Tag: NaBloPoMo

work…blech

I’ve just spent the last two hours on a response for an RFP for work, and I gotta say, it SUCKS. I hate doing RFP responses at the best of times, but add the fact that we are three days away from moving and it sucks even more. Also, I did it on my own time in the evening, which is a time I usually look forward to because my kids are sound asleep and I can relax for a bit.

Now my back is aching from sitting at the computer all tensed up, trying to figure out what the hell they are asking for, trying to figure out how to get a seven page resume down to two pages, and trying to figure out how to creatively say “I write damn good requirements” 37 different ways.

This is a good reminder of why I’m not a self-employed contractor. I admire those of you who are!

thank you, amy

Amy’s been asleep since 12:45, and I’ve had a very productive afternoon packing. Plus I was able to read a magazine while I was eating lunch, and I’ve just had a cup of tea. Now it’s back to more packing.

Of course, she’ll probably wake up now that I’ve written this.

The dog isn’t too impressed because he’s been locked outside all afternoon, as Amy is having her nap in the stroller in the front hall. His claws are too loud on the tile and wood floor.

it went well

One of the highlights of my night away was Greg phoning me this morning to tell me to not hurry home. Things were going swimmingly here at the homestead. Amy had slept through the night(!), she took the bottles of pumped milk with no fuss, Elliot was happy, and Greg sounded very relaxed.

I had a good time. Unlike a couple of years ago, when my expectations were super high about having my first night away without a child, this year I had no expectations other than enjoying some time with my friends. Yes, this was my first night away without kids since Amy was born, but it’s different now. I’m way more used to being a mum, and it feels like the norm. So a night away is a very nice bonus, but it’s not something I crave.

I’m glad I’ve reached this place.

a night off

In about three hours I’m off for our annual ladies weekend. I’m attending the abridged version (basically 24 hours away) because of a nursing child, but it means I can leave her behind. I’ve pumped eight bottles over the last two weeks and I’m just crossing my fingers that everything goes well for Greg. Gramma is here too, so that will help. Plus she’s shovelling back the food nowadays, so she won’t starve.

I’ll report on my getaway tomorrow evening.

how’s the packing going?

Lots of people have been asking me this question. My answer is that I’m not sure! Our garage is almost full of packed boxes, but the house still looks lived in.

I haven’t packed any of the kids’ clothes and only a small portion of their toys. Our kitchen is down to the bare minimum, but I suspect there’s at least an evening’s worth of packing there still. We’ve done nothing in the yard, and we have to take a fence down, clean up some garbage, and empty a bunch of flower pots. There’s also the question of the composter — i.e., what to do with it.

I’ve packed some of my clothes, but the closet still looks full. We’ve packed all our books, CDs and DVDs, but that was easy. The sunroom needs a bit more attention. The bathroom still has at least one box worth of stuff in it, maybe two. The office is maybe half done — none of the computer equipment has been disassembled.

We have a dump trip to make and at least one trip to Value Village. The basement still needs some work, but it’s hard to tell how much. The fridge and freezer contents will need to be moved, but we’re slowly emptying the freezer, so it shouldn’t take too long to pack that stuff.

I think next week will be a busy week.

my faithful running partner

I went for a great run on Saturday at Beaver Lake. I ran a bit longer than usual, and the whole run felt fantastic. As usual, I had my trusty pointer with me. He had great fun as well, but he paid for it later. He was so sore on Sunday that he could barely stand. He fell a few times on the tile floor, and fell down the stairs once. It was awful to see.

He was diagnosed with arthritis in his spine about three years ago now, and it’s definitely worsened over the last six months. He’s on anti-inflammatories, but we’ve been a bit lax about giving them to him. We’ll be giving them to him regularly from now on.

He stopped mountain biking with Greg before he was diagnosed, as he just couldn’t keep up. It’s going to be a sad day when he can’t run with me anymore. I love watching him out there, and I love the silent company (for my one reader who runs with me…I love your company as well, don’t worry :)).

He doesn’t know how to take it easy, and it’s hard to know what’s best for him — enforce restricted activity or let him have his fun. The latter will cause him more pain, but restricting his activity is not the greatest option for him either. Nor for us, for that matter.

On a more positive note, he ran with me again this morning at Macaulay, and he seems fine today. Hopefully we’ll get a few more years out of him yet.

19 days in

I think I’ve hit a wall. I can write consecutively for 18 days, but on the 19th day…I’m toast. Of course it could be the parenting, purging and packing that has taken me to the wall so soon.

