Wow, the month flew by. I guess that is what happens when you vacation in the middle of it. We are trying to get motivated on this lazy Saturday morning, but it is really hard and JJ is out of town on business, not retuning until this evening, so there is no one to turn off the TV and get us moving on something constructive. Oh yeah, I am the mom, so I should be doing that, right?
I really am trying to be productive. I have plans, laundry plans, plans to iron, even maybe attempt to scrapbook (for the kids) and plans to go swimming this afternoon. But, it is already 11:30 and here I sit, in front of the computer because I just want to relax. Since I want to be lazy, it is very hard for me to deny the kids the same luxury, accept for Charlotte ofcourse. Charlotte, who has been having a really difficult time with certain areas in her life, like school, is slated to do some copying and thinking today. We are taking sections of the Book of Proverbs and copying them long-hand. Then we are giving a little synopsis on each section. What is the point? Well I am hoping to have her reflect a little on honesty and integrity. I am sure that I might as well be spitting in the wind, but you never know. Whatever, it beats screaming, yelling and fantasizing about smacking her across the face.
The weather has been bizarre, snow and sun. I am going to send the kids outside to take care of the driveway before it all freezes again. I got stuck yesterday, thanks to my beautiful rear-wheel drive vehicle. I was fine on the roads, but the driveway proved to be just too much for the car. Maybe with the kids outside I will do something like ironing. You never know. At least I won't feel so guilty about having them sit in front of the TV all day. Although, I sincerely believe that sitting in front of the TV all morning on a Saturday is a child's right. It was for me when I was a kid. The good thing now is that you can find channels without commercials so they are not being brainwashed while watching mind numbing cartoons.
Am hoping to see Roger who is back from Florida. My mother says that his tan is to die for, which I could probably do without seeing, but I did miss him and am glad that he came back, even if he did bring six inches of snow with him. I also need to get in touch with Chantal, who recently had surgery on her eyes. I would like to know how it went. Nicole called the other night and I need to return her call. I was too sick on Tuesday, I didn't have any voice and was not in any shape to talk on the phone.
big kisses to all.
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Back to reality
What could be better than a week in Paris? Well if we had had good weather it could have been better, but despite mother natures reluctance to cooperate, we had a great time.
I rented a small flat in the center of Paris and we were very well located. It was very cute and had exactly what we needed. To make it even better, it was a short ten minute walk from the apartment my mother and her friends rented. We had a great time with no stuffy set agenda. We went with the flow and really had a stress free time.
Just to keep me honest, Helene got sick. She wasn't like, in the hospital sick, but she wasn't talking (which is a huge clue) and she wanted to sleep all the time (I guess it was like a flash forward to what it may be like when she is a teenager?). We have quite a collection of medicines from the local pharmacy. I will have a hard time remembering which medicine goes with what, so the smartest thing would be to dispose of all of them, but why would I do that? So Helene got sick and Charlotte flirted with sickness and now that we are back, Luke is the one with a small fever and much stuffiness.
I too, have decided to contribute to a bout of illness. I have extremely overloaded sinuses. This was a real treat on the flight home. I was actually in tears at the pain. I still can't hear properly and every time I talk I sound like I am screaming, even though JJ says that he can barely hear me. I realize that this is probably the answer to a lot of people's prayers, but I would really like my life back.
The good news is that I am working from home, so at 2 in the afternoon, still lounging in my pj's with very little motivation to actually get dressed and bathed. Because I am at home and not interrupted I have actully managed to catch up on the gazillion emails that were lurking in my inbox. The bad news is that I still haven't gone totally back to reality, like leaving the house and going to the office.
What did we do in Paris? Well we walked, a lot. We discovered new areas. We saw Paristory, an hour long movie on how Paris was developed. The kids and I took a tour of Notre Dame. We spent time with family and friends. We ate great food. We laughed and basically enjoyed the blessing of being together and being allowed to vacation in a wonderful spot.
More to all soon. We are trying to go up north with JJ this weekend. He has a wine tasting in the Petosky area and meeting in Traverse. I thought that we could go with him and the kids could ski on Sat. Helene ofcourse is still not allowed to do any activity because of the toe thing, but Luke and Charlotte could ski.
bisous to you.
I rented a small flat in the center of Paris and we were very well located. It was very cute and had exactly what we needed. To make it even better, it was a short ten minute walk from the apartment my mother and her friends rented. We had a great time with no stuffy set agenda. We went with the flow and really had a stress free time.
Just to keep me honest, Helene got sick. She wasn't like, in the hospital sick, but she wasn't talking (which is a huge clue) and she wanted to sleep all the time (I guess it was like a flash forward to what it may be like when she is a teenager?). We have quite a collection of medicines from the local pharmacy. I will have a hard time remembering which medicine goes with what, so the smartest thing would be to dispose of all of them, but why would I do that? So Helene got sick and Charlotte flirted with sickness and now that we are back, Luke is the one with a small fever and much stuffiness.
