One Year Later...

Janelle's new bike — March Break

I've been absent for quite a stretch this month! I blame it on March Break and too many dentist appointments. I've also added extra days to my volunteering schedule. Last week, the first after the break, I was either at the school or the dentist every day. I received two complaints today from two of my most faithful readers (you know who you are!), so I decided to dash off a quick one before the kids get home from school.

March 13th marked our first anniversary living in this house in London. I mentioned it to Chris and the kids that day, and we all commented on how much has happened this year, but also about how quickly the year has flown by. In most ways, it still feels like we're the "new kids in town", but we do have a number of good friends now, and we're involved in our church and our community. We have a couple of babysitters that we call on a regular basis, so Chris and I can get out on our own again, which was a big hurdle a few months ago. I'm part of a book club that I look forward to attending every month. I have a couple of dear friends who get together each week to have lunch, share whatever is on our hearts, and generally support each other. I volunteer at the school at least twice a week, and I'm part of the planning committee for a Literacy Night coming up this month. Chris and I attend a Community Group through our church weekly, and we've made some great friends there. I even found a walking buddy! And as always, I'm volunteering in the Kids Ministry at our church, which our kids are happy to be part of. In many ways, we have settled into our new community and found a place for ourselves. Things have changed a lot since I started this blog, just over a year ago.

Connor's new Ripstick — March Break

But we're still Maritimers at heart! This weekend Chris, Connor and I were excited to be able to cheer the UNB hockey team on to the national title, as we watched the tournament held at the Aitken Centre in Fredericton on TV in our living room in London. It was nice to capture a bit of home as we watched and cheered, especially when UNB shut out Western! Chris looked forward to gloating to a number of his collegues who are Western Alumni. We still grab hold of pieces of our Maritime heritage and hold on to them tightly. Chris found a sale on Paderno pots a couple of weeks ago and decided that our old pots and pans desperately needed replacing, which was true. So we now have a full new set of Paderno pots, proudly made in PEI. We both love the fact that they are Maritime made! Connor loves to tell anyone who will listen that his favourite place in the world is New Brunswick, with Mexico coming in a close second. Both of the kids would say the highlights of their year have been their visits "back home" in the summer and after Christmas. It's been a year that we've been here. But we're still very tied to the Maritimes. And that's just fine with me.

Field Trip Mom

Yesterday was Connor's first field trip of the year. It was to Western Fair, which is London's (larger) equivalent of the ANE or the Fredericton Exhibition. No, the kids didn't get to ride the rides, but they did do some pretty cool stuff. They saw an ultrasound of a pregnant goat, they watched a milking machine working, they saw an awesome "Birds of Prey" show, they touched a crocodile, and (Connor's favourite) they saw a demonstration of how manure is used to generate electricity — among other things. It was very interesting, and showed the kids why Western Fair actually exists (ie. not for rides), and I'm glad I got to experience it with Connor. However, I began to wonder when the teachers are going to get sick of seeing my face every time they go on a field trip.

Since we've moved, Connor has gone on four or five field trips, and I have accompanied him on each one as a parent volunteer. When he asked me to go this time, my response was "Connor, do you really think I should go on all the field trips?" He assured me that he really wanted me to go, so I did. And while I was there I noticed something.

All the same moms go on all the field trips! These faces are beginning to become very familiar to me. Sure, there are occasionally a few dads sprinkled in among the moms, but in general it is the same women that volunteer for every field trip. I'm not alone. I realized that this is how I'm going to get to know people. These are the parents of my children's friends and the people whose concerns are the same as mine. We share a lot in common, and we will be thrown together often, so we might as well get to know each other!

We arrived back at the school an hour before dismissal time. As I was driving out of the parking lot, I invited one of the other moms to join me for coffee. She immediately accepted and hopped into my van. We had a lovely conversation over cappuccinos at Tim Hortons. As we drove back to the school to collect our children she promised to return the favour soon.

Maybe field trips are as good for me as they are for my kids...

It's Official

I just fastened Ontario license plates to my vehicles. 

I'm not sure why that makes this move seem so much more permanent. But it does.

We bought a house.

We enrolled our kids in school here.

We got Ontario Drivers Licenses.

We've been here for more than two months.

But nothing makes me feel like a citizen of Ontario more than those silly blue tags on my car and van.

They're not nearly as pretty as the red New Brunswick plates.

But I guess I'll get used to them, just like everything else.

And it is kinda cool that they are only one number off from each other.

Bye-bye NB plates!

