The wicked witch of the west is circling......

So, it looks like Emma is finally going to get to go to Canada's Wonderland tomorrow....you know, the trip that she was supposed to have last Monday....the trouble is...I couldn't be very happy for her......Emma was scamming me again....

The girlfirend that Emma was going with tomorrow called and left a message for Emma to call.....it was URGENT!!!!!....so, stupid me......'you'd better call her Emma..she said it was urgent'....so she does.....'mom....she says her mom has to pick me up tonight at my bedtime 'cause she has errands to do on the way to Wonderland tomorrow'....reluctantly, I say yes because I was trying to be co-operative! Emma has a sneaky grin on her face.....aha...somethings up...sure enough,...a few minutes later, it was...'her mom is out doing things today and it might be as late as bedtime but it might be a little earlier'.....another little sneaky grin.......well, bedtime was at 2:30 in the afternoon......I was not impressed!

I'm afraid Miss Emma has cooked her goose! This girlifriend has not been a good influence on Emma and it's only getting worse! Time to play the part of the big, mean mother.....which I hate playing, really I do....but, it has to be done and I'm ticked off enough to be up for the challenge!

Look out Emma! Enjoy yourself tomorrow because your comeuppance is just around the corner!

Dishwashing Memories.....

When I was five years old, I washed the supper dishes for the very first time....I was so excited that I couldn't wait to do it the next time! That started many years of my sister and I doing dishes together....sometimes we had fun, sometimes we bickered....she could always sit on the counter top and dry at the same time, I never could ....sounds hokey but sometimes we even sang our way through getting the job done. Fast forward fifty some odd years later and I hear my kids doing dishes....by hand.......our dishwasher died! I went to put it on one evening and it made a terrible noise, so I quickly shut it off....the next day, hubby says 'try another cycle'...so dutiful wife,..does.
It wouldn't even fill up with water this time and when I opened the door a smoke like wafting came out!.....Help!
So, it was quite interesting when I told my kids that they were actually going to have to dishes ...by hand....
I was sitting in the living room, desperately trying to get this quilt done by the weekend and listening.....listening to silence.....I think they were in shock...I was finding it kind of amusing...and then....
'there's something on that', 'do it again'...'no, there isn't, I washed it'....'well, do it again',.........Mom!.......'Ben, do it again, it isn't clean'..........grumble, grumble, grumble........

Memories,.....I could remember two girls, years ago....making the same comments......I must admit I smiled to myself...the good old days.....

Maybe it's a good thing that it'll probably be a week before we can possibly get a new dishwasher installed.....maybe it's time for some different memories to be made!

Meltdown

Yesterday I had a MAJOR meltdown! I say major because when my husband came home last night he said he had been worried about me......you have to know my husband,..he doesn't worry, so, I figure I must have rattled him. I didn't intend to do that but it happened. A number of things have happened since we came home from Bermuda.....some little, some not so little...and they all decided to culminate yesterday morning......I really can't go into too many details....have to protect the innocent(guilty) you know....but yesterday I told my husband that I was done.....he said done...what do you mean by done....I said, done being a mom....after 33 years I know longer wanted to be a mom.....ZAP.....(that's the lightening bolt striking)...I've always been a little parenoid about making statements like that, no matter how I felt , (you know the whole Job in the Bible scenario!). Yesterday, I didn't care...I had had it, couldn't do it anymore.

I quickly packed up my quilt...I just have to get it done this week..the wedding is on Saturday....grabbed my van keyes and purse and left. Of course, I called to Ben to watch the dogs (my dogs would tear the place apart if not watched at all times!)

Now, I didn't go far.....just to the drugstore to pick up a prescription and some new Tylenol (long story), stopped at the local Tim Hortons for a tea biscuit and peach drink, and then ended up at my mom's house. Mom was by herself cause dad was at dialysis, so we had a nice visit....me, quilting, while we chatted. It kind of reminded me of those 'Frances' books that Leslie loved when she was little....Frances said she was going to run away, so her mother packed her some cookies and she did run away....I believe it was to under the dining room table (if my memory serves me correctly)!

I came back at the end of the afternoon, the child that had been the (straw that broke the camels back) had gone to a friends', so it was just me and two of the kids. We had a quiet evening, Don was teaching, (he teaches every night this week....except Friday.....), my sister came over for a cup of tea......and that was it...meltdown over.......

I'm still not sure I want to be a mom anymore......but as my eldest pointed out,...than I wouldn't have the grandbabies...............................................................................................oh, my.

