HISMSV - 23

HISMSV - 22

HISMSV - 21

Monday morning started early.  I haven't been running (I have a knee that doesn't love it) but I just felt the pull of a run.  There's a VBS session at our church this week and we volunteered to drive a friend's son up, as well, since she works and can't get him there and then back to daycare.  She drops him off and I need to make sure that everyone is up, dressed and ready by 8:15 when he gets here.  That's not usual early for us but this summer, we've been slower in the morning.  It was a bit of a rush.  The run was heaven, though - even if it was frustrating that I didn't have the stamina that I had worked up to last year.

Once we got the kidlets off to VBS (and poor LB, he was devastated that he wasn't going with the big kids), it was time to get working on the house.  When I've been away, I tend to come back and notice what needs doing.  My mission for the next couple of weeks is to get the house sorted out so that when I go back to work, I feel like we are organized and I want to prep for a yard sale (I know I haven't done a summer bucket list but that would be an item right at the top should I actually get around to writing one).  We have been dumping into our spare room so it seemed like the logical place to start.

LB and I spent the morning cleaning, sorting, pricing and throwing out.  It may not look like that much of a difference with all that stuff packed onto the bed but seriously, it was a MAJOR accomplishment.  While we worked, we had the t.v. on and I watched some coverage of the initial court appearance of the Aurora, Co. shooter.  I have very strong feelings about that but that's another post.  The good news was that at the end of the morning, I had gotten a job done and felt like I was on my way.

In the midst of it all, I also got a couple of loaves of chocolate chip banana bread made.  I am on treats for a couple of different events this week and I had an overabundance of bananas in the freezer.  These loaves may not look like much but they are fantastic.

As usual, Pk and I did some homework.  Each day, we read, we work on some math (right now, we are writing numbers, counting collections and working on more and less), we work on "Handwriting Without Tears" (the best printing programme EVER) and we work in her "Learning Advantage" book.  The "Learning Advantage" books are sold online but also through the schools in this area as summer practice support.  You buy the book for the coming year (so Pk is going into SK and we are working on the SK book).  I am not a big fan of worksheets and I really like this book - it's a mix of different kinds of tasks and they are very age and curriculum appropriate. 

Monday is swim lesson day.  After a nap for all of us, it was off to the pool.  LB goes first and today, he was a bit grouchy.  After his lesson, it's Pk's turn and he mixes watching her lesson and other sports going on in the complex.  This week, it was lacrosse.  He was mesmerized.  It's a violent sport but my grandfather was very well known in lacrosse in this province (he's actually in a sports hall of fame for it!) so, if LB decides to play, he will be following in family footsteps.

This must be very boring for anyone else to read but it was actually a wonderful, comfortable day.

HISMSV - 20

We were away for a few days and that's why there haven't been any photos.  I hope you have noticed that while I don't always have time to write, I am trying to find the time to get photos up.  I'm trying to stay on track and then go back and add the text later if I run out of time.  I hope that works for you!

Sunday was return home day.  It had been a lovely visit but I must admit, it's always nice to come home  to one's own bed.  We had invited a friend for dinner and I was invited to a Tupperware party on Sunday afternoon so there was a bit of a time crunch.  We got on the road right after breakfast and got back a.s.a.p.  We always count the windmills as about the half-way point of the 2 1/2 hour trip.

 Dh ran into Costco to get some pork tenderloin for our dinner and we had the dog so we couldn't go in.  I don't intend to be one of those people on the news whose dog dies in the car from heat.  Right across from Costco is a Petsmart and that was a place that I knew the dog was welcome and the kids love to browse.  It was perfect - well, until the dog, who is a bird dog, caught sight of the flap of bird wings.  We had to make a quick move to another area of the store at that point.

 Finally, the Tupperware party.  I must be honest, I had very mixed feelings.  While I am a small-town-ish girl by temperament, there are times that my "city-girl" upbringing rears its head and sales parties are definitely one of those times.   In my experience, all of these home sales deals are fairly good products that are extremely expensive.  Back in the city, half the people were too poor for expensive stuff and the other half had enough money to buy high end stuff (sorry, but if you want to spend lots of money, why not buy famous brands and stores?)  There just weren't any home sales gigs in my life.  To be frank, I also find it often rather tacky - the sales pitches are over-the-top and when you go, you feel pressure to buy, if nothing else to support the hostess.  Not my scene.

This one was o.k.  The hostess is a very good friend who knows how to host - wonderful food and drink, the nicest ambiance and a relaxed atmosphere.  I was never made to feel like I had to buy so that she could get more credits.  It was fun to get to hang out with the girls sans kids and just chat.  The ick factor was still there with the sales... the over-the-top promises, the high prices and, to be honest, Tupperware is a product I have trouble with.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE their Fridge Smart fruit and veggie keepers (if you don't have any, you need them, your stuff lasts so much longer) and I don't have anything against most of their other stuff.  I just have three problems - 1.  I hate drinking out of plastic (I must have some negative association with dishwasher scratched stuff from the 70's but I want cold drinks out of glass and hot out of china), 2.  I won't microwave plastic EVER (sorry, radiation + plastic = poison in my mind) and 3.  I am not going to spend $59 for a set of lunch dishes that my daughter is going to lose the lid for the first week she takes them to school.  It didn't leave me a whole lot to buy, which is fine.  My bigger problem is that I am sure that my feelings showed on my face.  I don't want to spoil it for anyone else but I am so transparent.  I don't want to seem like I am looking down on anyone or anything (seriously, if you want to microwave plastic, you do it while I drink my chemical-laden died pop and we will probably come out even).  I just know that when I don't like something, I am not good at hiding it.  I came home feeling good that I had enjoyed a nice time with friends but worried that the Tupperware lady thought I was a sales killer and that my friends experienced me as being a snob.

So, if you are having a party and invite me, I'll come and enjoy the company and try to be o.k. with the sales stuff.  It's my issue not yours but please, I've warned you, I'll try my best but I don't know how much I will succeed.

HISMSV - 19