A Corner Table in My World

It took me nearly three months to be ready to really sit down and write out the story of our Little Prince’s arrival. And it’s taken me several more weeks to know what to say, where to start, how much to share . I had to ask myself whether the experience was something I was willing to share in depth or whether it was a thing to be glossed over and simply told in the briefest of tales. In the end it's a bit of both. I realized that I both want and need to share the story, but that simply because of the personal details, some portions may be very lightly brushed over. To begin, we have to go back … The last time I posted (in the spring) I was sitting pretty at 2 months pre-due date. I was still in the stage of really enjoying pregnancy. I hadn’t really started stressing out about ‘being ready’ for the baby to arrive and was generally feeling good about everything. I was excited for our new arrival and just starting to seriously think about possible names for our coming bund...

Summer sports and activities have always been a cinch in our family - swimming, rafting, hiking, biking, camping, etc... There's never been a shortage of things to do or new things to try during the summer.  But Winter - those long, cold months that (especially in Canada) can seem to stretch endlessly on, have consistently posed a problem. The kids enjoy tobogganing , especially at the farm, and sledding usually includes some minor fort and snowman building , but that only uses up a couple hours and while it can be fun Heli Dad and I only enjoy this type of cold day play for short bursts.  Not to mention that the kids inevitably argue over the best sleds, the best method of building a snow home, or the correct and best way to accessorize the snow people.  And those are just arguments that neither Heli Dad or I want to stick our (by then) freezing noses into. We've tried ice skating ... A couple times.  Princess liked it right off.  Gamer Boy eventually de...

So right now there are probably a dozen other things that I should be doing.   Not only that, but I had an entirely different post written that I intended to put up and then this morning I had a little snafu.   I don’t know what else to call it without making it seem way more important than it really is so snafu is what I settled on. I mentioned a while ago that I was having problems getting Baby on the ice at skating but that I was using the “wisdom” that I’d learned from my experiences with Boy to get through them, or around them, and not completely stress myself out.   Well apparently I spoke WAY too soon. The last couple of weeks I haven’t been able to get Baby to do anything.   And I do mean anything.   I can’t get her to skate, to do gymnastics, to listen at home, to keep her clothes on… nothing.   She’s started having temper tantrums more and more frequently, she’s always been the most strong-willed of the kids even if she’s usually more sub...

So remember back in September when I mentioned that I was going to get my certification to become a gymnastics coach?   And remember when I mentioned at the beginning of October that I’d headed up to Edmonton for the first weekend of training to do that?..   Things have been going really well with that. Just in case you’re curious.   And I am now a recreational gymnastics coach at our local club. As of Oct.29 I started teaching 2 parent & tot (18-23month old) classes and on Nov.2 I took on a third class with 4-year-olds.   It’s really fun actually and even though I wasn’t sure how well I’d like teaching the little tiny tots, I’ve discovered that I actually do like it, a lot.   I also spent my Saturday afternoon this past weekend coaching birthday parties.   Which was also really, really fun. And while we’re on the topic of gymnastics… the kids are all doing really well in their own classes.   Baby is getting better at following instruct...

The Husband made a very quick trip down this weekend so that he could be here for Halloween – 90% of the fun of being a parent on Halloween, I’m told, is getting to dress up and trick or treat with your kid.   Last year he missed the occasion so this time around he used great effort to make it back down, arriving about 4:30am on Sunday and leaving again Tuesday afternoon. As with any visit home, a lot of his Sunday was spent like this. And then came Halloween! Costumes, candy, tempers, attitudes, trips to the farm and fun… Oh my! Hope you had a completely awesome Halloween and that you survived the insanity.

So skating started at the beginning of the month and while it’s been somewhat hit-and-miss so far for Baby, it’s been a huge success for the Boy, at least compared to last year.    I think he remembers that by the end of the season last year he really loved skating lessons and skating in general, so when lessons started this time around he was absolutely gung-ho to get going, get on the ice and get skating.   He’s doing great so far too.   Which when I think back to this time last year, is a huge load off my shoulders. At least until I turn my attention to Baby. She really wanted to skate this year.   After watching her big brother and sister doing all of their ‘stuff’ last season, she really just wanted to be a part of the action (resulting in her registration in both gymnastics and skating).   She was all for it when we were buying helmets and trying to find skates, trying on skates and getting ready for the season.   Then we got there ...