Why my butt looks like a peanut butter cup

I have zero self control around Halloween candy. At least when you’re a little kid, you’re afraid of getting in trouble for gorging – but now, I have no one to answer to but my ever growing, Reese’s peanut butter cup ass.

Simon made out with a very decent haul this year. Rich took him and Partyboy through our neighborhood while I stayed home and gave out candy. We really didn’t get that many kids this year. We live at the end of a pretty long, dark street and only three houses at our end were handing out goodies. There was plenty of action up at the top, but I guess parents and kids didn’t feel it was worth it to walk all the way down for only three houses worth of loot. I still have an overflowing bowl leftover so the gluttony really has no boundaries at all this year.

Simon kindly sorted out his stash into three bowls: the largest and best for him, one for me and one for Rich. He gave us some of the crap he doesn’t like, but did throw in a generous amount of peanut butter cups and chocolate bars for each of us. He even gave me one of his precious Wunderbars which brought a little tear to my eye. Yes, I did raise him well after all.

I went a little overboard on Halloween this year. We let Simon have a costume party with ten kids last weekend. All ten we invited actually came. I guess everyone loves a good costume party. Simon wanted it in the evening so I had it from 5:30-7:30pm. It was a bit tough to get all of the tots into any kind of organized games. Some just didn’t want to play along; other rebels just broke all rules. Pin the tail on the cat and the statue game were the only ones that really worked out well. I have no idea why I didn’t expect this to happen, but they all ended up in Simon’s room at one point with every toy he owns all over the floor. I should have seen it coming. All in all, it worked out well and I think we’ll turn it into an annual event. Thanks to Trish and Mom who came to help Rich and I out because we were really way in over heads.

On Halloween day I took my very first ‘community day’ off at work and spent the entire day at Simon’s school. The Home and School Committee convert the gym into a haunted house with different activities and games. I spent the evening before setting up and the whole next day there manning booths and cleaning up. Simon was pleasantly surprised to see me. I got to eat lunch with him in his classroom where he showed me off to his friends. Most of the other parent volunteers only did one shift, whereas I, the inexperienced over eager idiot kindergarten Mom, decided to stay the entire day. I will not repeat this error again next year. I could barely walk home afterwards; I was completely burnt out and stank of schoolchildren.

The grade 6 children who helped us run the booths could be classified into two major groups. The good and the supremely evil. Some were so polite, thanked me for my volunteer time, asked me questions about my kid, complimented my costume, told me I was pretty and were happy to help out when we needed them. Others played hockey with our pumpkins smashing them to shreds, stole loot bags we had prepped for other classes, gave 15 prizes out to each of their friends, asked us for MONEY for their volunteer time and bitched that there was no candy or chocolate around. I was having it out with one of the grade 6 hoods who was bitting up Playdough and throwing it across the room at other kids. After thoroughly bitching him out for ten minutes, he asked me which class my little brother or sister was in at the school. I didn’t get it at first, but then I realized he thought I was a big sister versus a parent, at which point I instantly forgave him for his Playdough antics and slipped him a 20. Well maybe not the 20, but only because I didn’t have my purse on me.

So another Halloween is wrapped up and I can’t pass by the candy bowl without ingesting seven chocolate pieces at a time. A very special thank you to my neighbours for not handing out useless hard candies (Simon only got two) and too many grotesque gummy anatomy parts this year. My lumpy ass thanks you very, very much.

Stonehill Stables

I know this all happened back in July, but it would be unfair not to post about it because it was really one of the highlights of our summer. We took two weeks off in early July and started out with Trish, John and their girls in Refrew, about an hour and a bit past Ottawa at Darlene and James’ farm. Dar has been a friend of mine since Grade 1. She moved near Ottawa just after high school and married James in 2000.

