I'm pretty PUN -ny!

I think I'm pretty funny (or should I say pun -ny) and pretty much a dork. So this year I made little treat bags for J with puns on them for his birthday/Valentine's Day.

For example.....

• Bag of cashews with a note that says "I'm NUTS about you"
• Bags of tea with a note that says "I love you to eterni - TEA"
• Gum - "I CHEW-se you"
• Trail mix - "We're the perfect MIX"
• Jelly Beans (J's favourite) - I've BEAN waiting for you my whole life

Well you get the idea. It took me awhile to think of these and I have them all done now. There are about 14 of them - one for every day he is home. I'm pretty proud of the results, even though I know J will just think I'm corny. (I believe I'm pretty clever.)

To accompany my little treat bags is a book with the letters A-Z. Written on each letter is a memory we have starting with that letter. For example A - Arizona, where we got married or B - Bomber Game, where we had our first date (unofficially).

I will also buy a traditional gift that will be from the girls. I have researched exactly what I want to get him, not I just have to find it. I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon and am hoping to leave right from there to Advance Electronics to get the gift. (My MIL is staying with the kiddos for me)

I've had a rough week which I had posted about, but decided to remove to try and keep positive. I aired my anger and now it's time to move on. In 4 days hopefully a lot of this stress will be waived by having J home for some extra help with the kids and help with the move.

I need to shout out to my SIL S and cousin A for offering to help with the kids. It will make things run so much smoother and I know already how much help this will be. Thank you thank you thank you!

17 days, but who's counting?!

There are a lot of reasons I am excited for the 1st, and I have really started to count down.  But what else is going on around here.....? Well, today we are having a quiet pj day. We have been out and about or had people over every day since my parents left! I was getting a little exhausted. We have our walk through scheduled for next week and next week is also my birthday. This year I feel a little disappointed by "my day". I usually get pretty excited about it but this year with Joel gone, my parents away, a new house to move into, etc. I just don't really feel like celebrating yet. My sister's birthday - well both of them- have their birthdays this month too. S turns 30 and although we normally don't exchange gifts this year I made a donation in her name. Ok, J already told me how lame that is, but I couldn't think of anything to get her and as I was going to get her lottery tickets, I thought of another place that could the money more, so she may feel ripped off, but there was thought behind it. J's birthday comes at the end of the month, but he will be too busy to even realize probably. I haven't thought of any great gift ideas and when I asked him he told me a shaving bag. Lame. So, I need to come up with something and fast, but what.......?!

Remebering

Today I spent some time on a blog reading about birth from a father's perspective. It made me remember the second birthing class J and I took while I was pregnant with Bug. It made me cry as I read his thoughts, his hopes for her, how he felt, and his sense of panic/calm at different stages of the laboring process.  He spoke kind words of his wife and how proud he was of her. He spoke about his fears not only for his little one, but for his wife too. Although the laboring process is fairly female dominated, it was neat reading what he had been through during it.

During the birthing again class lots of questions were asked about how we felt the first time, and how the dad felt the first time and I learned a lot about Joel during the class. I think he learned a lot about me too, and how I was really feeling during different parts of labor.

Lately I have spent so much time focusing on the girls, it is nice to reflect on other aspects of them. Plus it makes me fall even more in love with J.

We are 2.5 weeks away from getting the house and Peanut keeps saying "home". I think she is ready to have her own space again. She is a lot like her dad, liking her things a certain way.

I have made a few commitments for once we move, joining a gym with a friend that has a daycare in. I excited to join and wish it was closer now, but with an hour drive each way, I'll just wait until we move. The other is to enroll the kids in a few activities. Not that they are usually easy to do by myself, but I'd like to meet some new people from the "neighborhood". (of course that means all neighboring communities too) I'd like to get peanut back into swimming, but I'm not sure how that would work. I'd have to find someone who could watch Bug. I'd also like to get Peanut into gymnastics as she really enjoyed it when she took it in the city. It was mostly free play on the equipment, but at least she was active and she had fun. So for now, I just get to plan about all the things we need for the move...... let's hope I plan this alright......

My New Digs

Here's some pictures of the new - unfinished - digs

The front

The back - walk out basement

Entertainment unit in living room

"island" in kitchen, counter faces dining room/living room

Full kitchen, "island" houses the sinks and dishwasher, other appliances on the right. Appliances get delivered possession day Feb. 1!

view from upper deck. Our back yard is on water and has a walking path down to a play structure

there is a door off the master bedroom to this covered deck section, I'm taking the picture from the dining room door

One bedroom, same carpet for the basement

Master bedroom walk in on the left, ensuite right

the girls bathroom

 

Basement with underlay, carpet was upstairs ready to be installed

Similarities

My sister posted some fun pictures the other day which made me think of similarities. Here's a few from our family....

