School's Almost Here

The kids are set to start school on Tuesday!!! Usually, we've already gotten word from the school bus company about when/where the stop is(not that the kids are using the bus this year). I checked it out myself on the website, and looking at it, there's no way they can get to the school on time the way it's set up. We still don't have word on who Aidans' teacher will be this year either, which would be really nice to know, as there are going to be 2 JK/SK split classes this year. I'm going to assume that he will most likely have Mrs Young, but I could be wrong.

I've almost got everything the kids are going to need for the school year ready, I need to remember to have some $ on hand to pay for Caleighs' agenda the second day of school, and make sure to have a couple of cheques to pay for the milk program. In terms of buying things, I don't need to get them shoes this year, as their inside shoes from last year fit them for using to go to school, we got inside shoes while we were away in Vermont, but I do need to get page protectors for their new school-year control journals, which should hopefully make things go more smoothly during the school week, and get them clean, tidy rooms.

Surgery

So, I had my surgical consultation appointment this morning. I was nervous going in, and had a bit of trouble finding the place(although that's not much of a surprise, as I was looking for a completely incorrect street # that didn't exist, most likely my fault, as I heard 191, not 190). It went well. I asked the questions I wanted to(whether physio, chiro or RMT would help some), and he answered me honestly that, while it wouldn't hurt, it really won't give any relief. He based this on his research, my nerve conduction test results, and the fact that I don't have any chronic neck pain that would indicate a different cause for my hand problems. He also did a small test on my hand which resulted in mild numbness within a few seconds.

My surgery is scheduled for January 12th in the afternoon. I could have had it done sooner, but with the recovery time frame and the fact that Kevin is for sure going away for work in October/November, and then it's the holidays, January looked better.

5 Years

That's how old Aidan is now. I cannot believe that he's 5 years old already, it seems like not that long ago, he was a newborn. We had his party last weekend, hoping to have it outside, but due to the wind, clouds and cooler temperatures from the hurricane passing to the far south-east, we had to have most things indoors. 3 of Aidans' classmates were able to come, so that was a real boost for him. He got lots of car related toys, along with some clothes and money that he'll be able to either save or buy something he would really like(I think he wants to get a game for his Leapster). He asked for a fortress cake for his birthday, and that's what he got. I think it turned out pretty good. I had more than one person tell me that I really should go into the cake business, but I'm not so sure my cakes are worth charging people for.

Blog Title Change

I decided it was time to change the title of my blog, since we no longer have more than one cat. I've decided to keep with a similar title, but just change a word. So now, instead of Kids, Cats, and Life, it's Kids, Pets, and Life to reflect the change our house had gone through in the last few weeks.

Speaking of changes, today was the day that Brynna got her Big Girl Bed(aka a mattress on the floor). I spent a good chunk of the morning taking apart the crib for the last time, tidying up the room, placing the mattress and getting the cover and sheet on it. She looks so teeny tiny in it(it's a double), and I think she has the most comfortable bed in the house now.

The rest of this week will be spent getting ready for Aidan's 5th birthday party on Sunday. I've got cakes to make and decorate, pizza ingredients to prep, house to clean(in case of rain), patio and yard to tidy(in case of sun), and loot bags to put together(although so far we have only 2 of Aidan's classmates coming).

Crazy Vacation

We did so much during our week in Vermont that it seems like we never really stopped. Our first day, we drove down to St Johnsbury, had lunch at the Moore Reservoir, which was very pretty, then we went back to the house after picking up some groceries. Next up was Jay Peak, which included a ride up in the tram and a hike back down. Then we went to Ben & Jerry's, Green Mountain Coffee Company and then finally found the outlet mall in Essex(just outside of Burlington) and picked up shoes for all 3 kids and some attachments for the KitchenAide. We came back through the Smuggler's Notch Pass(I can see why that road is closed in the winter). On Thursday we went to Cabot Creamery, White River Junction and then finished up the day at the Quechee Gorge. Friday, we did another drive to St Johnsbury, taking a more scenic route, which resulted in us being able to see a blade for a windmill being trucked to the construction site just south of Barton.

Saturday came, we did our last minute clean up, closed up, took recycling to the depot, stopped at the Duty Free, then crossed into Quebec, where we headed to the lake after a quick stop to pick up some lunch food and a visit to the cemetery.