Meeting at School

We met with the Program Development Team at the school today. Basically it was a positive meeting. The primary concerns were Connor's ability to keep himself on task well enough to complete his work in a reasonable amount of time, and the anxiety he experiences when he doesn't get his work done and has to spend recess in the homework room.

Lots of things were said, by the teacher, by the school psychologist, by us. The principal and learning support teacher basically just acted as witnesses. Hopefully progress was made. Primarily, we wanted to impress upon all of them that this has been a huge transition for Connor, and it hasn't even been a month yet. We have gone through 4 1/2 years of school without one negative comment about his behaviour, and less than two weeks after starting at a new school there are complaints from the teacher. How much are we expecting of this little (at least in my mind) boy who has just endured the biggest change of his life? The psychologist was very much the voice of reason, saying that this has only been a very short time and Connor would of course still manifest anxiety over all the new people, expectations, and environments in his life.

Most importantly, we impressed upon the teacher that Connor needs to be well aware of what is expected of him, and what the consequences of his actions will be. If he isn't surprised by a consequence, he will usually take it without too much problem. But if he is suddenly told "Nope, no outdoor play for you today", he will have trouble dealing with that. He is sensitive, and needs to feel safe in his world. He needs to know what is coming. I have to deal with this all the time. Chris is constantly reminding me not to spring a form of discipline on Connor that he wasn't expecting. It isn't fair to do that to him.

So I hope his teacher will take that into consideration. And I hope she will try to integrate some positive reinforcement techniques into her teaching. Chris was very forceful in asking what techniques the teacher uses to keep students on task. Her answer was not particularly satisfying, but at least Chris made the point that keeping a 10-year-old on task in the classroom is not only the responsibility of the 10-year-old. I think this teacher has previously taught middle school grades, and has the same expectations of grades 3 and 4 as she had of those students. I think she needs to add some motivation techniques to her repertoire. Positive motivation is so much more effective with Connor. His NB teacher had a reward system, where the kids earned play money that they could spend at occasional classroom auctions over the course of the year. Worked like a charm for Connor. I wished afterward that I had mentioned it at the meeting, but I don't want to sound like I am trying to tell his teacher how to teach.

I survived the meeting, although there were moments that I was afraid I would dissolve into a puddle. Now I just want to put it behind me and move forward. We need to talk to Connor about what is expected of him. He does need to take responsibility for his own work, and if he doesn't finish on time, he needs to accept the consequences. That's just something that goes along with growing up. But I don't want to spend any more time worrying about it. We have all lost enough sleep over this. Time to move on.

One Month

We moved into this house exactly one month ago. Since then I have:

• unpacked at least a million boxes (okay, a couple hundred anyway)
• gotten my kids settled in school
• bought a Costco membership
• finished one book
• taken one trip to Toronto
• organized my kitchen
• attended one breastfeeding class
• had one meeting with the teacher
• celebrated one birthday
• taken a weekend tour of my hubby's office
• learned my way around London to a reasonable degree
• celebrated Easter with friends
• written 16 blog entries

Plus many other things that have escaped my mind at this moment. But I made this list so when I feel like I have a million things to do to make this house feel like home, I can look back and see all I have done already. And maybe I'll feel like it's possible to get there before tooooooooo long. I just have to put some thought and sweat into it. And start hanging things on the wall.

My Daily Phone Call

My husband is a very goal-oriented person. He is someone who starts a task and cannot think of anything else until the job is finished. This is true at home and at work. He is focused, and does not break that focus easily. That is why I rarely hear from him in the middle of the day. He goes to work in the morning, and basically I assume that he forgets anyone else exists until he comes home. Over fourteen years of marriage, I have learned not to take this personally. He just manages his life and work better when he doesn't have to break his focus.

Which is why I have been a little bit surprised every day since we've moved to London. Almost every day since he started work here, I get a phone call from him early in the afternoon. Just to see how I'm doing. I love it. I love him for it, because I know it isn't easy for him to drop everything and pick up the phone to check on me. He knows that it surprises me. He may not know that each of these phone calls means more to me than a dozen roses. The fact that he recognizes how hard this move has been for me, and tries to help by showing me he doesn't forget about me all day, makes my days here so much easier. Every time he calls it makes me smile.

I don't expect the phone calls to last forever. But I don't expect to feel this lonely forever either. He knows what I need right now, and is making an effort to meet that need. What could be more romantic than that?

Happy birthday, Honey! I love you!

Adventures at the DMV

For the first time since I began the challenge, I am writing this blog with both kids and a husband here at home with me. Don't expect it to be particularly profound. Don't even expect it to make much sense. I have all sorts of things going on around me. Noises. Questions. Demands. Not the quiet, creative home that I am usually writing in. Not total chaos, but not complete peace either. Today is a day like that.

