Crossroads and decisions

I've been enjoying my part time casual position at the hospital this fall. Our hospital and neighboring old folks home is in the midst of transition, taking on a new rehab program this year. It means many changes for the employees, and many new job openings. As we're in the midst of this change, I've been able to cover on a casual basis. I've been able to work at the job I had full time previously (from Jan. to July) and I love it. I know the physio/occupational team, and the longer I'm there, the more useful I am to them. So it has been a win/win scenario. Sadly, because it's all union, one can not keep a permanent casual position...I guess they prefer that you own a position. My job will be posted as what it should be, a full time spot. I am not wanting to apply for it, as I really am reluctant to send the kids to daycare and pull them out of all after school events. I also don't want to be working every school holiday, and especially the summer. Not now. Not while they are still young and still think I'm fun to hang out with! There is a possibility of a job share, but again, hours will be set and it won't be so flexible as it is now. I am worried that if I don't take a position, that nothing will be left for me to cover, other than to work while the people in positions take their vacations! I guess best case scenario would be that no one wants my job, so they would just take me for the hours I'm willing to give. (A girl can dream!) So it is a stressful waiting game now. I am just trying to focus on how blessed I've been so far, and how happy I am to be working and to have earned some money and valuable work experience and references to go with. And God knows, right? He's worked everything out so far!

Projects

Once the yardwork is over, my cravings to get crafty start growing. I love to bring out the knitting and the sewing and try projects that I've thought about but didn't have time to do in the summer! I started my first knit sweater this fall and just finished this weekend. It is huge, and the body of it actually fits me just perfectly. It should last Shea forever! I'll just keep adding to the bottom and the sleeves!! :) It was a bit frustrating at the start and then got boring near the end, but overall, it was fun to do and I think I might just try one for myself next. Then last night I tried a pinterest bootie pattern, you know since I have babies and all. (NOT). I just figured it would be fun to try with my spare felt and other fabric and would also make a good/fast baby gift.

I'm not super impressed with the pattern, but once I perfect it, I'll try making some for me and the boys! A lot less work than knitting a pair! and you could even use a recycled sweater! Liam has been gone for the past few days, so it has been quiet around here! Hence the ability to craft! I have a lot more things to make....

slouch

Here is one mini completed project...a hat for Liam. I was actually busy knitting a sweater for Shea, when Liam had this bright idea that I should make him a hat with the same grey and green, plus a bunch of other cool stripes... So this is what we ended up with, and he hasn't taken it off since it was finished!

Fall is here

The last bit of summer.

I tell you...I am scrambling to get all those things done before the snow flies and we're cooped up like hamsters inside for months! I've been painting fences and sheds and pruning and mopping decks and still have a very long list I'd like to do yet. I kind of thought I'd have more time. Now that I'm back to working 4 days a week, it seems like I'm not really getting on top of things (again). But hey, busy is good, and the house will never be perfect. I'm trying to take it one day at a time. Right now the kids seem to be in our faces WAY too much, and it can be so exhausting. But one day soon, I won't own so much of their day and they will be hard to pin down. I'm really trying to soak it all in. But breaks are good. In fact, we've started "date nights", and hope that it'll help keep our sanity. There is more to life than work and kids. Right?! Sometimes we get completely trapped in it and forget who we even are anymore. Or who we are as just the two of us. I have so many things I'd like to accomplish this year and look forward to sharing all my projects, pictures, fun times, and challenges with you. Don't worry, I won't sugar coat it and make like our life is picture perfect, because it isn't. I almost feel like we have too high of a standard for our boys and every time they fail we feel like crap. It beats us down and makes us all miserable, so we're trying to work through that. I'll let you know what I learn on that topic. In the meantime...please say hi. I miss hearing from you all.

Back to school, back to school!