Family Vacation

Our vacation this year is going to be a shorter, less-time in the car affair this year. We're headed to Derby Line for a week starting on Sunday. We're bringing Patches with us, and hoping to have a quiet, uneventful border crossing with him(we have his health certificate from his vet, showing that his shots are all up to date and he's healthy). I'm hoping to make a day trip down to the Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory for a tour, and maybe to pick up some Green Mountain Coffee Company Kcups for my brewer. I also found a shop that's supposed to sell the KnitPicks knitting needles, so I hope that they might have the Options set available while I'm there, as I'd really like to replace my Boye set, as it really isn't good for the type of knitting patterns I'm working on these days because of the uneven joins(which snag yarn) and the super stiff cables. If not, I know that Knit Knackers here in Ottawa is listed as carrying KP needles.

Should be an interesting week, to say the least.

Where did the week go?

It was a busy one! First, on Tuesday, there was a day-trip to Kingston to see Luc and Antonio arrive in town while they were participating in the Friends for Life bike rally from Toronto to Montreal. We didn't get to see them for long, but they were tired, and wanted to take the opportunity to do their laundry and relax. We managed to squeeze in a visit with my parents after taking a drive past the house I grew up in and my old elementary school.  Thursday was my dentist appointment and then Friday was our 11th wedding anniversary. I didn't manage to get out shopping for a gift for Kevin, so I made a nice spaghetti dinner, complete with fresh baked rolls, salad and a banana cream pie. Today, I did the usual groceries, then Aidan and I took a walk to Walmart and picked up a smaller carrier for Patches to ride in on our trip to Derby Line next week.

Losing a Friend

It's the end of an era here. Tigger stopped eating properly earlier in the week, he had already stopped properly grooming himself(to the point of having huge mats build up in his hair) and then he stopped drinking water. Our regular vet is on vacation so we took Tigger to a vet that Dr Murray's staff takes their pets to when Dr Murray isn't available. We saw Dr McKenna, who wanted to take blood and urine samples and get us to an emergency animal hospital where they could admit Tigger and do some u/s work to see what was going on. We waited for about 2 hours at the hospital, only to find out that his test results from Liston Animal Hospital for kidney function were off the charts, and that the treatment they wanted him to have we couldn't afford. In the end, we decided to have them give him some subcutaneous fluids, abx, and some other med to help him pass a slightly more comfortable evening at home. The feeling of being judged by the vet for our decision was almost too much to bear. We brought him home and made him as comfortable as possible. Kevin wanted him to sleep up on the bed with me, so we made a safe little spot with an old t-shirt over a piddle pad just in case and that is where he spent the night until about quarter to 6, when he got off and threw up blood. I got him cleaned up and quietly took him outside to enjoy the fresh cool air, the grass, birdsong and the rising sunshine. Eventually everyone got up and came out with us.

Once Liston Animal Hospital opened, we called and got a time to bring Tigger out for his last ever visit to the vet. Everyone there was wonderful, understanding and compassionate. Much more so than the emergency hospital staff. I will most definitely be sending a thank you card to them this week. Next will be informing our regular vet's office of Tigger's passing.

Second Birthday Party

Brynna's birthday party was a success, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, despite the heat and humidity which forced us to change plans for an outdoor party to an indoor one. Fortunately, we had a bit of warning on that this year and were able to set up indoors from the start. Brynna's cake turned out very nicely, and she had a lot of fun with everyone. She's really starting to warm up to people now that she's a bit older, even letting our once scary neighbour feed her her cake and ice cream.

Visits, Construction, and Birthdays

First up, our visit with Lisa, Chris, Brendan and Gavin was really great, very busy, but we had a good time, and are talking about getting together again next summer, somewhere in between everyone's home areas. We saw lots of things around Ottawa, some that we'd been to before(Parliament Hill, Museum of Nature), and some we hadn't(Rideau Hall, Science and Tech museum) and then the last day of the visit was spent at the local splash pad just relaxing.

Kevin is now trying to finish the construction of the patio/walkway and has decided that the post for the gate needed to come out and be replaced with a longer one to make sure it doesn't heave out of position next winter. He's trying to get it done before Brynna's party, but that may not happen, nor will the moving of the pergola.

Speaking of parties, Brynna is now officially 2 years old!!! I cannot believe that our youngest has been with us for 2 years already. *sniff* Her party will be on Sunday, so that her aunt(and godmother) Jess will be able to attend.

One Step Closer

Just got a call this morning from our family doctor letting me know when my consultation appointment with the surgeon will be for my hands on August 30th. I've been diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. I've already had the nerve conduction testing done, confirming our doctor's suspicions, fortunately, I didn't need to have the second level of testing done(or maybe that will happen later on), which is the needle version. I'm hoping that if I do have to have the surgery, it can be scheduled at a time when the kids are back in school and Kevin will be available to help at home while I heal.

