Tag Archives: parenting

happiness

Down the hill

This afternoon the kids took advantage of the beautiful weather and went down the hill to the creek for a swim. It’s the 13th of September which is significant for two reasons. First – it’s super late in the year to even be thinking about going in the creek. Second – it’s Internet appreciation day at our house. This means it’s the day of the month when our crappy internet rolls over and we can actually get online again. Last month we ran out of our horrifyingly low data 10 days into the month. 

I had expected the kids to want to soak up all the streaming they could so I was incredibly happy to see them outside enjoying Mother Nature instead. Hearing them giggle and seeing the smiles on their faces as they returned home from an afternoon of fun was my happiness moment today. 

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Reality break 

We are back home from our little reality break. It was so good to just leave all our stresses behind us and recharge for a couple of days. It’s the first real break the kids and I have taken since an overnight stay in Waterton in the summer of 2014. So much has happened since then, we needed some time that was just for fun. 

We have the added bonus of some new members in our tribe with whom we shared some of our getaway time. It’s fun watching relationships deepen, and an interesting bonus to see that bring about some  wounds healing.

I felt happiness the entire weekend, but I had an insightful moment wrapped up inside that joy today. Jacob and I were talking about watching a funny video and I said I wanted to watch it with him because it’s always so much better to laugh with someone. One of the littles jumped into the conversation with: that’s true it’s always so much better to laugh with two people.  In fact, one time I laughed with three people and that was the best laugh I’ve ever had. So true. We need people to laugh with. It’s why we need our tribe. 

As we were getting into bed tonight Jacob asked so when is our next staycation? I will assume that means this weekend was a hit. 

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Take a break 

We are on a much needed family staycation. It’s been an emotional week and we have all needed a break from the daily grind for a while. 

So far we have enjoyed a trip to the Itaian centre (yum), supper at his place, and a swim in the pool. It’s amazing how relatively little it takes to make it feel like a mini vacation – to let the stress of the daily grind go. We need to take the time to find more of these moments – ones that are spent just enjoying being with each other. I love that. 

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Sick day

Jenna called me from school this morning with an upset stomach saying she needed to be picked up. As I was driving into town I had a moment of gratitude for the fact that I was able to drop everything and go get her. It has meant so much to the kids that I have  been able to provide the time to be with them as they walk through their childhood. It has come with a lot of sacrifices – not only from me but from their dad too over the years – and it is a comfort to know that it makes a huge difference in their lives having that consistent sense of security. 

The fact that so far I have been able to continue to provide that for them fills me with happiness and gratitude. 

I cuddled up with the girl this afternoon and watched a tv show. Her tummy started feeling better and she began acting like her regular self again. A healing happiness moment. 

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Table talk 

We celebrated the end of the long weekend with a big, crazy supper with loud kids gathered around the table. 

One of the things I really missed in our years away were the family suppers we used to have before we left. I’m realizing more and more that I need to be organizing those myself now. If we are fortunate enough to have these people around us, we need to be breaking bread with them more often. 

My happiness moment was preparing the meal with him and then being part of the big loud table as we ate our meal. It’s good to be home. 

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The new year

We somehow managed to get up and get going this morning. The boy and I were up on and off all night stressing about the new school year. I love the schools they’re at, yet there is always a little bit of nervousness when heading back after a long break. It was so nice this year though that both kids were in familiar schools. They already have friends, know the teachers, and understand the school routine. I am so grateful for the fantastic schools they are both in.

 When I look back to last year when we moved here I am reminded of how the kids were picked up and held in love by their school communities. That’s not something that happens everywhere and I’m thankful it happened for them when they needed it so badly. 

My happiness moment was hearing all about their first day as we drove home. I love the excitement and hope for the new year. 

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End of summer 2016

Tomorrow the kids go back to school. I am sad about that, I love having them home and I don’t feel like we did even half of the things we had planned. On the other hand, this summer feels like it’s been kind of an emotional shitstorm and I’m ready to move on from that. It wasn’t summer 2013 bad (which will forever be the bad summer that all bad summers will be measured against), but it wasn’t one of the better ones. Mother Nature played a big role in that with her rain, rain, rain – but it seemed to also be a season where we sorted out and let go of a lot of emotional baggage. That was exhausting. 

We celebrated our last day of freedom with a trip to Banff and fondue for supper. It was nice enough to sit outside to eat, which was a real treat. We all love those mountain hugs. They’re soul healing. We ate, laughed, and shared stories. I love those kiddos and my time with them is precious and always filled with gratitude. We are extremely close the three of us, and I give thanks for that bond every day. 

Chocolate fondue 
On the way home we saw a crazy, big cloud that kind of looked like a dog. I love the big Alberta skies and all our cool clouds 

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She’s Squidward

I’m so excited – today I picked up Jenna’s clarinet for school band. She’s been talking about it all summer and I’m so happy for her that she’s going to learn a new instrument. 

There have been Squidward and his clarinet jokes all summer long and she says it all with a smile. It’s going to be so much fun to watch her learn a new instrument. Between this and the guitar it’s going to be a very musical year for her. 

I feel such incredible gratitude that the kids are finding activities that they enjoy and that I’m able to participate in it with them. It’s a huge blessing. 

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Deep Rest

After complaining of being tired all week, I slept for 11 hours last night. I can’t even begin to explain how much better that long sleep made me feel.  It’s pure happiness. 

I have known that I have not been getting optimal sleep for some time – and for many different reasons. Some of it was poor lifestyle choices (somehow this summer staying up too late has seemed like a good idea on too many occasions), a lot of it is the fallout of emotional stresses. I’m working on earlier bedtimes again, and the emotional stress is now mostly healing old wounds instead of new ones being made – so there’s hope on both those fronts. 
This week I got my order from MAPI, a company who sells awesome Ayurvedic herbs and products. One of the formulas I ordered this time was called Deep Rest, a product I used a couple of years back with great results. I think it’s a big part of why I’m starting to get better rests again now. It always amazes me how powerful those herbs are and makes me so grateful that I have learned so much about how to incorporate them into a more balanced lifestyle. 

We spent the day at Calaway Park today – our first and last visit of the year. It was so fun watching all the kids run around laughing and enjoying themselves. I really enjoy those kinds of moments. Having a car full of happy and exhausted kids at the end of the day is another great happiness moment. Being able to share in that enjoyment with him was the icing on the cake (or in our case, the sugar on the mini donut). 

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Wave bobbing 

For the first time since Jr. High I went to Southland Leisure Centre and we bobbed in the waves. It’s a pretty weird thing to do – gather a bunch of strangers in a small body of water and have us all bob up and down in man made waves. It’s also totally fun, which makes it even weirder. I’m not sure if I had more fun myself or watching our huge crew of kids laugh and enjoy themselves. It was a good, good, happiness day. One that has left me smiling and exhausted. Like a fantastic day should. 

I’m pretty sure we will all sleep soundly tonight. 

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