She's Moving On

Our sweet Jean is almost done her kindergarten career.  Where did the time go?  I swear it was only yesterday that we sent her off to junior kindergarten.  It was a bittersweet time because she was so excited to head off to school with her older sister and brother and I would finally have some real time to myself to explore what I wanted and needed to do.  I had a very hard time with it actually.  I missed her like crazy when I went out running errands and I really missed our play date visits with others and going to the library with her.  For those precious years I spent with my babies, I always had someone to chat with, someone to cuddle and hold and look after... their world revolved around our little family and once we sent them off into the world to school, their own world would open up.
Time keeps moving and so do we... eventually I found myself as a mom of school-age kids.  I thoroughly enjoy helping at our school and I have cherished those special days when Jean stayed home from school.  I have a great group of friends in similar situations and we spend time together during the day when our kids are at school.  I feel so lucky to be able to do that.
All three of our children really enjoy school.  We don't struggle daily with any of them not wanting to go to school.  We are thankful for that.  Jean has had the best classroom environment.  Her teachers are amazing and we feel so lucky to have had Miss Ray teach all three of our children.  I will miss her.  Mrs. Campbell and Miss Ray have taught both Alex and Jean and we feel that this has made their start in school life the very best.  They are an extraordinary team!

Tomorrow morning we get to celebrate kindergarten and celebrate Jean's start in school.  Grade one will come very quickly, no doubt, but she is ready.

Jean:  almost 4 years old at the beginning of junior kindergarten; Jean: 5 1/2 years old at the end of senior kindergarten

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the "dads" in my life. 

The dad to my kids is one of the best... He works hard and plays hard and loves playing with the kids. Always drops what he is doing to shoot some hoops, play badminton, take Alex to hockey or soccer, take the girls to dance...the list goes on. One of my favourite things to see is Ian playing at home with the kids. These are precious moments. 

What Fills My Soul?

I have been thinking about this a lot recently. What fills my soul?  Deep, isn't it?  I am not normally so deep and inspirational but when life gets even more hectic than usual, I tend to lose my balance. Over the years I have learned that I need to be filled up with what takes me to my happy places.  I can't function well unless I have taken care of that side of me then I can move forward and fast. 

To be truthful, I enjoy being busy. I like a full calendar but every so often I need a blank day and at this time of year, a half-day will do the trick. As a mom of three young kids and wife of a farmer, it isn't hard to get swept up in housework, yard work, and business work but I know that I have to take time for myself to be content. 

I have always been creative. I love the arts and have immersed myself in various hobbies over the years. For the past 8 years (since I was 8 months pregnant with my middle child) I have been quilting and of all of my artistic hobbies, this has been my favourite. There are times when I am sewing almost every day and other times I go weeks without being in my sewing area of the house but I now know that I need to make time for it, no matter how much and I will feel content. I also enjoy painting and remodelling pieces of furniture is a lot of fun. I want to make more time for that in the fall when I have more time to myself.  I love to make things. 

Working on a creative project fills my soul. 

I also need to make time for friends. I don't need a lot of time but spending time with girlfriends is very important to me. It helps me feel connected and ensures me that I am not alone. I now know that not everyone feels this way. My husband can go quite a long time without connecting with friends but once he does, he enjoys it and then gets back to spending most of his time with family. We are all different and it takes different things to make us happy and feel content. 

Have you ever thought what fills you up?  What makes you feel balanced and happy?  I think it has been good to assess this about myself and being aware of what I need gives me the confidence to take care of myself. It isn't always easy "wearing so many hats" and taking time for ourselves, as moms, is hard. It is hard not to feel guilty but I am striving to take more control over my life and use what time I have to take care of myself. 

Off to bed and hoping for a good nights sleep. 

On the Way Home From Walmart

My sister-in-law had her third child this week so I looked after her middle child for the day yesterday. I kept our youngest home from kindergarten so they could play together, which they do so well. The girls and I took a drive to Walmart and wandered around the store in search of new markers, bubble wands and groceries. On the way home we noticed a helicopter in the sky and that's when the conversation took a turn. Jean (my daughter) explained to Allie (my niece) that she had a ride in a helicopter once. Allie wanted to know when and that's when Jean explained to her that after she was born she was sick and a helicopter had to take her away. Allie was quite interested and asked if I was able to go with her. I said that I was much too sick myself to go... My mind was racing because her own mommy had just given birth. Would she put it together and wonder if her own little sister is sick and if her mommy was also sick?  She asked a few more questions but the conversation moved on to something else. Phew. 

That conversation had me choked up while driving home. I don't think I will ever forget how scared we were that night, how sick she was and how so many people saved her life. I will never, ever forget some of the words those CHEO "helicopter" nurses said. How they swiftly and confidently took her away to a place where she could be looked after in such a serious condition. They were so calm and I found myself being calm as well. It's absurd to think about those moments now. I still feel the tears come when I remember how she almost left us right after she arrived. It was so scary. 

This weekend is the annual CHEO telethon. We haven't had a lot of experiences there and are thankful for that but no matter what, we feel that what CHEO was able to do for us that night was invaluable. Immeasurable. Priceless. All families that have had any experience at CHEO will tell you that and those that have been blessed to not have crossed paths with CHEO...well I am certain they would feel the same. 

We have been part of CHEO's monthly club for quite some time and will continue to do so...forever. We are very, very fortunate to have world-class care so close to home. 

Every time we see or hear a helicopter we look up and I always think of that night. She was so lucky to have that ride.