I had a lovely sleep last night in our bed in our BEDROOM! I do beleive it has been fourteen weeks since that last happened. So much has changed since then, on so many levels - all for the better.
Right now the kids are running in circles around the main floor. Circles!
I still have a disaster of a house, more or less, but things are moving towards normal - or is a disaster 'normal' for us...? Anyways, we have more storage now and are poised for another round of purging, so hopefully the new year will see us in a much more functional and tidy house. The bathroom is almost completely ready - it's missing a door and we still haven't caulked the tiles or sink yet - but as of last night it became the main bathroom again. And I think everything fits without cluttering up the place.
The kids room is shaping up. Two beds makes for a bit more crowding but, once we get all the stuff on the walls moved about and the toys and clothes sorted into storage, it should be a fun place to hang out. The kids like their new beds and bedding anyways! Although, it did take Liam a while to be ready to give up his old bed. He decided we should give it to the little girl downstairs - that would be ok with him. Now, do they want a new bed...?
My only regrets about this taking so long is that we really haven't had much opportunity to decorate for Christmas. I had hoped to get us moved upstairs, do a bit of cleaning and then decorate. There doesn't seem much point now though. Once I'm done cleaning I'll have to start packing. Most of the decorations we do have up are ones Liam made at pre-school. Thankfully his preschool does frequent structured crafts for the whole class or we would have nothing. Liam isn't big on self-directed free-form art exploration, but give him a task with rules and tools and supplies and a specific final goal and he'll happily join in. I did find the stockings too, so they are up.
Liam can't decide whether to be worried Santa won't know we are in Priddis for Christmas, or to hope that He'll fill our stockings here as well and we'll get double gifts!!
We still have a lot of work to do when we get back but come the new year we will be able to relax in our newly renovated house and just enjoy...
...while we plan the kitchen reno.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Sunday, December 18, 2005
T'was The Week Before Christmas, And All Through The House...
...All the creatures were stirring and cleaning the house!
It's finally here. We are moving back upstairs THIS WEEK. Despite a nasty head/chest cold I have managed to get our bedroom in order and I am slowly working on the kids room (it has become a complete disaster in the last few weeks). But even more amazing is the fact that last night, Steve removed all of the big power tools from the front room! It is a work room no longer and is starting to look like our office again. I was beginning to think I'd never see this day!
Of course cleaning up the work room is no small task. We have already shop-vacced the room once, and then gone over pretty much everything with the miele and hepa filter. Now I am wiping things down and every wipe still comes away with a coating of sawdust. Yuck!
Soon enough the bathroom will be up to 'Reveal' status and I'll post some photos later this week. In the meantime I'll continue to battle a sinus headache and clean the upstairs. All I know for sure is that one night this week will officially be the last on the living room floor!
It's finally here. We are moving back upstairs THIS WEEK. Despite a nasty head/chest cold I have managed to get our bedroom in order and I am slowly working on the kids room (it has become a complete disaster in the last few weeks). But even more amazing is the fact that last night, Steve removed all of the big power tools from the front room! It is a work room no longer and is starting to look like our office again. I was beginning to think I'd never see this day!
Of course cleaning up the work room is no small task. We have already shop-vacced the room once, and then gone over pretty much everything with the miele and hepa filter. Now I am wiping things down and every wipe still comes away with a coating of sawdust. Yuck!
Soon enough the bathroom will be up to 'Reveal' status and I'll post some photos later this week. In the meantime I'll continue to battle a sinus headache and clean the upstairs. All I know for sure is that one night this week will officially be the last on the living room floor!
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Knock Knock...
The 'Joke', as interpreted by a four+ year old, has entered our household.
Namely the 'Knock, Knock Joke' and 'Why did the _____ cross the road?'
I gather Liam learned these from his preschool - perhaps one of his 'gang' introduced the concept of the 'joke'. However it came to his attention, Liam loves telling jokes. It's really too bad they don't make any sense at all. He thinks they are hilarious mind you. And it is pretty funny when he laughs at his most recent competely random version of the classic banana knock knock joke series, or when he conjures up an image of some odd thing or creature crossing the road for often unrelated or incomprehensible reasons. Not really funny - but definately Fun!