The plan for today was for Chris and I to take the kids to school and then go get our Ontario Drivers Licenses. However, nothing ever goes as planned, does it? Five minutes before it was time to head out the door, Janelle announced that her belly hurt and she needed to go back to bed. If this had been Connor I would have questioned him on it, but Janelle loves school and only asks to stay home if she really isn't feeling well. So I sent her back to bed and left her home with Daddy while I took Connor to school. She almost instantly fell asleep, and stayed that way for a couple of hours. When she woke up, she felt "great", so we all got ready and I took her to school. Then Chris and I headed off for our adventure at the Drivers License office.

The first place we went was right around the corner from our home. The sign above the door said "Drivers Licenses", so we walked in and said "We just moved from out of province and need new drivers licenses". The reply, of course, was "We don't do that here". Of course not. Why would an office that said "Drivers Licenses" above the door actually issue drivers licenses? That would be too simple. So off we went a few km away to the "Drive Test" office. At reception we were told that we needed two forms of ID: our NB drivers licenses and one other, preferably a passport. I don't usually carry my passport, so I asked if a birth certificate would do. "Only if the name on it matches your drivers license." Hmmmmm.... if only I had been born Leanne Haines. An Ontario Health card would do. Hmmmmm.... what about an NB Medicare card? Nope. Well, is there anything that will work besides a passport? Hmmmmm.... nope, you're going to need your passport. Chris decided he might as well get his done, since the name on his birth certificate does match his drivers license, and then he said "If there is going to be a wait you might have time to run back and get your passport", and the receptionist piped up "Yes, there WILL be a wait". No kidding. I hurried home, grabbed my passport, arrived back 10 minutes later to find Chris seated in a room full of people. The line had barely moved since I had left. We were in for a wait. Why didn't I bring a book to read? At least I had my husband to talk to. My husband, who had his IPod to play with. Hmmmm..... Just over an hour later, and $150 poorer, we left with our official temporary Ontario licenses.

After we had lunch together I hurried off in the pouring rain to finish the other errands I had planned to get done today. I didn't have a minute to spare before it was time to pick the kids up at school.

I tell you this boring story to explain why I have not had time to write a real blog today. And why I'm not going to try now that homework time and supper prep time is upon us. We've entered the crazy hours of my day. Sorry! I'll try again tomorrow.

After Easter Pity-Party

They say the first holiday away from home is hard, and it is 100% true. I am emerging from this Easter four-day weekend feeling pretty empty. It's not that we did nothing to mark the holiday here in London. We got up and had our Easter egg hunt. The kids were thrilled with what the Easter Bunny left behind. We went to my friend's church for the morning service, and then back to her home for a lovely Easter turkey dinner. The weather was beautiful all weekend, far more like summer than the beginning of spring. We even got some necessary "around the house" stuff done. It's really not a lack of what we put into the Easter weekend in London. It's more about what we missed back home.

My family got together for an Easter celebration in New Brunswick. Now, we wouldn't always see my family on Easter weekend even if we lived in Fredericton. But it is more about what I couldn't do than about what I would have done that left me feeling sad this weekend. I missed seeing my nieces and nephew enjoying their Easter treats, and giving my mom and dad an Easter hug. Our church family celebrated Good Friday and Easter Sunday services together. I missed singing in the choir and seeing my friends on Easter Sunday morning. I missed hearing our Pastor's Easter morning message. As I said, we went to church, but it wasn't the same. I always try to make a big deal of what Easter really means -- Christ's resurrection that brings new life to all of us. Thankfully, Connor and Janelle understood, even without Sunday School, that this is what Easter is really all about. But it is so much easier when you have a church home, and you are involved in making Easter a special day, and sharing the message of God's perfect love. I still miss being involved in Easter productions that portray the passion week through drama and music. Being in the middle of it all makes it so much more tangible and filled with excitement. That wouldn't have happened this year even if we lived in NB, but it still added to my melancholy.

When we left home, I felt so bad about all the sad people I was leaving behind, and I didn't focus so much on myself. I was heading out to a new adventure. But on weekends like this, my focus is drawn to the fact that all those people who cried when we left still have each other. While we're out here, not completely alone, but feeling pretty alone sometimes. And feeling sad about how, while I am struggling to create a life and a home here, life back home has gone on pretty much just as it was before.

