In and Out.

Alarm sounds.
Kids up and off to school.
Out of the driveway for my zumba class and errands.
In the driveway.
Out of the driveway for a hair cut.
In the driveway to meet Peter and Sheldon who can't find the directions to the cross country meet.
Out of the driveway to pick up Juliana from school.
In the driveway.
Out of the driveway to take Juliana to hip hop and go to Dollar Store.
In the driveway.
Out of the driveway to pick up Juliana.
In the driveway.
Out of the driveway for School Barbeque and Curriculum Night.
In the driveway.
Out of the driveway to pick up a birthday present for a party tomorrow.
In the driveway.
Kids in bed.

Born to Run.

First cross country race of the season for my boy:

Way to go Sheldon!

Juliana tells a story.

I love to listen to the kids tell me about a movie that they've seen or a book they've read.  All that enthusiasm and excitement in their voices as their words come tumbling out....

This afternoon Juliana told me about Marmaduke - a movie she watched yesterday at a friend's birthday party.  We sat at the table while she told me, in great detail about the story.  Of course, it was told out of order, leaving the middle of one sub-plot to start another and then leave that one to return to the resolve of the first one.  In fact she started with the ending and then told it again to finish her recap off.  The names kept changing and, honestly, I don't know if she was talking about humans or dogs most of the time and I was a little afraid to ask :)

I nodded my head, I said "oh my" the requisite number of times, and I asked a couple of questions.  (Admittedly, I also left my body for a minute or two thinking of our plans for dinner.)

After she'd been talking for about 10 minutes she stopped mid-sentence to ask "are you really interested in this?"  "Oh, I am definitely interested in this - it sounds like such a fun movie!" I replied.

In the end, I know that it's a story about a dog with an owner named Phil.  There is a Bisto or a Busto or maybe a Bosto in the movie (she couldn't exactly remember so it kept changing).  And I know that (spoiler alert!) it ends on a gassy note.

Fifteen minutes at the table with my girl and her story.

Time well spent, if you ask me.

It's official.

Two parents.

Two kids.

Two cats.

One dog.

Something about that just wasn’t right.

It seems that to live in our home you must be part of a pair. Which means that something has been missing.

Until now.  Our family is feeling a little more complete these days since we’ve had Tucker join us.

We weren’t really looking for a second dog. We’d thought about it, but it was only a thought. Until Tucker found us. He was well loved by a family who, sadly, found themselves unable to care for him, so they set out to find him a new home. A strange twist of circumstances led him to us.

He’s a true beagle. Which means that all of Maggie’s qualities that drive us crazy are also Tucker’s. No off leash play for these pups. Once their noses hit the trail, they will not be interrupted. A squirrel, a bird, a bunny or a chipmunk and they’re off running. They rarely come when called. (Oh, unless you holler “treat” which is how we’ve found success.)

But for the one or two hours a day that we say “off Tucker”, “down Tucker”, “leave it Tucker” there are another 23 hours that he shows us the love. Big time. He’s a big slobbery mess. He’s a bed hog. But he’s the sweetest lug. After 2 1/2 weeks, I am able to appreciate just how hard it was for his family to say goodbye. And we feel very lucky to be with him now.

While it has taken some time for the cats to warm to the idea of yet another furry creature stealing our attention, Tucker and Maggie have discovered how much fun it is to have a partner in crime. They play together inside and out, they have figured out how to share their toys and their bones, they trade off who’s turn it is to bark at the neighbour’s dog and, whether they mean to or not, they drop enough fur between them to knit a third dog. But of everything, the thing that I love the most is that they share The Chair.

Maggie is a bit of a lazy butt. We come home at night and she feels put out that she has been wakened from her afternoon nap. It takes a couple of minutes before she strolls into the kitchen to meet us. Guard dog she is not.

Tucker, on the other hand, greets us at the door - tail wagging and whimpering with excitement. When I saw him pawing at the window the other day because Peter was home but not coming inside fast enough, I knew that was it. He had our hearts.

So, there you have it.

It was a crazy idea and there were a lot of reasons to keep our family just as it was. After all it was near perfect. But I wouldn’t change any of it. Things happen for a reason and this was a great thing.

Welcome home Tucker.

A whole new year.

Grade 8 and Grade 4.  How did that happen?  

I think what makes the first day of school so bittersweet for me is that for every grade they progress, they get one year older.....

When my kids want to see me cry, they remind me that Sheldon will be graduating this year.  I've been preparing for it for a couple of years now so that by the time it actually happens I (hopefully) won't be a blubbering mess. 

Meanwhile, this year, they still willingly posed for front porch pictures and walked to the end of the street together.  Then, Sheldon, in his bubble of grade 8 coolness, had to walk ahead to maintain his reputation.  

And so begins a whole new year.

It's Labour Day weekend.

Sigh.  We're almost done the last weekend before school.

We spent Friday night eating potato chips and watching Camp Rock 2.

We spent Saturday labouring:  painting, cleaning, laundry, and purging.

We spent Sunday lounging:  sleeping in, farmer's market, walking with the dogs in the forest, napping and catching up on 30 Rock.