Dar has always loved horses. Like really, really, really loved horses. A couple of years ago, she and James bought a farm in Refrew and opened up Stonehill Stables. It was my first visit and I was amazed by the beauty of their huge stretch of land. Rolling hills filled with foxglove, ponds full of bullfrogs and horses grazing out in the fields. Beautiful indeed, but so much work. They get up on weekends in rain, snow, sleet or shine at 6:00am to bring out the horses and do whatever else horses require in the wee morning hours. Then they bring them all in again in rain, snow, sleet or shine after supper and do whatever else horses require before their bedtime. Weekdays, it’s the same deal but they have to start at 4:30am because both of them have government jobs in Ottawa that they drive to every day. And then there’s all the work in maintaining the house, barn and land. Oof. These photos really only show a glimpse/portion of the property.
The rain held off long enough for kids to go horseback riding on Dar’s oldest horse, Cajun. This was Simon’s first real horse ride (the carnie ponies really don’t count in comparison to Cajun who seemed about 20 feet tall) and he loved every minute of it. They even convinced me to give it a go. Let’s just ignore how awkward and uncomfortable I look m’kay?
Me and the country have a love/hate relationship. I love the clean air, the sunrises and the campfires. I hate pretty much everything else. During our first night there, the idea of a late night walk out to the fishpond sounded great at first. Until I remembered how afraid of the woods I am at night. Thankfully Johnny, who has known me my entire life and dragged me through enough dark fields in our childhood to be accustomed to my horridly annoying cries of ‘WHAT WAS THAT?’ every 2 minutes, guided me through the pitch black wilderness (plus I know he was a little scared too!). I didn’t sleep our entire time there either. Anyone who tells you that the country is quiet hasn’t spent enough time in the country. There are crickets. Not the comforting symphony of a six or seven crickets that you have in the city, but the racket of about ten thousand relentless, never pausing for a coffee break crickets. Once the crickets call it a night, the birds come in around 4:00am. And they shriek the house down until 7:30. Then there was the night of the thunderstorm. On a tin roof. The first time you hear a downpour on a tin roof, you think the sky is falling in on you.
But regardless of my discomforts in the country, I meant it when I said this was one of our summer’s highlights. Drinking coffee early in the morning while looking out at the view, seeing the kids behave and listen so well to the farm rules, seeing how proud they were to get to help out in the barn, and feeling so happy for Dar and James because I know how much this all means to them. It made all the black fly and mosquito bites well worth it. Thanks for having us all – we can’t wait to come back.

Loss

I found out last week that one of my orthopaedic residents from Saskatoon was killed in a highway accident. Judy, the academic administrator at the University, called me before the long weekend to let me know. In my tenure at the Association we’ve lost so many members over the years but none as young as Brad Ardell. Brad was only 29. He was in the accident with his youngest brother Mark who was also killed in the crash. Mark was only 16.

I’ve always adored the Saskatoon residents. They are a very tiny, tight-knit program that turns out top notch residents. The Saskatoon kids are often seen at my conventions traveling as a small herd – attending every session together, every break together – you can’t split them up if you tried. I could only imagine how this tragedy has shaken their program to its core.

I didn’t know Brad very well – I met him at last summer’s conference very briefly – but I can’t get this accident out of my head. The thought of his parents having to bury two of their boys on the same day…it’s incomprehensible why anyone should have to go through this. Judy told me that the family is holding up strong, deeply rooted in their faith and pulling together. As reassuring as she sounded, I can’t stop imagining the sleepless nights their poor mother must live through and that incredible loss that will never ever go away. To have raised those boys into their manhood, to have lived through all of that life with them – it all feels so unjust.

My thoughts are with the Ardell family.

School School School!

I made my first school lunch yesterday morning. Paté sandwich with mustard on rye bread, a banana, sugar-free jello & an orange juice. With mini bear paw cookies, a Nutrigrain bar and a bottle of water for recess and afterschool daycare snacks.

Simon started school on Tuesday. Parents had to accompany their kindergarten kids on the first day so Rich and I drove him in that morning. He was only in school for an hour and half and we were with him for the first hour. The four K classes are at the end of the second floor hallway so it was extremely hot and congested with stressed out parents and kids trying to find their classrooms. Simon's teacher, Madame Lise, seemed very nice and his class is big and bright. We turned in all of his school supplies, she explained how the agendas work as the communications vehicle between parents and teachers, and then we were asked to head to the cafeteria while the students stayed with her for the last half hour. We came home with a migraine-inducing amount of paperwork to go through. School policies, daycare policies, rules, fees, schedules and calendars, health forms, who can pick up your child forms, yes you can check my kid for lice forms, some sort of blue forms, some orange forms...
Wednesday, he took the bus for the first time by himself in the morning and stayed for a half day. We really wanted to avoid having to put him in the morning daycare program. He's already in the afternoon program which has him at school an additional two hours in the afternoon until Rich can pick him up. His bus comes at 8:30 which still allows me to get to work by 9ish and I make up the missed time by staying a little later in the evening. Which was really the same time I was getting out of the office any how.


Simon wouldn't let me hold his hand while getting on the bus, but blew me lots of kisses from the window. His driver is a gem. The parents all say she's the best on the route.


Thursday was his first full day and today he'll have gym for the first time which is quite an exciting event for a 5-year-old boy. He's been distracted by the newness of everything so every day so far has been really good. We're adapting to the new schedules and routines and to the school's dos and don'ts. There is much to remember. Which days are gym days, when to pay what fees, what he needs in his school bag every day etc. His school has a hot lunch program that I signed up for two days a week. He's used to hot lunches from his old daycare and this will save me from coming up with lunchbox ideas a couple of days a week. If he doesn't like the food, I'll reconsider after next month.