So on this gloomy, rainy morning, I am allowing myself this short, after-Easter pity-party. But I have sent my kids off to school, I have plenty of work to do to keep myself busy, I still have that great book to read, and I may indulge in a trip to the mall that I haven't gotten to yet. The pity-party is over, and it's back to real life. Back to focusing on the future and making London feel like home. So next year Easter won't be lonely. We'll have a church family to celebrate this most joyous day with, and hopefully that church will feel like home to us. The longing for New Brunswick will have dimmed enough that I will not constantly be thinking about what my family and friends are doing together, without us. I will be taking joy in all the good things about my life — here.

Quick Update: My meeting with Connor's teacher was fine, but it was the first negative feedback I've gotten from a teacher. Apparently, he is far too social for his own good, and it has been interfering with his ability to complete his school work. The other day, when the teacher took away his recess and lunch playtimes, he had a breakdown (outdoor time is pretty important to Connor). Somehow, we have to get him to learn how to focus during class time, and save his socializing for play times. At least, as his teacher says, he has had no trouble fitting in to the class!

First Week Down!

We survived! I spent so much time worrying about how the kids would manage at school, how I'd manage at home without them, how Chris would settle into his new office, and how we'd all settle into our new routine, and here we are at the end of the first week. We all did great! Surprisingly, Chris has probably had the most painful transition, primarily due to a project deadline at the end of March that he is dealing with, leftover from back in NB. My kids act as if they've always attended their new school, aside from Connor's comment about the fact that they don't have Phys. Ed. specialists here ("Regular teachers don't do fun stuff in gym" -- As a "regular teacher" who used to have to teach Phys. Ed. to my class, I completely agree with him!). And I have filled my days with some settling in, some exploring, and lots of blogging.

Yes, it's official! I blogged every school day this week! And it doesn't seem that hard at all. I look forward to it. I still don't think I have anything profound to say, and I really feel sorry for my readers who have committed to reading every post. Please feel free to skip the boring ones! But it is an outlet, a release, and I don't think I'll have any problem meeting Chris's challenge. I remember when Denise suggested that I "aim for two posts a week", and I thought that would be nigh to impossible. I may have trouble scaling back to two posts a week someday!

So we have all survived this week, and now we all get a treat. A weekend away! This afternoon we will pick up the kids at school and head to Burlington, where Chris and Connor will pick up Uncle Ben and head into Toronto to the Air Canada Centre for a Raptors Game. It is Chris's big 40th birthday present, but I think Connor is more excited than he is! Well, they're both pretty excited. Janelle and I are going to spend a "girls evening" with Aunt Lori. Tomorrow, we're going to Toronto to do some "touristy stuff". If it is a clear day, which it looks like it will be, we'll go up the CN Tower. We may also take in the Hockey Hall of Fame or the Ontario Science Centre. Tomorrow night, Lori is hosting a birthday party for various people with March or April birthdays, including Chris, Ben and his twin brother Pat, and herself. Connor and Janelle will be the only kids there, but I'm sure they'll be happy to entertain the adults until bedtime. Sunday morning we'll get up and have breakfast and head back home.

I am so looking forward to a weekend away from the cluttered disarray that is my house! Hopefully when I get back home I'll be energized and ready to tackle the rest of it. I need to dig out my spare room and get a bed set up so I can have company. I'm starting to feel like it's time for friends and family to start showing up at our doorstep. Any takers?

The Urge to Explore

It is a gorgeous, sunny day in Southwestern Ontario, and I have the urge to explore. Connor's room is completely finished, and he is thrilled with it. I promised Janelle I would do hers today. But I'm antsy today! There are a million things I want to do! I want to drive around London and see the parts I haven't seen yet. I want to bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I want to fill up my bookcase with all the beloved books that are waiting in boxes. I want to find a bookstore and wander the aisles. I want to walk to the school to meet the kids when it is time to come home. I want to finish clearing the clutter out of my kitchen. I want to find a garden centre and start thinking about what shrubs I'm going to plant in the front yard. And I want to keep my promise to Janelle and make her room beautiful. Will I do all these things today? I don't think so. But if I'm going to do any of them, I better get started.

No time for writing today. Time for a shower so I can let my day begin!

Day 2 and All is Well!

Day 2 -- Not bad! How long do they say it takes to create a habit? Two weeks? I think I can manage that. As it is, I couldn't wait to sit down at the computer this morning and start rambling. The problem is, like yesterday, I get sucked in to the computer and I find it hard to leave. I have so many things to do that spending the whole morning at the computer really isn't an option. My kids need to be able to get up to go to the bathroom in the night without tripping over boxes! That needs to be my priority, not my blog. So today I'll just right a short blog, and then head out to do battle with the boxes.