Zoe has really taken to the Knock Knock joke since Liam introduced it to her, especially when we are driving somewhere. Unlike her brother, she pretty much sticks to the same joke;
Mom..?
Yes Zoe
Knock knock
Who's there?
Anana (her word for banana)
(B)Anana who?
Anana and Chok-lit
Most recently this has evolved into:
Mom..?
Yes Zoe
Knock knock
Who's there?
Chok-lit
Chocolate who?
CHOK-LIT COOKIES!!!!
(which sends us both into fits of giggles for some reason)
Yeah, She's my daughter all right.
Namely the 'Knock, Knock Joke' and 'Why did the _____ cross the road?'
I gather Liam learned these from his preschool - perhaps one of his 'gang' introduced the concept of the 'joke'. However it came to his attention, Liam loves telling jokes. It's really too bad they don't make any sense at all. He thinks they are hilarious mind you. And it is pretty funny when he laughs at his most recent competely random version of the classic banana knock knock joke series, or when he conjures up an image of some odd thing or creature crossing the road for often unrelated or incomprehensible reasons. Not really funny - but definately Fun!
Zoe has really taken to the Knock Knock joke since Liam introduced it to her, especially when we are driving somewhere. Unlike her brother, she pretty much sticks to the same joke;
Mom..?
Yes Zoe
Knock knock
Who's there?
Anana (her word for banana)
(B)Anana who?
Anana and Chok-lit
Most recently this has evolved into:
Mom..?
Yes Zoe
Knock knock
Who's there?
Chok-lit
Chocolate who?
CHOK-LIT COOKIES!!!!
(which sends us both into fits of giggles for some reason)
Yeah, She's my daughter all right.
Monday, December 12, 2005
Zoe is TWO!!
It was Zoe's Birthday on Saturday. She's two. And such a little princess.
Or so she tells me:
I'm a Beautiful Princess, Mom
- my limited experience with linguistics does not qualify me to attempt to render her exact pronunciation mind you
Mama, I'm Belle
Mama, I'm Ariel
Mommy, I'm a Beautiful Fairy Princess
- usually announced as she prances about on tip toe.
To those who knew me as a small child, this behaviour probably sounds familiar. Except I was Snow White, or Sleeping Beauty, or Wonder Woman, or Isis...
Given her fascination with princesses it seemed fairly obvious that the Thrifties Cake of choice be the 'Four Princesses' (Belle, Ariel, Aurora & Cinderella). I have been known to bake a cake and even decorate it now and then, but with the ongoing state of our house it seemed prudent to order a cake. Besides, I have tendinitis in my right pinky finger (long story), which means that cake decorating is OUT for at least a few more weeks (hell, writing long hand is a killer these days).
I decided - oh, probably close to a month ago now - that there would be no big party. Even back then I had a feeling the house would be in no shape for it, and mentally, the thought of planning a party elsewhere, inviting people, getting together party bags - it was just too overwhelming with all the renovation stuff still left to do. It's a good thing I didn't because we ended up at Otter Point this past weekend, escaping the fumes of the floor varnish for the upstairs hall and stairs (something that was planned for the previous weekend, but a sick house does not renovate!).
There is something to be said for low-key stress-free family-only birthday parties. Zoe still had all the party trimmings; hats (she wore hers almost all day), party plates and napkins, a big foil princess balloon, a fabulous princess cake, 'Happy Birthday,' and of course a slew of presents! The whole day was Her day and she revelled in it! She kept telling me and Steve and Nana (on the phone) "It's my Birthday." She also kept asking - um, telling - me to call daddy and tell him to bring her her "happy cake" now - please (he had to pick it up when he was in town doing another floor coat).
I'm sure next year will involve new found preschool friends and maybe a few others, but this year we all enjoyed our little home-grown celebration of Zoe's second birthday.
Or so she tells me:
I'm a Beautiful Princess, Mom
- my limited experience with linguistics does not qualify me to attempt to render her exact pronunciation mind you
Mama, I'm Belle
Mama, I'm Ariel
Mommy, I'm a Beautiful Fairy Princess
- usually announced as she prances about on tip toe.