I too, have decided to contribute to a bout of illness. I have extremely overloaded sinuses. This was a real treat on the flight home. I was actually in tears at the pain. I still can't hear properly and every time I talk I sound like I am screaming, even though JJ says that he can barely hear me. I realize that this is probably the answer to a lot of people's prayers, but I would really like my life back.
The good news is that I am working from home, so at 2 in the afternoon, still lounging in my pj's with very little motivation to actually get dressed and bathed. Because I am at home and not interrupted I have actully managed to catch up on the gazillion emails that were lurking in my inbox. The bad news is that I still haven't gone totally back to reality, like leaving the house and going to the office.
What did we do in Paris? Well we walked, a lot. We discovered new areas. We saw Paristory, an hour long movie on how Paris was developed. The kids and I took a tour of Notre Dame. We spent time with family and friends. We ate great food. We laughed and basically enjoyed the blessing of being together and being allowed to vacation in a wonderful spot.
More to all soon. We are trying to go up north with JJ this weekend. He has a wine tasting in the Petosky area and meeting in Traverse. I thought that we could go with him and the kids could ski on Sat. Helene ofcourse is still not allowed to do any activity because of the toe thing, but Luke and Charlotte could ski.
bisous to you.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
and vacation is supposed to be easy...
Well, here we are, getting ready for a nice relaxing week in picturesque Paris, right? I feel like I am being ripped into about 48 different directions and I don't know what to do about it. Here is the gist of what's going on.
After much deliberation, Jean-Jacques and I have decided to let Charlotte accompany me and the other two kids on vacation. This would seem like a no-brainer for anyone without teenage children. For those of you with teenagers, you understand. There is behaviour coming from this once very sweet, very reliable, very honest kid, that as a parent, you just cannot accept. You try everything from working with the child, punishing the child, rewarding the child, screaming at the child, even ignoring the child, but after two years and an incalcuable number of promises of change, the behaviour continues. Then what? Well, this is where I am totally at a loss. I am thinking that I need to not include her on the vacation, but that seems a little extreme, and come on, she's not a drug addict or robbing banks. Plus, I am really wary of excluding her and making her feel like a parriah. I mean, if I remember correctly, at 13, you pretty much feel like a geek all the time, so you don't need your parents to add to your pain. I keep hearing the song "love will find a way" in my head. I am sure that somehow, with love, we will all get through this, just in time for Helene to start!
Yes, Helene. You didn't think that she could have an uneventful week, did you? Helene broke her toe. I mean, she broke her toe on January 29th, but being parents who are right on the ball, we finally got her to the pediatrician yesterday and found out that she needed an xray, and now we have discovered a broken toe that requires a visit to the orthopedic specialist! How does that happen? Who needs to go get their toe put in a cast for goodness sakes?
And Luke, after almost two years of no issues, is back on all his asthma medication, I won't even go into how upsetting this is. After calming down though, I realize that I'll do whatever I need to do to keep him from getting sicker and the pediatrician seems to feel that him being on this asthma medication will help prevent him from getting things like the flu.
So, with a no-travel week in front of me, I thought that I could handle getting the laundry done, packing our bags and being prepared for a week out of the office - HAH!!! Well, pray for me. It's Ash Wednesday and I did manage to go to service with my mother - so that's a start. Hopefully I will have only wonderful, peaceful things to write about when I return from my week in parisien paradise...
bisous to all.
After much deliberation, Jean-Jacques and I have decided to let Charlotte accompany me and the other two kids on vacation. This would seem like a no-brainer for anyone without teenage children. For those of you with teenagers, you understand. There is behaviour coming from this once very sweet, very reliable, very honest kid, that as a parent, you just cannot accept. You try everything from working with the child, punishing the child, rewarding the child, screaming at the child, even ignoring the child, but after two years and an incalcuable number of promises of change, the behaviour continues. Then what? Well, this is where I am totally at a loss. I am thinking that I need to not include her on the vacation, but that seems a little extreme, and come on, she's not a drug addict or robbing banks. Plus, I am really wary of excluding her and making her feel like a parriah. I mean, if I remember correctly, at 13, you pretty much feel like a geek all the time, so you don't need your parents to add to your pain. I keep hearing the song "love will find a way" in my head. I am sure that somehow, with love, we will all get through this, just in time for Helene to start!
Yes, Helene. You didn't think that she could have an uneventful week, did you? Helene broke her toe. I mean, she broke her toe on January 29th, but being parents who are right on the ball, we finally got her to the pediatrician yesterday and found out that she needed an xray, and now we have discovered a broken toe that requires a visit to the orthopedic specialist! How does that happen? Who needs to go get their toe put in a cast for goodness sakes?
And Luke, after almost two years of no issues, is back on all his asthma medication, I won't even go into how upsetting this is. After calming down though, I realize that I'll do whatever I need to do to keep him from getting sicker and the pediatrician seems to feel that him being on this asthma medication will help prevent him from getting things like the flu.