Yesterday dragged on slowly while I waited, filled with worry, for 3:30 to arrive. When it finally did I wondered what I wasted my day concerned about. Both of my kids had big smiles on their faces when I picked them up at school. They had a great day! Connor made a new friend (whose mother just happens to work with Chris), and Janelle loves her teacher. I asked if she made any friends and she said "Yes, but I don't know any of their names". She did mention that there is an Avery in this class too, refering to her "favourite friend" in her class in Fredericton. Neither of them showed any hesitation in jumping out of the van when we arrived at the school this morning, so I can proceed with my day without any of the concerns of yesterday.

Which brings me back to my day. I think my problem is that I'm overwhelmed. There is so much to do in every room of the house that I don't know where to start. And if I realize that there might be some reason for me to run out to the store, I'll grab onto it for dear life -- ESCAPE. For example, "Oh, I think we might need granola bars. I'll have to make a special trip to the store to stock up on granola bars." I must resist this urge! I must position myself in ONE ROOM (Connor's room first), and stay until it's done. Then at least I'll be able to see that I've done something. I have no need to leave the house before 3:30. The mail will wait. I have all I need to make dinner. Those returns to Home Depot and Walmart can happen another day. It's time to get down to business and get this thing done. The boxes will not win!!!

I apologize to anyone who may be reading this post. You really didn't need to be part of my little "self pep-talk". To be honest, I think I'm only still writing now to delay the inevitable. I'm stopping now. I really am. See you tomorrow!

The Challenge

Here's the challenge, proposed to Leanne by Chris: Add to my blog every school day from now until the end of June. If I miss a day, I must write an extra entry the next day explaining why I missed that day. I'm sure he came up with this as a way to add some purpose to my days now that the kids are off to school and he's off to work and I am left here at the house, lonely and surrounded by boxes. He knows I can't survive if my only goal in life is to unpack more boxes! He also wants me to get into the habit of writing. Fifteen years ago, I couldn't get by a single day without writing something. And I'd like to get back there, too. So I think I'm up for the challenge. Here goes!

I'm certainly up for the challenge today. I've just dropped my kids off at their new school for the first time, and I'm full of nervous energy to expend. Janelle will be fine. She is excited about her new classroom, her new teacher and her new friends. It's all an adventure to her. "New" is exciting for her. Connor, on the other hand, is a sensitive soul. He worries. He tries to be brave, but I know he is thinking about how he'll manage in this new environment. How he'll adjust to his new surroundings. How he'll make it to the bathroom in time from a portable classroom. "New" is scary to him. He is so like me!!! So now here I am, counting down the minutes until 3:30 when I can go pick them up and hear the news of the day and find out that everything was fine for both of them. That is exactly 4 hours and 59 minutes away. And I don't think unpacking boxes is going to keep my mind occupied quite enough to make the time fly by any faster. So I write.

In my last post I listed, in great detail, all the pitfalls of our move to London. Now that our "Supersize March Break" (Week 1 NB March Break, Week 2 Moving Week, Week 3 Ontario March Break) is over, I'm thinking back on all the fun things we did. It seemed to fly by, but looking back, some of the things we did at the beginning seem so long ago now! Like our "Going Away Party" that our wonderful friends Merry-Lynne and Randy hosted for us. It was an "open house", so people could just drop by to offer best wishes at any time. It was a nice chance for us to spend some time with so many of our dear friends. I miss them so much already! I love that we got to spend the past several years raising our children with others going through many of the same things that we were experiencing, and that our children became fast friends, too. One of the things I am grappling with now is how long it takes to form those friendships, the ones that feel like family, that are so free and easy. I know it will take some time for London to feel like home in that sense. But I also know that when I go home this summer, those friends I left behind will still be there, and our friendships with them will be the same as ever.

The first week of March Break, we did spend some time in Rothesay/Quispamsis, with the Constantine clan. My kids love being there. They adore their grandparents and their cousins. One of my favourite things about this time of my life is how close Connor and Janelle are to their cousins. I pray that distance cannot change that! Connor doesn't have a brother, and Janelle doesn't have a sister, but they have cousins who are the next best thing. My sister and I drove each other crazy growing up, but I wouldn't trade her for the world now. I want Jillian and Janelle to be that for each other someday. They certainly fill their roles beautifully now!

