Yates-Laberge Family Site

This entire week has been  a long and much needed exhale…things have gone smoothly…the kids have been CALM….and nothing major has caused more than a few minutes of chaos in our house. I feel like we have been waiting for this week since we got here. …and..my GOD!!! IT FELT GOOD!

Lessons learned this  week…

1. Don’t DON’T DON’T go and ask your child’s teacher how they behaved EVERY DAY!! It causes TOO MUCH STRESS!!!  Why didn’t ANYONE tell me???!!! I have talked to Andrew’s teachers EVERY SINGLE day since preschool!!! Most parents just smile and wave…I check in….and USUALLY are told of one thing or another that he did ….so, inevitably it starts our afternoon off with a negative note!! I am not uninterested..but, I guess I finally “get” that I don’t need to know EVERYTHING about EVERY minute of his day….WHY DID IT TAKE ME THIS LONG TO GET THIS?????

2. I am in LOVE with our Wii and big brain academy was MADE for Claire and I !!!! We love it, we love competing, and I think “playing” with your partner is one of the healthiest things that can happen in a relationship! Some how, some way….the Wii is helping …..odd huh…

3. Hearing my son compliment me in another room…when he thinks I am not around….is heart warming, brings tears to my eyes….and simply renews my spirit in motherhood. After eating yummy cookies yesterday that Karen brought over, I thought I would give my hand at some…I got frozen, already shaped, as pre-done-as-possible cookies and put them on a cookie sheet today They were warm when the boys arrived home from school. Mind you, they were ALL STUCK TOGETHER in a Tupperware container….but, nonetheless,….warm THEY WERE DELIGHTED with my effort…. Tonight when Claire went in to check on the boys and cover them up before we went to bed, Andrew woke up a little…..and mentioned what an amazing “cook” I was…and that my cookies were the best he had ever tasted!! ohhh….if he only knew…..but, my goodness….it felt SO SO GOOD

4. I was 100% correct about our nutty schedule. It was WAAAYYY too much. Setting limits was the RIGHT thing to do and having dinner as a family for 3 nights in a row was the NECESSARY thing to do. EVERYONE needs balance….EXPECIALLY US!

5. Karen is a heck of a playdough maker and ROCKS for making some for Adam. He is SO IN LOVE with molding this soft home-made concoction into a plethora of snakes, people, and a billion other shapes!

6. I really don’t like  a week full of rain….I love the sun too much.

7. The airline price hike has freaked us out a bit…..and the thought of paying 3,000 to fly home is nauseating.

8. I may have to get braces to stretch out my mouth due to grinding my teeth so hard for so many years….I just think it is ODD…100% ODD!!

9.  I have lost 35 lbs since moving to Calgary and it feels DAMN GOOD! I am going to celebrate with a few new clothes this weekend

10. Google calendar is even BETTER now that I can view it on my phone internet service! Google calendar keeps our lives COMPLETELY ORGANIZED!!!!!!!!

I am off to sleep and wish for some word from some of you. I am missing my friends and wanting to connect this weekend.

Anne

Joanne and Abbey, originally uploaded by EuroBoysNh.

Joanne and Abbey are wonderful people and remarkable parents. We met them on an RFamily cruise 4 years ago. We have kept in touch and even visited them in New Jersey. Joanne (on the right) is VERY sick and needs your thoughts and prayers.

Our hearts are broken by the latest news and pray for a miracle to save Joanne. Being so far is hard when news like this comes. I hope and pray that she will be ok.

Adam’s Birthday Invitation Cover

I am at my breaking point with everyone and everything…in my house.

I really REALLY miss working/consulting and I really hate doing NOTHING but stuff for EVERYONE else. I know that sounds selfish, but my GOD…I was NOT created to make sure EVERYONE else is happy, fed, to appointments on time, clean enough, full enough, happy enough, smart enough, and loved enough.

I NEED A FREAKING BREAK FROM IT ALL!!!

I am sure that I am just pissed…but, I miss ME. I miss being smart and figuring out geeky code. I miss adult interaction for geeky things. I realistically do NOT have time for this now because Claire is only home for 30 minutes in the morning and 1 hour at night to help with the kids. HOW THE HELL DOES EVERYONE DO THIS???????? HOW HOW HOW!!!

I look at several of you that have full time working husbands….and you are moms…full time…and happy with it! HOW? I started eLearningToys.com when my kids were toddlers because I HATED being at home! I AM BACK IN THE SAME BOAT! I volunteer at the school when Adam is there for his 2.5 hours a day several times a week and I love it….but, it is just not the SAME!

I worked on Adam’s birthday invitations today and love how they came out. I went WAY overboard in doing them….but, I needed something to do with my head. The other parents may think I am a lunitic but you know what….I really really really do NOT give a SHIT! That is ONE thing that I have been gifted of here….I really am MUCH more self assured and confident about my decisions and parenting on a day to day basis. I bring Andrew lunch at lunch time most days….the other moms get it ready before school…..I DON’T CARE! This way works for me! One mom asked me why I do it this way…..she is sort of a snooty little one….I smiled and said “because it works for me”…and that was that…..She has not asked me too many questions since then

Everyone knows that I am a NUT about birthdays…and I am BEYOND sad that Adam’s friends from NH will not be there. Adam actually ASKED where everyone was going to sleep when they got here for his party! I thought that he was wanting to have a sleep over party….then he explained that everyone was going to be flying into Calgary for his party! When I explained that was not the case …he got sad…and said….”well then who is coming to my party….just two kids ??(Graham and Griffin). I explained that we were inviting the kids in his class and he was a bit horrified…..He said that they did not even know where we lived….and that no one was going to come. MY GOD THIS CRAP IS HARD!!! SERIOUSLY HARD!!!! I got it all worked out in his little world….and we went onto some other topic….but, I see his point! He just wants HIS world back too!

Claire is still in hell….and it sucks. I don’t really know what to do to get her to bounce back. I hope time helps. I am worried about her a LOT.

One good thing that happened this week is Northwest’s fare break from Hartford, CT to Calgary! They were running a fare for $222.00!!! I saw it and called my friend Leslie in New York right away and asked her if she wanted to DRIVE two HOURS to Hartford and come out for the weekend! SHE IS COMING!!! LESLIE IS COMING!!! LESLIE IS COMING NEXT WEEKEND! 9 days away to be exact! So, that was my silver lining of the week. Someone familiar…someone I love…..is coming to Calgary! I could not be happier about it.

Today we had a hail storm…no shit…a HAIL STORM!!! a LONG LONG one! It was sort of odd!

I am going to put ads on my blog. It is a HARD decision to, but, the ads, when clicked, bring in revenue and simply put, we need the buffer right now. The cost of everything insane…no matter how much we try to save. I will try to put them so they are not annoying. If they are, let me know. I don’t want people not to read because of ads. If you see something interesting, by God, click on it!! Also, tell your friends, family, etc about the blog. I would like to get more readers and traffic just to make things fun and interesting.

I don’t think that I will ever stop being homesick. We have been here 7 weeks…2 months next week. Odd huh! I am so happy that my street ROCKS….and that I really feel comfortable being ME here….another silver lining

Love to all of you.
Anne