To those who knew me as a small child, this behaviour probably sounds familiar. Except I was Snow White, or Sleeping Beauty, or Wonder Woman, or Isis...
Given her fascination with princesses it seemed fairly obvious that the Thrifties Cake of choice be the 'Four Princesses' (Belle, Ariel, Aurora & Cinderella). I have been known to bake a cake and even decorate it now and then, but with the ongoing state of our house it seemed prudent to order a cake. Besides, I have tendinitis in my right pinky finger (long story), which means that cake decorating is OUT for at least a few more weeks (hell, writing long hand is a killer these days). I decided - oh, probably close to a month ago now - that there would be no big party. Even back then I had a feeling the house would be in no shape for it, and mentally, the thought of planning a party elsewhere, inviting people, getting together party bags - it was just too overwhelming with all the renovation stuff still left to do. It's a good thing I didn't because we ended up at Otter Point this past weekend, escaping the fumes of the floor varnish for the upstairs hall and stairs (something that was planned for the previous weekend, but a sick house does not renovate!).
There is something to be said for low-key stress-free family-only birthday parties. Zoe still had all the party trimmings; hats (she wore hers almost all day), party plates and napkins, a big foil princess balloon, a fabulous princess cake, 'Happy Birthday,' and of course a slew of presents! The whole day was Her day and she revelled in it! She kept telling me and Steve and Nana (on the phone) "It's my Birthday." She also kept asking - um, telling - me to call daddy and tell him to bring her her "happy cake" now - please (he had to pick it up when he was in town doing another floor coat).
I'm sure next year will involve new found preschool friends and maybe a few others, but this year we all enjoyed our little home-grown celebration of Zoe's second birthday.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
L - I - A - M
I've always said that Liam was the sort of kid who will just one day, out of the blue, pick up a book and astonish us by reading it. In the meantime he fosters the illusion of complete disinterest in the art of reading and writing.
He and I have talked about his lack of interest in reading, as well as his assertions that either reading is for adults or something he'll learn to do when he is six or seven, or maybe eight, but definately he is too young now to even bother trying. I suggested that maybe he was afraid that if he learned to read we would no longer read books to him, and spend that kind of quality time with him. He admitted that yes, that was one of his fears (in fact I think the fear of us not being around if he becomes too independant is one of the big ones that drives his behaviours). So I pointed out that if he actively started wanting to learn to read we would HAVE to spend even more time reading with him so that we could help him learn. He's been pondering this idea for a few weeks now.
The other thing about Liam, he wants to do things right, and he want to do it right the FIRST time, and he never wants to be seen in public as less than a model child. Unless, of course, Steve or I are there to take the blame for all his whining, crying and complaining, which he will do, shamelessly, at the top of his lungs, pretty much anywhere.
Given the aforementioned aspects of my first born, I really wasn't all that surprised today when I picked him up from Preschool, and Troni (his teacher) told me that he wrote his name for the first time, yesterday, in his book. She was amazed. Prior to yesterday she had no idea it was something he was even interested in doing.
That's our Liam!
He and I have talked about his lack of interest in reading, as well as his assertions that either reading is for adults or something he'll learn to do when he is six or seven, or maybe eight, but definately he is too young now to even bother trying. I suggested that maybe he was afraid that if he learned to read we would no longer read books to him, and spend that kind of quality time with him. He admitted that yes, that was one of his fears (in fact I think the fear of us not being around if he becomes too independant is one of the big ones that drives his behaviours). So I pointed out that if he actively started wanting to learn to read we would HAVE to spend even more time reading with him so that we could help him learn. He's been pondering this idea for a few weeks now.
The other thing about Liam, he wants to do things right, and he want to do it right the FIRST time, and he never wants to be seen in public as less than a model child. Unless, of course, Steve or I are there to take the blame for all his whining, crying and complaining, which he will do, shamelessly, at the top of his lungs, pretty much anywhere.
Given the aforementioned aspects of my first born, I really wasn't all that surprised today when I picked him up from Preschool, and Troni (his teacher) told me that he wrote his name for the first time, yesterday, in his book. She was amazed. Prior to yesterday she had no idea it was something he was even interested in doing.
That's our Liam!
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