The second week of March Break was "Moving Week". The drive was not nearly the challenge we expected it to be. We purchased dual screen DVD players for the van the day before we left. These were a godsend! The best thing about them was that the kids could each watch their own movie, at the same time. No fighting over what to watch! Hours flew by with the kids wearing headphones, happily engrossed in their movies, or playing their DS. Chris and I actually had time to talk to each other, and we made very few stops along the way. We spent the first night in Montreal and saw Aunt Kate and Uncle Pierre and Madeleine and Remi. Maddie just loved Janelle! It was so much fun to watch them play together. The second night we stopped in Burlington to spend the night with Aunt Lori and Uncle Ben. Connor vaguely remembered their house from his last visit, seven years ago, but it was Janelle's first time there (outside the womb, that is). They were both thrilled to be there. Then it was on to London. And the "totally cool" hotel. I have to admit, Chris did a great job choosing this hotel. The pool was perfect! Connor thoroughly enjoyed the lighthouse/waterslide, and Janelle got to spend hours doing one of her favourite things: SWIM! It certainly made the three days in London before we moved into our house a treat.

Moving day is always exciting, although thoroughly exhausting. The highlight for Chris and I was seeing how happy the kids were with their new house. They assured us that we chose the right one. Thankfully, the weather improved tremendously during Week Three of March Break, and they were able to get out on their bikes (after we finally found the helmets) and explore their new neighbourhood. We hardly saw them, except for the occasional meal. They made a few friends down the street, which I'm hoping will help them today as they adjust to their new school.

We did do a bit of exploring as a family, as well. Despite a million boxes to unpack, and Chris's relentlessly goal-oriented nature, I was able to convince him to get out of the house a couple of times and see what this new city has to offer. The first day we found a park along the Thames River (yes, a city called London with a river called Thames -- corny!) and hoisted the Spider-Man kite into the air. That was a big hit with the kids. And we big kids enjoyed it, too!

Another day we ventured out to the London Children's Museum. The kids loved it, but it was a ZOO! Not literally, of course, it is a perfectly nice museum, complete with dinosaur bones and moon rocks, but on March Break it was full of wild, rowdy, excited, enthusiastic kids who had been lacking structure for several days. My kids joined right in with them, and it didn't bother me much, but my poor husband was out of his element. He was trying to get Connor to focus his attention on the giant humpback whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling, and Connor was looking in every direction but where Chris was pointing. There was so much to look at and take in, that I think it will take a few more trips before the kids have really seen all the museum has to offer. We might not take Dad next time though! Janelle's favourite part of the museum was the Face Painting that was specially offered that day as a March Break treat. She LOVES having her face painted, and even though the line-up was nearly an hour long, she was determined. So we sent Dad and Connor into the "Space" exhibit, and we waited, and waited, and waited, and finally came out with exactly the cat face she wanted. It was all worth it to Janelle.

So as you can see, despite my previous ramblings, we did have a fun March Break. Exhausting, yes, but between stretches of endless unpacking, we created some memorable moments. Now it is time to settle into real life. Where kids go to school, and dad goes to work, and mom.... unpacks. And organizes. And cleans. And BLOGS!!! I've successfully distracted myself for nearly an hour today. Only four more to go. I guess I really should unpack a box or two. Maybe I'll find the printer cable. Or the magazine rack for the bathroom. Or that book I was planning to read...

See you tomorrow!

We've Arrived!!!

If anything can go wrong it will. I don't really think that statement can ever be completely true, but as I look back on our move to London, I see a lot of major bumps in the road. As I sit in my new living room with the morning sun streaming in upon me, I'll list some of the obstacles we faced on our way to our new home.

