Quiet Contentment

Now that both kids are in school, many people have asked me "What are you going to do with yourself while they are gone?"  Today marks the fifth school day of the new school year, and I am yet to be bored.

Did you know that laundry can be washed, folded and put away all on the same day?  I can actually vacuum the whole house at one time because the toys picked up at night stay that way until after school the following day.  Who knew that those fingerprints on the mirrors were not a permanent fixture?

I think that one of the best things I have discovered so far is a stockpile of "Nasty Notes" from Alex.  Alex has a very violent temper and I have been trying to redirect that anger from beating the daylights out of her brother, to writing her feelings and emotions down.  I have come across notes telling us she wants to move away because nobody loves her, notes that she wants new toys, notes that she does not want a brother anymore, etc., etc.  The best one I found was to her brother, who at this time cannot read, thank goodness.  It reads, "You are a stupid head.  You can never come in my room again.  Your feet stink.  You are a big Meany. "  As you can probably guess, that brother is the bane of her existence.

I am off to accomplish as many household tasks as possible before school lets out.  Soon, the peace and quite that I have come to enjoy will disappear amidst the sounds of cartoons and constant bickering, and I will need to take the roll of provider and rule enforcer yet again. 

Wishful Thinking

One of my friends told me that I needed to write in my blog again, it had been a while since my last post. 

Alex and Curran have their daily bouts of sibling affection.  No bloody noses, no black eyes, no questionable falls down the basement stairs; just slamming doors and raised voices. 

The kids have had their spring cold/flu.  Both little ones were off of school for a week each, which resulted in a week and a half of homework catch-up for Alex.  Curran was whisked to emergency one evening for some steroids and entertained a stressed pediatrician for a few minutes.   

Puddle season is here and amazingly my children have remained relatively dry.  Maybe my previous lectures have registered inside their thick skulls. 

Over all, things have been relatively quiet.  I am hoping that it stays that way.

My Angel

The past few days I have had a persistent headache and this morning I woke up with a head cold.  Normally, I dread getting sick, because I can see it coming, but this time I am the only person in the house sick. 

As soon as Sean and Alex left this morning, Curran was asking what we were going to do today.  Typically, when he doesn't have school we build with Lego, watch a movie, play Wii, colour, perfect our farming skills, and begrudgingly practice letters and numbers; this all before dinner (lunch for all you city folk).

He realized I did not feel good and told me to go lay down and get better.  He would play quietly while I rested.  He tucked me into bed, cuddled for a few seconds and headed downstairs to play with orders to stay out of mischief.  His response was "I'll try".

I did get some rest, in between requests for channel changes, Wii game changes, a snack, a Lego build, a tractor repair, and a pencil sharpening or four.  He was also true to his word, he did "try" to stay out of mischief; but this is my son and following direct orders is an impossible task.