I can't believe we're back to school, but here we are. The house is DEAD QUIET! I am starting work at the hospital again next week, so I am enjoying these few quiet days before life goes back to CRAZY! Riley is back to middle school. They are organized so that in grades 6 and 7, they stay with the same teacher. So Riley is back with his previous teacher, who we really liked. The kid that caused him major trouble for the last three years has moved away for which we are super grateful! I am so happy that he is finally one of the older kids in his class and am hoping that he does well this year. He starts band this year, and I put him in a guitar class starting today, so he will be getting his groove on. Liam started his first day in his grade four class. He got a teacher we don't know at all, but have heard great things about. He knows everyone in his class and has been with most of them since kindergarten. He will have no troubles in there, and I'm happy he wasn't stuck into the 4/5, as I'm not ready for him to grow up too fast! I got him into a Hip Hop class for the school year, and hope it'll bring him out of his performance jitters a little. Shea started his first day in a grade one/two split. We hardly know any of the kids other than three from his last year, but we know his teacher and LOVE her. She was Liam's grade two teacher who did all the amazing artwork and sings/plays guitar. Shea is so advanced in his reading and math, that I know he will run with the challenge of being with grade two's. He has no fear on entering a new class and didn't stop to say goodbye to me. I am excited for him. I am hoping to register him into a gymnastics class that does tumbling and trampoline. Ahh...and me, well I am going to learn something new this year, I'm sure. I did last year! In fact, this week, I may just learn to make pickles! I got my old job back at the hospital, though this time I'm only working 4 days a week, and 8-2pm, so won't need to get childcare! I am so happy about it! The job is casual, and will be posted as a full time position (which I don't want), but for now I will enjoy the way it has worked out! Feeling very blessed to have had August off, and now to jump right back in. Cheers to the new school year!

Home again

Well we survived our maiden voyage with our trailer. I was thinking closer to the date that we were going, that it was a bit ambitious of us to go so far away and take a ferry and stay at 4 different locations on our first trip! The RV place had issues getting the hitch on our van, which cost us more time and money, but with one full day to spare, we hitched up for the first time and Greg had to do some practice driving in the nearby parking lot! We pulled out and went to Cultus Lake (2 nights), Victoria (3 nights), Parksville (4 nights), and then Richmond (2 nights). We had lots of adventures and many good times by the ocean.

After 11 nights in the trailer, it was good to get home. We all did sleep well and definitely loved having the hot running kitchen sink, the outdoor shower, the screened room on buggy nights and the fridge. We get to go camping again this weekend, and I'm hoping once more after that to get good use out of it for our first summer. The boys are getting to be pros at helping to set it up/take down, and Riley will even help direct dad back to hitch it up. This weekend is the Roots and Blues festival in Salmon Arm, and after so many years of going to it, it feels weird to not be there for the 3 days of endless music! We might just need to go again next year. Hard to believe that there are only 2 weeks left of summer vacation, and then it's back to school and work for all of us. With working all July and having the boys at daycare, it seems like we only had a month. Hoping you're enjoying August!

TRAILER!!

And just like that...my life as a full time working mom came to a close, and I'm back to my usual! It feels like I completed some big race or something. I knew it would take a lot of energy and we'd all have to sacrifice, but I knew it would be worth it. It so was. It was bittersweet to walk away from a job I loved so much and return to my neglected dirty house. I have so much to do in the next month and have many plans before I go looking for work again in September. My boss says she'll be waiting for me once the kids get back to school! Since one girl just quit, I could have worked all summer in a casual position, but I hadn't planned for it and didn't have childcare for August. And frankly, working in the summer isn't much fun and doesn't pay much when you pay for full time childcare! The timing for all this has been perfect as we now will have August as a family and have had such a fun July. The boys are kept busy in daycare and Riley just finished his second summer camp! And we found a tent trailer!! I had searched around for months, and looked at quite a few. Finally last Saturday morning, I saw a post on Facebook of one and asked the lady immediately if we could see it. She lived 5 min. from our house. It was perfect and we told them we'd buy it the same day. It is a 2000 Coleman, and has everything we wanted, with beds for 7 (incl. a king and queen!), fridge, stove, awning, outdoor shower etc. We got our insurance on it today and just need our hitch put on the van. The kids are sleeping in it right now on the driveway. We are so excited to take it out camping and already have 9 days booked in campsites from here over to Vancouver Island.

So I'm sad that my job is over, but so happy to have had the experience at the hospital. I felt like hugging every one of my patients goodbye and hope to see them walking the streets sometime when they are well again. I hope the next job will be just as good and that I can find a more even balance of home and work life...maybe working half time. For now I will just enjoy my kids, getting caught up at home and sitting in the sun. :)