1. The day before the movers arrived to pack up all our belongings, I was making lunch while waiting for Community Living to arrive and haul away two chair and a love seat that were not worth dragging across the country. I opened the cupboard above my stove and a cover to one of my Pyrex casserole dishes fell out on my glass stove top. CRASH!!! SMASH!!! Heartbreak!!! A starburst of cracks suddenly appeared emanating from one undeniable hole in the middle. The stove had been sold with the house, of course. This sent us right back into negotiations with our buyer. Not easy negotiations. MUCH more stress added to moving week. Just exactly what we needed. Oh, and by the way, when Community Living arrived, they refused to take the love seat! Oh, well, the youth group got a nice new love seat with a board sticking out the back...
2. The night before the truck was set to be loaded we settled in at Chris's Dad's house which would be our home for the next 10 days. We tucked the kids into bed and switched the tv on to the Weather Network. The forecast was horrifying: 35-45 cm of snow, plus freezing rain. School would most certainly be cancelled (it was). I would have to find last minute babysitters for my kids (I did). The movers would slip and fall on our notoriously slippery steps, break our furniture and their limbs, and inevitably sue us (thankfully they did not). Chris and I both spent a restless night looking forward to a very difficult moving day. By the way, this was the ONLY day school was cancelled for weather in Fredericton this year. What are the chances??? Thankfully, we didn't get the snow amounts that had been forecast, but it certainly was the stormiest day of the year.
3. Sunday morning, our second last Sunday at our beloved church, I took the kids up to the Children's Church room, and Janelle didn't want to stay. This is completely out of character for Janelle. She LOVES Children's Church. She ADORES her Children's Church director. She CHERISHES the time she spends there with her friends, singing, making crafts, playing games and learning about Jesus. But this day, of course, she didn't want to stay. She wanted to come down and sit in the service with Mom and Dad. I asked if she was feeling okay. She said yes. I assumed she was just tired from being up late at our "going away" party the night before. So I brought her into the sanctuary with me. She almost immediately fell asleep on her dad's lap. Great, I thought. She'll have a nice nap, and then she'll go upstairs during the sermon. NOPE. Just as the pastor began to pray, Janelle opened her eyes. Wide. Then she covered her mouth. Then Chris and I covered her mouth. I don't know why we covered her mouth. We knew what was coming. Yep. She threw up all over herself and all over me. And all over the upholstered pew. Chris was out of there too fast to be covered. And it wasn't just once. It was over and over again. If we had tried to leave we would have left a trail behind us, so I decided to just wait until it was over. People behind and beside and in front of us and across the aisle started handed me kleenex. I appreciated the help, but kleenex was not going to touch this mess. Chris brought back a handful of paper towels, and we finally got ourselves to a point where we could make our escape. Thankfully, Pastor Karl had lots to pray about that day. We didn't disrupt the entire service anyway. Two other moms sitting nearby (thank the Lord for moms!) came out to the washroom with me and helped me find clothing and blankets to bring Janelle home in. We collected Connor from Children's Church and made our swift exit. So much for visiting with friends that day. Janelle went right to bed at Grampie's house, slept all afternoon, and woke up fine. Thankfully no one caught it from her. Yet.
4. The kids and I had planned to go to Rothesay that day to spend some time with the Constantine side of the family, before coming back Wednesday and spending the rest of the week doing fun outings with friends in Freddy. Needless to say, we didn't head out on Sunday. We decided to go on Monday instead. Everyone woke up feeling fine, and I started getting the car loaded. Just as I was taking the last loads out to the van the phone rang. Chris answered and handed me the phone when I came inside. It was my Dad. Aunt Sadie, Nurnie's mom and my last remaining grandparent figure, had passed away in the night. She was 93 and not well, so I was not sad for her. She had not had any quality of life in a long time. She was clearly ready to go. Forgive me for saying this in light of the circumstances, but it did put a snag in my week. I would still go to Saint John, but I knew my parents would want to be in Moncton with Nurnie, and my sister's family was headed to New Hampshire, so there was no point in staying more than a night. We came back on Tuesday morning, with plans to meet everyone at the funeral in Moncton on Friday and spend that night in Rothesay/Quispamsis. I was thankful for Aunt Sadie's timing, in that if it had been the week before or the week after, I don't think I could have made it to the funeral.
5. We had a fun week despite the change in plans, and we spent some quality time with cousins and grandparents on the weekend. When we got back to Fredericton on Saturday, we went to Nana's for supper and a last visit with her before the move. Before we left, Connor said he had a headache and wasn't feeling well. Good parents would have taken him home and put him right to bed (especially after what we had experienced the week before). But we had made plans to visit our dear friends, the Clarks, that evening. In the van, Connor said he wasn't feeling too bad, and that he would still like to go to the Clarks'. We were swayed because we knew this was our last chance. So we went. And he was fine for a while. But we left in a hurry several hours later, with Connor not quite making it to the van before he vomited in the driveway (thank goodness!). He was fine after that (hallelujah!).
6. Thankfully, our bad luck did not travel with us. We had an uneventful trip to London, including stops in Montreal with Aunt Kate and Uncle Pierre, and in Burlington with Aunt Lori and Uncle Ben. We arrived in London on Wednesday and checked into a hotel with an "awesome" pool and water slide, and planned to stay there one night before our things would arrive and we'd move into our house. Chris called the movers that day and left a message that we wouldn't get the keys to the house until later Thursday afternoon. We didn't hear back until Thursday morning. The truck woud not be arriving until Saturday morning. That meant two extra nights in a hotel. Luckily, the kids LOVED the hotel, and the movers would pay for the extra nights, so this was not a tragedy.
7. Saturday morning arrived and it was FREEZING! We'd had beautiful weather for the whole trip, but on the day the truck finally arrived, there were record winds, rain, and cold temperatures. This was the perfect bookend to our trip to London: load in miserable weather, unload in miserable weather.