So, with a no-travel week in front of me, I thought that I could handle getting the laundry done, packing our bags and being prepared for a week out of the office - HAH!!! Well, pray for me. It's Ash Wednesday and I did manage to go to service with my mother - so that's a start. Hopefully I will have only wonderful, peaceful things to write about when I return from my week in parisien paradise...
bisous to all.
Friday, February 04, 2005
February sweethearts.
I cannot believe how quickly January has gone by, but then vacation also seems like it was eons ago. We certainly have been busy on Baylor, running in every direction and really just keeping out heads above water.
Jean-Jacques was in France for a week. He had a productive week and came home to attend Lou's birthday party. He was a supreme trooper, but ended up falling asleep before the end of the Euchre tournament. Thank goodness Carol was there to step in and save the day.
Last week, just a few days after his return, I left for Montreal on Tuesday. JJ left for Cincinnati on Wednesday and mom came and spent the night and got the kids off to school on Thursday. I came home on Thursday. JJ came home Saturday late and left Sunday evening. Are you following this? He did return to us on the 2nd, in time for crepes at my moms house (for the Chandeleur) and now we are both home until I leave for France on the 11th.
When I read this over it all sounds very confusing and stressful. Really it isn't so bad. We manage to go to the pool with the kids (although rarely with both adults at the same time) and we even manage to make dinner and eat. The kids get lunches made and they get homework reviewed. Now I don't want to mislead anyone. There are intense moments, like the ones just before it's time to get to school. Somehow those 5 minutes seem to throw everyone into a tailspin and we just cannot get it together without yelling.
The other good thing is that the kids have to be a little self reliant. Like Luke making his and Helene's lunch because he is downstairs and ready before her. That is pretty cool for a first grader. OK, there is a LOT of butter on the ham sandwich, and only one slice of ham (I corrected this before the sandwiches got in the bags), but he did it. Charlotte gets her beautiful self out of bed in the morning at 5:30 to be ready for school at 7:10 (yes, she is a little slow, but that is her choice) and when her father is travelling, she wakes the rest of the family at 6:30. I cannot get out of bed 5:30 unless someone is dying!
So, we are getting ready for our big trip to France. I have a lot of friends to see and things to do. I have also added a job interview to my list, so keep your fingers crossed for me, the interview is on valentines day, so that's a good sign, right?
Pray for our little Jason who is a pretty sick little guy. He has been at the hospital since earlier this week with a respritory infection that certainly resembles RSV, but he has not been diagnosed clearly with that yet. Adrienne has been at his side at every moment, except for the few when she runs home to shower and change and allows Matt some private time with their youngest. Cam, much to Adrienne's dismay, but Claude's delight, has decided that his mother is gone so much just to personally piss him off, so he's pouting and only wanting to be with Grandpa!
love to all - keep smiling - keep sane - thank God for all of his blessings, even the really little ones.
Jean-Jacques was in France for a week. He had a productive week and came home to attend Lou's birthday party. He was a supreme trooper, but ended up falling asleep before the end of the Euchre tournament. Thank goodness Carol was there to step in and save the day.
Last week, just a few days after his return, I left for Montreal on Tuesday. JJ left for Cincinnati on Wednesday and mom came and spent the night and got the kids off to school on Thursday. I came home on Thursday. JJ came home Saturday late and left Sunday evening. Are you following this? He did return to us on the 2nd, in time for crepes at my moms house (for the Chandeleur) and now we are both home until I leave for France on the 11th.
When I read this over it all sounds very confusing and stressful. Really it isn't so bad. We manage to go to the pool with the kids (although rarely with both adults at the same time) and we even manage to make dinner and eat. The kids get lunches made and they get homework reviewed. Now I don't want to mislead anyone. There are intense moments, like the ones just before it's time to get to school. Somehow those 5 minutes seem to throw everyone into a tailspin and we just cannot get it together without yelling.
The other good thing is that the kids have to be a little self reliant. Like Luke making his and Helene's lunch because he is downstairs and ready before her. That is pretty cool for a first grader. OK, there is a LOT of butter on the ham sandwich, and only one slice of ham (I corrected this before the sandwiches got in the bags), but he did it. Charlotte gets her beautiful self out of bed in the morning at 5:30 to be ready for school at 7:10 (yes, she is a little slow, but that is her choice) and when her father is travelling, she wakes the rest of the family at 6:30. I cannot get out of bed 5:30 unless someone is dying!
So, we are getting ready for our big trip to France. I have a lot of friends to see and things to do. I have also added a job interview to my list, so keep your fingers crossed for me, the interview is on valentines day, so that's a good sign, right?
Pray for our little Jason who is a pretty sick little guy. He has been at the hospital since earlier this week with a respritory infection that certainly resembles RSV, but he has not been diagnosed clearly with that yet. Adrienne has been at his side at every moment, except for the few when she runs home to shower and change and allows Matt some private time with their youngest. Cam, much to Adrienne's dismay, but Claude's delight, has decided that his mother is gone so much just to personally piss him off, so he's pouting and only wanting to be with Grandpa!
love to all - keep smiling - keep sane - thank God for all of his blessings, even the really little ones.
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