Summer Has Arrived

The kids are home(and that leads to lots of issues), the garden is growing, the patio is slowly coming together, the cherry harvest is in full swing, and we're starting to get ready for both Brynna's second birthday, and the arrival of Lisa, Chris, Brendan and Gavin for their visit.

We need to figure out what sorts of things our visitors would like to see. I was thinking maybe Upper Canada Village, maybe Almonte for the falls and the small-town main street. Or maybe Hogsback for it's falls and the surrounding park and beach area.

I've completed the C25K program, and am continuing to run 5K(actually getting to around 5.3K in 30 minutes), but have to decide whether or not I'll drop to 2 days a week or keep it at 3.

Caleigh and I made it down to Parliament Hill for Canada Day and the visit of Prince William and Catherine, but we didn't manage to see them on anything other than the big screens above the main stage(although I could see the top of her hat and his head), despite the fact that we had an excellent spot, right straight ahead of where they exited the landau. We ended up being blocked by a bunch of military photographers, who stood in just the wrong spot. We did, however, have a GREAT view of the military bands and the RCMP mounted escort for the landau, which exited from in front of Centre Block right past us. We may not have actually gotten to see them, but it was quite the experience, and we can say that we saw them during the first stop on their first official tour as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Running Again

I decided that I wanted to start back on the C25K program this year. Ironically, it was Mother's Day last year when I did my very first run. I just this afternoon did my first run, and Mother's Day is on Sunday. It felt good to get back into it, and I think Brynna enjoyed the going fast, going slow, then fast again. I think she liked the fast most of all, though.

I Didn't Realise

Wow! I hadn't realised that it was January when I last updated here. It's been busy, as usual, but things have been going well. Shortly after Caleigh's 7th birthday party, I decided to give something new a try. I had been pointed to a website that was supposed to help with getting my house under control, and boy, has it ever made a difference! I've managed to reclaim a lot of the house, and get rid of a bunch of stuff that, while still in good shape and useful, they were not useful to us any more. Since finding FlyLady, I'm not crisis cleaning any more. People can come over and I don't worry about things so much any more. It's awesome, and I'm getting my kitchen organised, which is making working in there so much easier and more enjoyable. I love this site!!!
http://www.flylady.net/index.asp

Brynna is getting so big, practically running now, but not talking yet. It's incredible how much she's learned and grown in the past 2 months alone. She's learned to give high-5s, she's helping put dishes in the sink and dishwasher, and learning to scribble with crayons!

School is going super for both Caleigh and Aidan, with them learning sooooo much, and getting involved in charities(which means getting me involved) like OKCleanwater. Their school had a fund raising raffle last week for OKCleanwater, and asked parents to donate decorated cakes to be raffled off. I decided that I would donate a cake. It wasn't what I had initially planned, but the bunny turned out pretty good. The school got 18 cakes donated and raised over $150. Some of the cakes were amazing, making my little bunny look a bit plain. I think I need to make another one for Easter because Aidan was not happy that we didn't keep bunny to eat for ourselves, lol!

It's Been Soooooooo Busy

I've been super duper busy since before Christmas. The kids to keep busy during their holidays, prep work for Christmas itself and post holiday decompression. I didn't manage to get everything done that I had wanted to for the holiday season, including knitting people's presents, which I'm still working on, although what I did manage to get done was we.ll received.

Tigger has been doing much better since he had a relapse a couple of days before the vet closed for the holiday. We've had him on hypoallergenic food since then, and he's been doing so much better - no throwing up, less stinky in the litter box, and he's been gaining weight back!! So, it looks like the initial diagnosis of pancreatitis might have been incorrect. He might actually just have a food sensitivity that has gotten worse as he ages.

The kids have been doing well, a few bumps in the road at school, but good. Caleigh had a big test last week on her Word Wall Words from before Christmas, and she got 22 out of 25 right!! However, she's having troubles with her reading. She can read at her level during class time, but during a test, she falls behind. We just need to work on her confidence and get her to take learning risks. Aidan is doing well, he does have a few issues with letting others help, and pushing and arguing to be first in line. We've got things in place, either that we've thought of, or that others have suggested, to try to help both of the kids with these issues.

Brynna has her 18 month appointment next week, and there are some issues that Kevin and I need to work on, but life is relatively good, especially when we keep in mind that there are other people who are worse off than us.

We also have a new hamster(yes, our third :( ), whom we adopted from the Humane Society a week and a half ago. She's very, very friendly, but a bit on the silly side because she keeps plugging the tube up to where she's nesting to the point where she can't/won't dig it out to come down and interact.