Since then, the weather has been practically summer-like. The kids have been able to play outside and make friends. It has been a great week, with no further incidents of Murphy's Law. Of course, I know that so much more could have gone wrong in this move. Serious illness, traffic accidents, financial issues -- we avoided all major pitfalls. God cared for us in many wonderful ways during this transition. I can actually look back on it all and laugh now that we are (slowly but surely) settling in. I just wanted to write it all down to preserve the memory of our bumpy, but memorable, road to London.

My New House (Home? Someday...)

I got the jacuzzi! Most importantly, I was able to let go of what I thought I wanted in order for us to be sure we got the house we were meant to have. I'm actually glad we went through the whole exercise of taking one last chance on the other house. It allowed Chris to let go of his misgivings about the house we bought, and once again look at all the great advantages it presents to us. And it allowed me to put into action what I had been telling Chris all along and just believe that God had lead us to the right house, the house we were meant to have.

So here are a few pictures. I'm sure this is not any approximation of what this house will look like in six weeks time! I am spending my time dreaming about how I'll decorate it. Whenever I think about how much I'm going to miss my friends I try to turn my thoughts to how I'll set up the upstairs reading nook, or whether the front room will be a dining room, living room, or office. Or all three. It gives me something to look forward to. And for now that is what I need more than anything.

Never Simple

The house on Crocket Street is sold. I think I mentioned that in my last blog. The "Sold" sign is up, and we've made the big trek to London to purchase a new home. It was a miserable week, and I hope I don't have to shop for a house again for a long time, but we came home with a new house. I was planning to post a picture of the "Sold" sign beside a picture of my new house. But now I'm not sure which house is my new house.

Why can't life just be simple? We chose a house we loved. The owners didn't want to sell it to us. One day, and many tears of discouragement and frustration later, we found another house to fall in love with. This one we were able to reach a deal on. One day, and many dreams of relaxing in my new Jacuzzi later, my husband began his bout with Buyer's Remorse. I encouraged him to just enjoy it! Let the other house go, and start dreaming about the one we have! Sure, it's smaller and more expensive and requires a lot of work to really feel like home, but IT HAS A JACUZZI!!! And it is the house we have.

Several days later: Email from the realtor in London. The owners of the original house may be willing to sell with a 160 day closing. That is 5 months! And we already have a house! Well, maybe we can get a release from that deal. And maybe we can get the bigger, less expensive, more comfortable house (without the Jacuzzi) that we first wanted. And maybe the people who bought our house would exchange monetary compensation for a longer closin date. That's a LOT of MAYBEs!

I voiced my strong opinion that we just stick to the plan for a while. Then I decided to let it go. Life is never simple. But both of these houses are lovely, and in wonderful areas to raise a family. If I just sit back and let it happen (with my wonderful husband making all the phone calls), in just a few days I'll have a new house. And I'll either get to live in NB an extra 4 months, or I get a master suite with a Jacuzzi. It's a win-win situation. I'm a little curious about where and when I will move, but I'm not tied up in knots about it anymore.

Stay tuned for the outcome!

Packing up Preschool

I finished packing my office today. I'm no longer a preschool teacher. It was a dream job! I invented it myself, got to set up my own classroom, make all the rules. I loved (almost) every minute of it. But Chris and I both decided a year ago that this should be my last year. And I'm ready to move on, but I am so sad to be leaving this beautiful classroom that was all mine, and the sweet little darlings whose laughter filled it every day (not that they were always darlings!)

I didn't realize when we made the decision to stop teaching at First Steps that I would be leaving more than my classroom this year. The next time I teach it will be in Ontario, and I'll have a whole new system to learn! Scary, but a little exciting. I think I'll stick to volunteering in my kids' school for a while and go back to the world of teaching big kids next year.

The Journey Begins

Here we go. We've broken the news to the kids. We've wiped their tears and promised they will make even better friends in their new city. We've told all our parents and made them promise to visit our new executive guest suite. We've even started looking for a cottage so we can hold onto a little piece of home and know that it's waiting for us next summer.

I've started cleaning like mad so we can put our home on the market. I'm going through the motions of making this move. But my heart isn't in it yet. My heart is in New Brunswick, and I expect it will stay here for a while after my address changes.

But this is where I will document my change of heart. This blog will follow my journey to the place that will become my new home. I know that someday London will feel like home. I know this because the three people who make home to me (no matter where I am) will live there. And that is really all I need.