Poor Emma

Several weeks ago I got scammed by my daughter!.....this is the daughter who has the friend that gave me trouble for not letting daughter Emma do anything....so I was kind of guilted into letting Emma go to Canada's Wonderland....a big theme park, an hour and a half or so from here. It wasn't until a couple of weeks after we agreed ,that it came out that we were suppose to pay for the ticket...well, I was royally ticked off.....not only couldn't we afford that but we couldn't afford to do the same for all the kids......so it wouldn't be fair just to do it for her. Well, I tried to figure something else and I think I mentioned in a previous post that I made up a list of unusual chores that would have a monetary value that would add up to the cost of the ticket. So, for the last few weeks Emma's been doing all sorts of things that normally I couldn't even convince her to do even if I was dying! She cleaned out the fridge, washed down the patio doors, washed quite a few dishes, cleaned out a closet....and other things I can't think of at the moment.
For the last few days we've been getting the day by day countdown,...she's been making copious lists, she's had her clothes layed out that she was going to wear for at least three days, she spent the time this evening giving herself a manicure w/fresh nail polish and talked about not getting to sleep tonight because she was so excited.
About 9:30 this evening she called her friend to confirm what time they'd pick her up in the morning. Girlfriend said, 'I'll call you back'. Awhile later she did....they'd been checking the weather,....it's suppose to rain,....they need to postpone. Girlfriend's mom doesn't get another day off til next Monday.......Emma is devastated.....tears, wailing,..anger....the whole nine yards....she wanted me to call the mother and convince her to go.....I couldn't.....

Poor Emma.....I really felt badly for her......she'd worked so hard and for so long.....other kids take these kind of outings for granted....not my kids,..they usually don't get special treats like that, so for them it's a big deal.

Poor Emma...I sure hope next Monday is good weather.

Sharing

As I sit here thinking about how fast my life has got back to normal (whatever normal is)....it's really hard to believe that just a few days ago I woke up in sunny Bermuda....there is something very refreshing about getting away for a few days....getting away from the whining and the bickering......and enjoying the quiet. In my everyday life, quiet is a rare commodity....but as we sat outside the room, on our patio and stared at the turquoise ocean....there it was...quiet...tranquility....

Don't get me wrong...there are certain noisiness..is there such a word....that I relish....like the laughter of my grandchildren, the chatter of all my kids when we have a family dinner,...the cheering at Maya's basketball game when she gets a three pointer, listening to our church band play a reallybeautiful selection that has different parts that rise up in a fabulous crescendo, a certain Simon/Garfunkel song played at full blast...gotta love the bass trombone!,....or just playing any music very loud when you're in a good mood and feel like 'jivin' (now I'm really dating myself!) around the house........

but you can't beat the quiet,...cause in the quiet, you hear the voice of God ever so softly saying...Do you like it...isn't beautiful...isn't it magnificent....I made it to enjoy...but I'll share it with you......the ocean is beautiful, especially in Bermuda.....Lord willing, we'll get to go back again (don't worry Ryan...we wont ask you to babysit again...poor Ryan, I think he's been traumatized for life,...he couldn't wait to get home!)

Oh, well....I'm sure he'll survive......he's young.....he just acts old!


Thanks for sharing! I'll just have to look for the quiet a bit harder back in the normal!!

Reality!

Well, we're back....back to reality........a very long day of travel and we finally return home. Our oldest son has definitely got to know his siblings better.....I'm not so sure that has been a good thing! Up until this point Ryan's interaction with his younger sibs has been quite limited....the only contact has been the odd weekend visit with a lot of family around to run interference. Apparently, Ben even caused a new problem....that involved Children's Aid! Emma tried to stay up half the night and then missed the bus and Maya tried to get some exercise by walking to school when she got mad at Ryan and left the house in a huff! Of course, there was Megan who tried to convince Ryan that she was sick.....many times.....and also tried to convince him that her class was going to be away a day earlier than I had told Ryan and that she should stay home from school! All in all, I think it was a very enlightening week for Ryan, getting to know his younger sibs and it was good for the younger kids to get to know their big brother! I'm sure he'll never agree to do it again.......just as I'm sure that we wont get to go away again for a very long , long time!

Bermuda doesn't have shopping on Sunday!

Well, halfway through our holiday....and all is well...for the moment...it's Sunday afternoon and all the stores are closed....since we haven't experienced that for a number of years in Canada it does seem a little strange but rather peaceful. Tomorrow is a holiday...one of the Queen's many birthdays apparently...so the stores are closed that day also.....(inside doing a small panic)...there are a lot of souvenirs to be found and purchased and it looks like only one day to do it......good grief...how do I get myself into these messes......the trouble is a lot of our children are royally ticked off with us for going away,...so if we don't at least show up with something......well...I don't think I really want to go there.....
Today is my daughter Leslie and her husband James' wedding anniversary...and ours is tomorrow....it usually works out okay because we can swap babysitting back and forth but alas we're not there to do our turn...I did tell Les that we'd do it when we got home, if she didn't find someone to take our place.......I do miss my grandbabies.....
A big Happy Father's Day to my dad today!