Joel on the left, a little older but Maddy has that same expression!

me as a little one

Maddy 5 months old

Mika 5 months old

But, if you want to see even more similarities.......

Final Plan?

So there are more changes in the plan, but this time I think for the better! J and I have decided to move out of town. Not far, a simple 20 minute drive, but we are pretty set on this plan. There are many reasons to support our decision, but I won't go into that on here. We are waiting for an assessment from Revenue Canada and Joel to be home to make it all official, but I'm feeling really good about this. Every time I picture us there, I smile so I feel this is a good move for us.

So why am I still impatient with my kids and stressed out?! I can't seem to get my grove back this run. I am feeling a little crowded with no "me" time (we are staying with my parents remember) and although I have ventured out, it always feels like I should either be including them or that I am bothering someone else (I usually escape to another family members palce for a couple of days). Peanut and I have had many good days of play including spooning with beans/rice (thanks Auntie S!), markers to make J crafts/pictures for Christmas, bath swims, trips to walmart, cuddles on the couch and in bed, and yet I still feel myself getting annoyed with her when she starts demanding my attention. I feel like I should be giving more to her, I just don't have the energy to do it and it's getting hard. Since J left the kids have been on opposite schedules and so it means I am always catering to one of them.

Bug has been getting up multiple times in the night and with Peanut awake for the morning at 5:30am and still up once a night (usually needing a full change of clothes), I'm just worn out and tired. Bug has started solids and had a little reaction to oat cereal. The first couple of times it was just a change in mood and a few arches of her back, but last time it included a red rash on her face. I was just talking with my sister about this, and I was thinking it was cereal in general, but after keeping her just on rice for 3 days I noticed she went back to herself) So I think we'll avoid that one and see how she does on everything else.  The solids haven't help her sleep like some have suggested, I'm thinking she may just be growing or having a hard time adjusting from one place to another. Hopefully once we have this home to ourselves we can spend some time working on routine and give her some stability. (I think she might be wanting more predictability in life)

So I have been feeling off for awhile now, but hope having my hubby home for the 2 week stretch will be like hitting the "reset".

FAQ

So I keep getting these frequently asked questions, and I figured I'd just answer it all here....

You sold your house? I didn't know it was for sale.

Yes. We sold our house. No, it wasn't really up for sale. What? Well, J and I were planning to list the house in the spring on com free. We did have 2 Realtors come in and assess the house, but I didn't like what they had to say. So I asked J if I could put it on kijiji, just to see what would happen.

Well the first time I listed we had a lot of Realtors emailing about listing it for us, but I ignored them, and re posted it, and re posted it, and re posted it every few days. We had some people email questions and set up viewings (that ended in no shows). Then we received an email from a woman who asked if she could come that day to see it. I figured, why not?! So although I didn't clean the house, stage it, or really do anything to prepare for their visit, I did allow them to come by. It was a couple and 2 kids. About 5 days later they made a verbal offer to us. After a little bit of negotiation, we settled on a price and possession date.

So what were you planning?

Well originally we had thought we would rent a home in Bissett, however the people couldn't get it finished in time, and Joel's company refused to pay live out. So we thought maybe we would rent an apartment, but then we were offered a place to stay at my moms. This would save us 4 months rent, and allow them to leave their dog here while in Mexico. So the month of December is a little crowded, but come January we'll have the place to ourselves, and will rent an apartment for April.

What's going on with J?

Well, he has quit his job in Bissett to take another opportunity. He will fly in and out of Winnipeg to Red Lake, Ontario. It's a mining town and although he could drive to it, it really doesn't make sense because of the distance. He will still be on a 4 week work schedule, with 2 weeks off. It is still being an underground electrician, but it is a shaft electrician. He does his first run starting Sunday.

Are you okay with that?

Yes. J is my partner, and would never take an opportunity without first discussing it with me. Ultimately though, he needs to be happy with work. He is a planner in his own way, and would never risk his family's security.  He is taking this new job to increase his experience in the mining field, but also because it is a 4 year contract and will provide more stability and security. 

How do you do it with 2 little ones and a hubby who is not home?

I think I have the better deal out of our family. J is our sole provider and that is a huge responsibility. Now that's not to say I could never get a job, but he is doing what he does so that I can stay home with the girls. He selflessly works this schedule so we are financially secure, and so that his girls grow up having their mom full time. Although I know he misses his girls (all of us), he is doing what he feels is best for his family. It works for us in many ways, and he wouldn't do it if it didn't.

Where will you live and what's your plan?

We plan to rent an apartment in April (the ones in Sage Creek that are month to month) while we wait for the home we are building in Sage Creek to be complete. We have selected a builder and a lot, and just need to sign the paperwork which will likely happen at Christmas time while J is home.

So here is the FAQ answers, but if you have more, just let me know. :)