hardest job of all

Wow, so here we are in SUMMER! It has been such a different one than my last 10. I didn't get that massive change of lifestyle when the kids came home from school on that last day, because Monday morning we were still all up and out the door by 8am. I still had to make lunches, go to work and then pick them up at daycare. It's very nice actually. I'm not pulling my hair out trying to think of activities that all three of them will enjoy that doesn't cost a small fortune. (Waterslides are expensive!) In daycare, the boys get to go to the waterslides, beach, Jungle Mania, the waterparks etc. and when I pick them up, they are pooped out from their adventures. This week Riley took Liam's spot at daycare so Liam could go to summer camp. Next week it'll be Rileys' turn for camp. We are enjoying having one kid each to wrangle, and life is just calmer than the usual bickering that the 3 can do! I've been slightly obsessed trying to track down a used tent trailer for our family. I've spent a few evenings on kijiji and craigslist, looking at the options. Unfortunately most of the good deals are at the coast, or get snatched up right away. I'm hoping we get lucky and find something local. Then we will plan our holidays according to if we have a trailer or not. My job ends in two weeks!! My goodness that went fast. I'm feeling sad about it actually, because I've really enjoyed my spot there in the hospital, and know it won't be the same. The girl I covered for is coming back, and sounds like she'll stay...so if I get a job in September, it'll be in a new location that will take some getting used to all over again. I'm trying to just enjoy this while it lasts, and then I'll be in full time mom mode again. Staying home with 3 boys is much harder than going to work. I never gave myself as much credit before this. Being a SAHM is not for the lazy! It is by far the hardest job of all! Happy summer everyone! Enjoy the work and the play, and the downtime floating in your dingy!

Summer bob

Would you be my neighbor??

I am so upset right now. It is no secret that we have a lot of parties in our house. Many birthday parties and get togethers as our house is the largest in the family and seems to be more child friendly. We have my brother and his bunch over quite often and a birthday party at least every month. The kids run wild, and though it's loud, it's supervised outdoor fun. Last weekend we had Shea's party from 2-4pm, and then yesterday we ended up having a birthday party for Glen and Bri, and so them, their 3 girls and our parents came from about 4-8pm. We had been gone all day Saturday to pick up Greg from the airport. Anyway, near the end of our party yesterday, the kids did get loud on the trampoline, so Greg went out and told them all to keep it down. However, at this point, the neighbor had apparently reached his breaking point, and without us knowing, set up his ghetto blaster and aimed it at our house and cranked it. The kids had come in, and we were saying our goodbyes, and we all wondered what the noise was. The company left, and then Greg stuck his head over the fence to notice this stereo pointing at us. The neighbor came out and said, "Like the music?" turned it off and walked away. Greg called him back and asked him if he had a problem he wanted to talk about. The neighbor then went off about how he can't stand the noise and that they can't even enjoy their yard anymore. Greg was asking him why he hadn't mentioned anything before, and why he had to react with his immature behavior (with the ghetto). He claimed he doesn't like confrontations? wth? It was almost surreal, their very heated conversation. I don't even understand how someone could be so angry without even talking to us once about it. He talked to me normally through the week and didn't say anything. The only thing he mentioned was that he revs his race car engine to drown out the noise of the kids sometimes. (He said this in front of me to our other neighbor, while I was out playing badminton with them...aka it wasn't insane noise, we were just playing a game.) I kept thinking about it all night, and though we know and confirmed with him that our kids can be loud, we aren't out there yelling all day. The kids aren't even home between 8-5pm, and we don't let them stay out past 7:30pm. So minus the supper hour, there is only an hour or so that they are even outside during the day. It's obviously longer on the weekends, but like this one, we were at friends Friday night, out of town all day Saturday, and then only outside a few hours on Sunday evening. I don't get it. He's a grumpy old guy, who now has stepped to a new low. I don't even know what I am going to say to him next time I see him. I hate conflict. Of course I want to respect our neighbors, but if the kids can't ever use an outside voice, in their own yard, where can they? Maybe it's time for him to move to a 50+ neighborhood if he hates the sounds of kids so much. :( Awkward. and sad. Don't come over to our place anytime soon, he might bite your head off.

Always my baby.

So our little guy is SIX! There are so many things about this little character that I LOVE. He has been a joy.

what's next?

Time flies when you're having fun! (and you're terribly busy!) I am in disbelief that we're almost into June. My baby is turning 6 in a week! and we're having his party this weekend! He's almost done kindergarten! I'm also nearing the end of my position at the hospital! In exactly two months, that chapter of my life will end, and who knows what will come next. It's rather sad. I know the timing has definitely been God's timing though, as I will be able to take August off, and then plans are in the works for 10 or more new rehab beds to open in a place near the hospital...called "Pathways to Home" after the summer! As the title suggests, the focus will be intense rehab to get the client in a position where he can get back to his home. Most of these patients will come from the hospital. I know they will need to hire a few rehab assistants, and I already have had one lady approach me who would love to job share. Honestly, I love being in the hospital, and all the crazy madness that acute care brings. I am getting to know many of the nurses, and love working with the physios. Crazy as it is, I even love working full time. I also know that I can't be as good of a housekeeper, mom and friend when I'm working all the time either. So something will have to give. I may end up in this new place, which is a part of a care home, and will be a much slower pace. But who knows, maybe I'll love it even more. So ya, I'll keep you updated. My boss hasn't been able to share all the details of it yet as it's still in the works. So life is interesting, and definitely moving quickly. I need to start planning for some summer vacation!