It's been a tiring week and we're going to go out for supper tonight to celebrate the end of it. Congrats to our little boy for being so brave and cool!

Look at that little monkey face in the front seat of the bus. You could just see his eyes and the top of his head because the seats are so huge for him.

So Long Daycare

Today I have a heavy heart. It is Simon's last day at daycare. He starts school next Tuesday.

I just spoke with his teachers, the director and assistant director on the phone and we exchanged tearful goodbyes. It touches me so much to see how much they genuinly care about Simon and all of the children. I will miss the security we had for the past three years where we knew every day that he was well taken care of and safe.

He's ready for big school. But I know there will be bumps in the transition. Simon is a creature of habit and has never transitioned very well. The good thing is that he is excited to start school and seems ready for the change. Let's hope he keeps that same attitude once things get going.

He was very proud to give out all the presents that we picked up this week. I know his teachers were sweet on some of the snacks that we'd pack for Simon over the years. I picked up some of their favourites to add to their gift bags since they won't be able to dive into his leftovers any more. The least I could do for these girls who helped raise my son for three years is hook em' up with some good snacks.

I need to continue pouting now.

Snakes and Lizards and Turtles OH MY!

We really wanted to do something special for Simon’s 5th birthday party this year. I was, as usual, a little stretched for time (I left for my annual conference two days after his party) so elaborate decorations and snacks were out of the question. I had a business card from a company called Fine Line Serpents that is run by local couple who raise reptiles and bring them to schools, daycares and birthday parties to entertain kids. Simon loves anything creepy crawly so I thought this would be perfect.

The animator was a little loud, but all in all, it was a great experience that I would recommend to any parent. The animator brought in two snakes, two lizards, a turtle, a tarantula and a giant python. Every kid got to hold and touch each one and I was so impressed with how gentle all the boys were with the animals. I was especially proud of the three little girls who were so completely un-squeamish, unafraid and got right in there with all of the reptiles. I mean, just look at little Alexa so happy with a giant python on her lap!This was the first snake she brought out - she started with the smaller reptiles first before working her way up to the albino python.

This was the second snake. A little bigger which pleased Simon very much.

Then some lizards.

The only creature that caused any alarm was the tarantula. Trish and her girls cleared the room before it was even out of the box.




A baby turtle of some sort.


Here comes the big guy!

Daddy, son and snake.

Judging by his expression below, I think we set the bar a little too high - how do I top this next year?

The Graduate

Simon graduates from preschool today. He'll spend the summer at the same daycare until September, but he'll receive his diploma this afternoon. I'm having such a hard time with the idea of him starting school in September. I'm actually surprised at how difficult I'm finding this transition - I didn't think it would bother me so much.

He's more than ready to start kindergarten. After three years in the same daycare, he's due for a change and is really excited to go to big kid school. We attended an orientation morning at his new school last week where he spent an hour in a kindergarten class while the parents sat in the cafeteria. The Home and School Association provided various cakes to distract us. We went back again last Thursday evening for their fun fair/carnival. There is only one other kid from his daycare class who is attending this school but thankfully, a dear friend of mine who I met in prenatal yoga is also sending her son there. Our boys haven't seen each other in 2 years but seemed to click right away so I hope they all end up in the same class.

I'm still not sure if he'll take the bus there in the mornings. I pass by the stop every day and look at all the seemingly HUGE AND OLD kids that are waiting to board. He might be dropped off earlier because the school offers an early morning and afterschool program for working parents. The timing of the bus just might be a bit too late for our schedules so I don't know what we'll do just yet.

I saw his daycare as a refuge where I was confident that he is well taken care of and safe. In school, it just seems like he's really going to be on his own now without any Momma Bears looking out for him. His school is a wonderful community school with strong parent involvement, but it's MASSIVE. Hundreds and hundreds of kids and four floors. Not being raised in the city, I'm used to my tiny little elementary school where my parents were actually personal friends with my teachers and there was only ONE kidnergarten class, not FOUR like where Simon will be attending. Rich was raised in the city so he's used to these bigger schools and assures me that a playground politics are the same no matter where you are. I'm not in Kansas any more.

This is really one of the many tests of our parenting skills as well. Simon will now be a member of society - has he turned out okay? How will he handle everything that he'll have to face? Did we prepare him well enough? As a parent, you want nothing more than your child to be loved and accepted - primary school is a horrid and long rite of passage and I just hope that we've given him what he needs to get through it. Do you remember how long the 7 years of elementary school seemed?

I just hope that I have enough Kleenex for this afternoon's ceremony. Rich said this should be the easiest graduation we'll go through with Simon. I'm not so sure...