But I’ve come this far, and I’ll continue. This post will just be about my day, but I figure it’s better than nothing. My husband questions that, but I don’t see him taking on this challenge. 🙂

We had another beautiful day here in Victoria. We’ve been pretty lucky with our fall weather. My mum is visiting, and we took the kids to the “round-and-round slide park”, which is Elliot’s name for the playground by the Vic West skate park.

We played for about 45 minutes, and then it was on to White Spot for lunch. Usually when we order food for Elliot in a restaurant he doesn’t eat it, so this time I thought he could just eat some of mine. He ended up eating half my burger, which was unfortunate for me because I love White Spot burgers.

We came home after lunch and I attempted nap time. It was mostly unsuccessful. Amy slept for about 30 minutes, Elliot didn’t sleep at all. When he heard me get Amy up, he called out saying he was done. He is definitely outgrowing his nap. I’ve been trying to do quiet time instead (giving him some toys in his crib) and that seems to be working, so I’ll continue. What I am not so sure about is whether he really IS tired and needing a nap, and the toys are a distraction. But my gut tells me he is ready to give it up. The silver lining of this is that he’s in bed by 7:00, which is pretty nice for Greg and I.

On to afternoon snack and reading books with Gran, while I tried to keep an overtired Amy happy. Then dinner prep, dinner with a few tears from an overtired boy, and, like I said, in bed by 7:00.

I’ve just spent the last 90 minutes packing, and now I’m going to veg in front of the TV.

Tomorrow’s post might be a bit more titillating, but don’t get your hopes up.

100 Things Blog Go-Round

From the Dalzells’ blog, via a couple of other blogs. (Thanks for the content idea, Erin, I was struggling tonight!)

Looks like I’ve got some work to do, although if I authored the list, it’d be a bit different…hmmm, maybe that’s another idea for content. 🙂

  1. Started your own blog
  2. Slept under the stars
  3. Played in a band
  4. Visited Hawaii
  5. Watched a meteor shower
  6. Given more than you can afford to charity
  7. Been to Disneyland
  8. Held a praying mantis
  9. Climbed a mountain
  10. Sang a solo
  11. Bungee jumped
  12. Visited Paris
  13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
  14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
  15. Adopted a child
  16. Had food poisoning
  17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
  18. Grown your own vegetables
  19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
  20. Slept on an overnight train
  21. Had a pillow fight
  22. Hitch hiked
  23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
  24. Built a snow fort
  25. Held a lamb
  26. Gone skinny dipping
  27. Run a Marathon
  28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
  29. Seen a total eclipse
  30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
  31. Hit a home run
  32. Been on a cruise
  33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
  34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
  35. Seen an Amish community
  36. Taught yourself a new language
  37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
  38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
  39. Gone rock climbing
  40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
  41. Sung karaoke
  42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
  43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
  44. Visited Africa
  45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
  46. Been transported in an ambulance
  47. Had your portrait painted
  48. Gone deep sea fishing
  49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
  50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
  51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
  52. Kissed in the rain
  53. Played in the mud
  54. Gone to a drive-in theater
  55. Been in a movie
  56. Visited the Great Wall of China
  57. Started a business
  58. Taken a martial arts class
  59. Visited Russia
  60. Served at a soup kitchen
  61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
  62. Gone whale watching
  63. Got flowers for no reason
  64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
  65. Gone sky diving
  66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
  67. Bounced a check
  68. Flown in a helicopter
  69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
  70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
  71. Eaten Caviar
  72. Pieced a quilt
  73. Stood in Times Square
  74. Toured the Everglades
  75. Been fired from a job
  76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
  77. Broken a bone
  78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
  79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
  80. Published a book
  81. Visited the Vatican
  82. Bought a brand new car
  83. Walked in Jerusalem
  84. Had your picture in the newspaper
  85. Read the entire Bible
  86. Visited the White House
  87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
  88. Had chickenpox
  89. Saved someone’s life
  90. Sat on a jury
  91. Met someone famous
  92. Joined a book club
  93. Lost a loved one
  94. Had a baby
  95. Seen the Alamo in person
  96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
  97. Been involved in a law suit
  98. Owned a cell phone
  99. Been stung by a bee
  100. Read an entire book in one day

it was a reminder to drive defensively

This morning I was on Douglas street, going northbound, waiting at a red light at the Hillside intersection. The light went green, and I went. Some idiot coming up Government (on my left) decided to either run the red or didn’t see that his light was red, and he almost t-boned me. Thankfully he wasn’t going very fast and he was able to stop. I would have been a sitting duck, and Amy was in the car as well, on the same side of the car as me.

Shook me up a bit.