs. R packed the hockey bag and we were off. An hour of skating made it a little more difficult to ignore my nagging hip flexor, but it was a nice time with friends. R plays hockey - although a less vigorous version than he would like - while the rest of us skate around. It's a nice time of chatting and exercise for us moms and the kids certainly get their share of networking in.

After skating, we headed to the local cafe for a treat. My espresso based treat - White Mocha Latte - might explain why I yammered B's ear off when we got home an hour later. After we were in and settled, the kids and I did the last half hour of today's school work (K's L'Art de Lire, history cards, symbols of Quebec/geography page). R and I sat down to get into his book, Gordon Korman's 'Swindled', before I had to make dinner. It's a very exciting book, so we put dinner off as long as possible. The kids had leftovers and B and I worked together to try out a sloppy joe recipe. I'd never had and B had been a good 15 years since his last sloppy joe. I cleaned dinner up while everyone else ran off to get into their own activities. R needed to re-tape his hockey stick and K went to recharge her introverted batteries with some alone time in her room.

As soon as the dishes were done and the final load of laundry drying, R and I finished his book. K got back into her painting. Hopefully I'll be able to snag these latest creations and get them displayed. They're quite engaging.

So here I am at the end of the day, taking some time to get to email, messages and phone calls. I've sent R off to shower and K is packing up her art supplies. The kids will be in bed around 9 and I will putter around before turning in; maybe some knitting or a movie with B. So, there you have it. Not a very exciting day, but somewhat typical of a Monday of late. I feel as though I accomplished quite a bit on my mental list.

♥Bonni

Out Vacuuming. Be Back...Later

The Dyson has landed.

It's light. It's powerful. It's quieter than my last vacuum. Its hose reaches a full flight of stairs without having to lift the main unit off the floor. It sucks up things in the general vicinity of the powerbar. Amazing.

I'm busy vacuuming. When I can wrestle the silly thing away from others. I'll be back to blog once the novelty has worn off.

And, of course, I must post the requsite picture of the nasty bits we've been living with for who knows how long. There's less of these now.

♥Bonni

The Vacuum Is Dead. Again.

The vacuum is dead.

Again.

This is the third one in ten-years-minus-three-weeks. And I was trying to be oh-so careful with this latest model. Especially after B told me - in the gentlest terms possible - that I was a teensy bit hard on things, that I wasn't the most graceful housekeeper and that it would make his life complete if I could please, please be careful with the newest member of our appliance family. But that was a little more than two years ago.

I felt a little sick when the vacuum just sort of droned to a stop three quarters of the way across the rug. I felt a little sick when it wouldn't turn on even after I emptied out all the filters and spoke gently to it and gave it a time out and plugged it into a different outlet. I felt a little sick when B took it apart, right there in the living room and began stripping it of parts and wires. I felt downright nauseous when, two and a half hours later, B announced the vacuum was no more.

Not only can I be clumsy and graceless when cavorting around the house with a vacuum in tow, but I can curse myself. The day before this wretched event I was visiting with my sister. We were talking about house-y things when I told her that me next vacuum was going to be a Dyson. And that I was sure I'd get another two or three years out of my current model giving me ample time to save up my pocket change in anticipation of the big event.

Sure enough, 12 hours later, the Universe decided to have a big laugh at my expense.

So, after both B and I came to terms with the fact that the vacuum could not be economically resuscitated, we sat down to have another little chat. In all seriousness, it was a two sided discussion about investing in something that was going to do a good job for us for a number of years. Hopefully enough years so that when K flies the nest, she can load it up in the back of the car when departing for her post-childhood adventures.

Given our daily use of a vacuum due to our copiously shedding dog, we decided on the Dyson DC25. Works well on all floors, lots of power, large receptacle for dust and dog hair, not too heavy and a good long reach. I'm excited to try out the ball it rides on. I'm hoping it's manoeuvrability will mask some of my clunking around.

The vacuum delivery man, Mr. Purolator, is supposed to arrive with this precious package sometime this coming week. I'm very excited. B is excited that I am excited. I'm even more excited since I used the shop-vac on the living room area rug this evening. That was an exercise in patience if there ever was one. Why must the husky shed in the winter?? And why must each hair weave itself into the fibers of the rug? Is it necessary, really?? I digress.

I know you're all as excited as I am for the arrival of our investment, my birthday present, K's future housewarming gift, the dog-shed-containment-system. I'll keep you posted.

♥Bonni

Cooperation

I have great kids. Really. They're smart and creative, entertaining and introspective, thoughtful and loving.