Today, so far, we have sharpened pencils, read the paper, and baked brownies & coffee cake to contribute to the barbeque/jam session we're going to this afternoon.  

Best of all, today Sheldon made us breakfast - smartie pancakes and fruit parfaits.  He's been talking about his breakfast all week and today we finally got to enjoy it.  I love to watch him buzzing around the kitchen getting everything ready and setting the table just right.  Perhaps we have a future chef on our hands?  I'd eat his cooking every day of the week.

Tomorrow it's back to setting the alarm again.  The backpacks are ready, the clothes are laid out, and the lunches are planned.   

I'm not sure what I'll do with my day off.  Sit and quietly weep?  

Nope.  Try an epic dog walk, coffee and reading on the porch.  Sort of like my last day to myself.  

Alright, who am I kidding.  I will shed a few tears at my babies heading off another year older........and then I'll have my coffee.  

All you need is lug. Redux.

I never enter contests.

Well, hardly ever. 

But one July night, in a hotel in Regina, while the rest of my family slept, I was surfing, came across a contest that I thought would be fun, and sent in a submission.  Until now, I had completely forgotten about it.

I have already confessed my love of lug bags.  Well now everyone else knows too because  I am their fan of the month!  (Click this link to see their website.)

I have to admit that there was quite a bit of drama in our home when I read their e-mail telling me of my win - much jumping, dancing and laughing.  Sheldon thought that I had won the lottery and Peter was just mad that all my noise had woken him from a deep sleep on the lounger outside.

Needless to say - it all made my day.  And later this week I will be sitting, with my nose pressed against the window, waiting for my lug prizes to arrive.

Never underestimate the power of love, er, lug.

Not a problem. (Or is it?)

The lid on my travel mug has broken.  The little thingy that you open so that you can drink - it just snapped off.  The average person would toss the mug and move on.  But I'm not average.

I have a thing about the vessels that hold my hot liquids.  Crazy? Maybe.

I used to have this ceramic mug that Peter bought for me one Christmas after I had gushed over it in the store.  I used it every day when I walked the kids to school.  I loved the shape, I loved the lid.  I just loved the mug.  One cold morning I made the mistake of setting it on the hood of the car while I was loading up (I reasoned that if I set it on the ground then one of the kids would accidentally trip on it and it would end up broken).  I hadn't taken into consideration that there was frost on the car and I watched a my mug slide, in slow motion, off the car and into a million pieces on the driveway.  Okay, well maybe not a million, but I was sad.  There was definitely a period of grief.

Then, one day when I wasn't looking, I found it's replacement.  An overpriced ceramic travel mug made by a local artist.   Worth it though because I loved how it felt when I picked it up and I loved it's uniqueness.  Flash forward a year or so when, knowing the dangers of car hoods, I left it sitting on the floor and one of the kids kicked it over knocking it's handle off.

Perhaps ceramic isn't for me.

So last year I found a stainless steel mug at Starbucks.  I have used it almost every day since I bought it.  When I commute, I throw it in my bag and enjoy my morning coffee or end of day tea on the train.  It has never leaked.  Until now.  Without the above-mentioned thingy on it, it's kind of useless.

I mentioned my dilemma when I arrived at work Tuesday morning and my good friend said, a little too quickly, like she'd actually given it some thought,  "I think you need to stop being so attached to your mugs".

Gasp.

Me?  Attached to my mugs?  Well, maybe.  But is that really a problem?

My name is Jennifer and I am addicted to coffee mugs.

Could be worse.  It could be something much more costly.  Like shoes.

That being said, I'm now on the hunt for a new non-leaking, aesthetically pleasing travel mug.

Any suggestions?

September.

Say it with me folks:  "September".

How did it happen?

Yesterday I returned to the office after a glorious 8 weeks off.  Weeks filled with camping, sightseeing, hiking, visiting family, driving, eating ice cream, sports camp, Grandma's for a week, new orthodontic hardware, pierced ears, a dead laptop, a new computer :), butterflies, skateboarding, a new pet, a wedding, dancing, swimming, shopping, scootering, redecorating, golfing, watching re-runs of Corner Gas, biking, visiting Grandma and Grandpa, eating out, and a new banjo.

On the train into work I watched a flock of Canada geese flying in V-formation overhead.  I'm definitely not a bird person (keep in mind that I was contained inside a train away from the danger of being dive-bombed or pooped upon so for today I felt safe) but it was actually pretty amazing to stare up and watch them fly.   Watching them each working so hard to keep themselves moving and at the same time moving together as a well-choreographed team.

As much as I cannot stand analogies (sorry, honey) I found myself comparing their September activities to ours.  September always feels like New Year's to me - only better.  A time to return to schedules and routines, yes, but also a time to try something new.  Open yourself up to new challenges.  While I'm busy flapping my wings to move forward, everyone else is too.  And somehow, amidst all that flapping, we manage to come together as a family.  Activities for each of us to enjoy with time to cheer on and support each other too.

As we say goodbye to the heat and all the fun that summer has offered, I think I'm ready to move on.  Ready to say hello to the excitement of class lists, school supplies and indoor shoes.  To piano lessons, hockey, hip hop, hockey, Zumba, guitar lessons, and yoga.

Enjoy your New Year.