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5.24.13

Work it.

A few months back, my boss asked me if I would like to act for him while he was away.  I jumped at the chance.  3 beautiful months of change  and excitement and pretty clothes and high heels everyday seemed like a bit of a dream come true.  Especially because it was fairly temporary.  I would work full-time for 12 weeks and act for the last half of that.

The neat thing was that I was expecting this to be more of an experiment.  Sort of like when you see those undercover special reports on tv or in magazines.

Here I was, a long term, part-time employee since my babes were wee, lacing up for the big leagues.  Full-time hours.

Friends and I had have had the discussion multiple times over the years about the benefits of staying home vs. working full-time.  I never had a strong opinion either way because, let’s face it, I had the best of both worlds.  I get to stay home for the majority of the week but I also get to go into an office and play ‘grown up’.

Friends who stay home have amazing arguments for why they made that choice.  Friends who work have amazing arguments for why they made that choice.

They are both right.

Both are hard and demanding and whether you spend your days with your children feeling challenged or away from your children feeling challenged, most of us are doing our absolute best and what is right for our families at that very moment.

I’m not going to lie though.  With just one more week to go with the alarm going off at 5 am, I’m looking forward to getting back to my old routine.  The best of both worlds.  My happy place.

I’ve really missed kissing these three cuties each morning before they start their day.

But for now, there’s the weekend.  A chilly but sunny one is on the way, and if there is one thing working full-time has shown me over the last few months, it’s how to enjoy the weekend.  I hope you find the sunshine.

 

 

Filed in: Family | Jaia | Life | Wes
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5.22.13

8 years ago, we woke up separately.  We ate breakfast with friends separately, got ready and drove to the chapel separately to make a promise in front of the people we love most in the world.  We exchanged vows, we laughed, we ate, we danced, we loved.

Today, 8 years later, my alarm went off at 5 am.  I snuck out of bed to get ready for work.  I was out the door at 6 am.  My husband rose, made coffee and  whipped together breakfast for the two people we love most in the world and then helped them to get ready for their day.  He dropped them off at school and daycare and then drove himself to work.

Our day was far less glamorous than it was 8 years ago and will not end with a fancy party, but with  school pick ups, dinner, and a first outdoor soccer practice.  But I can guarantee, just like that day, we will laugh, we will dance, we will love.

Happy, happy anniversary, Dan.  8 years!!  I feel like a high five is in order.

And a very happy birthday to Crispy, the best best man we’ve ever had.  I hope it is awesome!

xo

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May 23, 2013 - 8:55 am

Dan - Life is a wee tiny bit busier than back in 2005. What did we do with all our time back then??!? It’s been a wonderful 8 years. (L)

5.12.13

My boy is three.

The days are long but the years are short.  No truer words have ever been spoken.

Birthdays get us reminiscing.  They have us looking back at pictures and telling stories and hearing family and friends tell us how big the kids are now.  But in the everyday, we don’t see it.  We don’t see growth until we compare it to some time in the past.

But yesterday and this morning, I feel like something had actually changed right before my eyes.  Wes not only looks older, but he seems older.   He’s always been independent, but now, even more so.  Things that he was just letting me take care of because it was easier and faster, are no longer things he wants me to do for him.  Zippers, shoes and dressing are all his now.

And this kid has a sense of style.  Not necessarily what the mass might choose to wear, but he knows what he likes and he has no qualms about telling you.  Or changing his outfit if he doesn’t like what we dressed him in.  I wish there was a secret handshake or sign to give other parents as you walk through the grocery store on the days your kid has chosen to wear  cowboy boots, cargo shorts and a raincoat that says, “All him.  I had nothing to do with this”.  Mostly it’s just a nod and a smile and they, walking around with their own kid, knows the drill.  They’ve been there.

This kid.  He just amazes me.  He’s smart as a whip and wickedly funny.  He’s brave but cautious.  He’s bold, but ever so sweet.  The other day  he crawled into my lap, put his arms around me and told me I was his best friend.  That won’t always be the way, and I know that.  Soon enough (too soon), friends will take my place so for now and every minute that passes where he thinks that having me close is the best option are minutes I will cherish.

Wesley, although change is inevitable, i hope you stay you.  Loud, proud, strong and honest. Bubbling with personalty.  I hope that no matter how big you get, that your hands always fit in mine.  That sitting with daddy at the end of a long day is where you find the most comfort and that your eyes always light up when your sister enters the room or chases after you.  I wouldn’t change an in ch of you.

Happy third birthday, my (not so) little dude.

Filed in: Birthdays | Photos | Wes
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4.17.13

I had never been to Florida.  I had no idea what to expect outside of oranges, gators and the 8 billion photos I’ve seen of friends and family posing with Mickey Mouse ears on in front of Cinderella’s castle. 

A couple of weeks ago, we packed up and headed down for a full 5 days.  We hadn’t originally planned on a visit to the happiest plce on Earth, but later decided to squeeze it in (that post later).   Who knew, at the time, when were planning our mid-April vacay, that Ottawa would still be buried under a blanket of snow by the time we left and that more would come while we were gone.  Not me, but I’m glad we left when we did.  Especially when WestJet – best airline ever – offered to extend our stay for free when an incoming storm was forecasted on the day were to return.  2 more days in Florida?  Sign me up!  Thanks for being so awesome, WestJet.

We were staying in the Daytona Beach area.  I have never seen a more beautiful beach.  The sand was like powder.  The kids were happy.

 We were all happy.  But mostly the kids.

Sadly, I have no pictures of Wesley frolicking in the waves.  A mere 5 minutes after our first visit to the beach, a ‘huge’ wave rolled in and swept him down, rolled him around and dragged him a few feet.  This sounds more dramatic than it actually was, but to a 2 year old who had never been to the ocean before, it was terrifying.  He spent the rest of the week WAY up on the sand, building and destroying castles, racing around and asking us if he was safe.  🙁

But that’s not to say he didn’t have his own fun.

When I visit a new place, I always end up trying to imagine myself living there.  Not the vacation version, but the everyday humdrum.  The rushing to work, doing groceries, going to the gym version.  Some places I am very drawn to.  I can picture my life there.  Sometimes in a sad way with the realization that I will probably never actually get to experience life there.  And some make me glad for where I do live.

Florida had me at hello.

I’m not even sure I can picture the everyday, but the beach, the palm trees, the warm breeze on my cold, white Canadian face confirmed that this would not be the last visit.

If only the bugs there weren’t so creepy.

 

Filed in: Jaia | Life | Photos | Travel | Wes
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April 17, 2013 - 9:10 pm

Julie - Awe, I’m so glad you loved Florida. Some of my best childhood memories revolve around visiting my grandparents there. It’s a magical place.