However.

Sometimes they cause me to be speechless. Sometimes they pull a stunt that is particularly ridiculous. More than once I've called my mother-in-law to ask such things as: 'Is the child supposed to be able to scale such heights at this young age?' and 'But why does the child insist on surfing toys down the stairs...repeatedly?' and 'At what age exactly did your son stop talking without pause?' Because surely, such behaviour must be intrinsic to my In-Law's side of the family. Because otherwise, I'd be tempted to call in a professional. Mostly for my sanity as such things make absolutely no sense to me. And I had a couple of brothers and a testosterone-heavy set of older cousins.

It's been quite a while since any stunt-like implausible behaviour has happened. Sure enough, as soon as I let down my guard, R shows me the lump on his head.

A half hour after said lump was inflicted on his person. By a snow shovel. Wielded by his sister. Because they were 'play fighting' in the snow. What does a mother say to that??!

Who swings a snowshovel at anyone's head?!!?!?? No wonder he was lying down in the driveway he that he had supposedly gone out to shovel!

Anyway, as they say, 'all's well that ends well'. I found my words. K apologized and R was forgiving. It was cold enough out that any swelling had been kept to a minimum. Perhaps the bruise will be unnoticeable...there, on the middle of his forehead. <sigh>

The driveway did get shoveled and soon enough the two of them were holed up at the computer working on a project together. R dictates and organizes while K types.

So what is it? A small lapse in common sense due to burgeoning hormones? Were they stunned by the cold? Perhaps there is something to the 'violent video games = violent children' argument. Whatever it is, it's fleeting. As most of the time, it is just the two of them, holed up somewhere working on something, helping each other, putting up with the other. I think they would be lost without the other around.

Motivating, Happy, Colourful Stuff

Baby, it's cold outside! As much as I want to hibernate every winter, I really was motivated today to see all the wonderful things going on around me. Even if it is 20-below (or zero degrees for you Fahrenheit people). And even if I had a headache and fell asleep during 'Geography'. (We were watching Planet Earth: Caves. It's dark and quiet in those things...not a whole lot moving around to keep you alert. I recommend the following episode: The Desert. I have to say, the squat-and-rhythmic-tail-flapping-accompanied-by-loud-honking mating dance of the wild bactrian camel will perk anyone up.)

So, happy, colourful things to get excited about:

Harry's Christmas Blend Butterscotch & Caramel Coffee. A good book. Sitting in the car watching the kids skate on freshly flooded ice. I'm reminded that even on frigid Canadian winter days, if you dress properly and keep moving, it's still a great day.

Cool, colourful knitted stuff at Twist Collective. Check out the patterns and colours. What great energy and contrast. As much as I loved my world today: white, crisp, icy and blue; you can't help getting great ideas when you click through this online magazine.

Like this sweater coat. And the socks, above. Wouldn't it be great to knit socks like that??! Don't you wonder how many little strings there are hanging out inside them and how do you get them on your feet without snagging at least one of the little piggies and messing up the pattern?

Or these mitts. Gorgeous. How insane would I get just attempting the cuff. These almost scream 'I dare you to try!' at me. I mean, they can't be impossible, can they? Think I could get a pair done in time for next winter? Or how about a pair that would match my coat! Then I'd have to plan a colour scheme on top of learning to strand colours.

Maybe I'd be safer with this little A-line sweater. I love it, but don't the fashion people say something about having horizontal stripes running the width of the widest part of your body? Hmm...might have to search Ravelry for a comparably inspiring afghan or something.

What else did I come across today...a new baby born at home to a HSing mama. If that's not inspiring, I don't know what is. Planning a trip to IKEA. Our clock broke (as in shattered, destroyed, in pieces; not 'it just stopped ticking...') and it's a good excuse to go to IKEA to get a new one. I would love to get one of these for my dining room while I'm there, but I think B. might notice a box that big in the car. Blogs like this, making me laugh and reminding me that it's ok to be uncertain and questioning at times on your individual spiritual path. That we all question things from time to time and stressing about it doesn't really help. That looking at situations as learning opportunities and finding the humour in daily life makes for a pretty good day. And the day wrapped up with a nice 'coffee & chat' at the local hot spot with a few local homeschooling moms. It's nice to connect every once in a while with like-minded people. Affirming. Interesting. I always come away with list of things to look into, read, try. Tonight my list said astronomy, The Importance of Being Earnest, Jane Austen and The Rideau Canal.

So there you have it. Some colourful bits. A few things to look forward to. Warm fuzzies from enjoying the day.
♥Bonni