the mom job

Being a mom is such a wickedly amazing and crazy gig if there ever was. These kids make me cry one minute with heartache, and then practically burst with overwhelming joy. They are such a challenge, yet such a blessing. I always wanted to be a mom, and don't know what I'd do without them. They take everything that I've got, yet I feel like I haven't given enough. It's such a massive job. One that I feel like I need to improve on all the time. They thanked me today for being a loving mother, and I thank God today for giving me the chance to be one.

SOD!

Finally, after anticipating this moment for the last three years, my sod arrived, and my side yard is complete! We came a long way from this... To this.... Funny to think that two dump truck loads of dirt now sit in that space! I'm so happy it's done!!!

The fox

My niece Claire was in a drama production through her school. She played the fox from "The Gruffalo". It was a super cute little production where her sister Amy did lighting and their mom helped do the face painting and costumes. It's fun to see a little person who is normally such a quiet thing put on quite the brave performance on stage!! Yay Claire-bear! (Or should I say Claire-fox). And I was hoping I could show you some beautiful green photos from my new lawn today, but alas my turf guy stood me up. :( He was supposed to show up yesterday, and we were supposed to be rolling it out this morning. We called him 4x already and he hasn't even called to give us any sort of idea what is going on. So upsetting. I've waited YEARS for this day. :( So here is where it's at. Nice and flat. Landscape tie borders, and a rock pathway. Just missing SOD. (Check your messages, turf-boy.)

Happy May!

It made my day today when the physio and I got a 93 year old gentleman up to stand for his first time during his hospital stay. His family (two daughters and a wife) were at his side cheering him on and crying their eyes out...and I was feeling rather choked up myself!! I guess he has been really weak (congestive heart failure) and has been laying around for quite awhile. When he got up to stand, which he did really well, he actually started grooving like he was about to dance which made everyone chuckle. Ahh, it's moments like that which make my job so enjoyable. We've stood with many elderly people in their final days, and it's always so bittersweet. Most family members have a hard time watching their sick loved one laying around in a hospital bed, and I agree that they look totally different when they are up, even sitting at the edge of the bed. They look more alive. Most patients are thankful for a new position and enjoy the freedom of being able to move around (with our help). Work has been a little harder lately because the therapists do a switch between outpatients and inpatients every 6 months, and so my physio is now doing outpatients and I have two new therapists who job share working with me. They work one week on, one week off, so I have to sort of keep them filled in on what happened while they were away for the week. They also work very differently and so have different styles and priorities! On top of that, we have a first year physio student that they are trying to train! It has made my job a little more scrambled, but I'm still enjoying it. The time is flying so fast, and I can't believe it's already May. It'll soon be summer! Greg and I leveled out that second dumptruck full of dirt, and put in new landscape ties and a rock path. We are ready for the turf which arrives on FRIDAY! I'm so excited, I could squeal. I will definitely take more pictures and let you see the end product on the weekend. I'm hoping we'll be able to walk on it by the time we have Shea's 6th party. We're already planning his SHARK/beach party!!!

Meet the pets

Last week we decided we hadn't had fish in awhile and needed some more. So Liam and Riley bought a fighting fish each...meet "Swimmy" and "Sammy". They are a gorgeous royal blue and teal. At the pet store they were oohing and awwing over any other pet they saw. "Do you think Daddy would EVER let us have a hamster?" Knowing their dad has never had one, and just thinks of them as stinky rodents, I told them..."Well, you'd have a much better chance if you let mom ask him, instead of you all begging and pleading". Sure enough, dad gave the ok, and on Saturday we brought home our first REAL pet, Nibbles. Oh my goodness the boys are so in love with her! I only let them take her out in the bathroom so she can't run away, or if they put her in the clear ball. She is a squirmer...mostly cuz she's little. I think only 2 months old. So far hasn't been a biter. Thank goodness, as one of the pet stores we went to had one hamster that they wouldn't even sell us cuz it was such a nasty biter, so I got really nervous! So wish us luck. Who knows, if this goes well, we might work up to a puppy...give us a few years! The boys are seriously all joy and giggles this week with the hamster, I can't even imagine how much fun they'd have with a dog! Aww.