what on earth where they thinking, or not thinking...

What would possess a plumber when adding plumbing to a very old house (1837 or so) to not do it properly... To create a long drain pipe that was just hanging in midair so that over time that drain pipe for the kitchen sink, shower and bathroom sink would work it's way loose and drain into the cellar! I would find it after the smell in the kitchen really started to bug me and I had looked every where for the source ( remember really old house), finally going into the cellar because last time there was a smell like that there was a dead mouse in the furnace filter. I wish it had just been a mouse, we fixed the pipe for now but a more long term solution needs to be found, thank goodness the cellar has a dirt floor.


Yesterday was a PD day and the monkeys where home all day, we had a pretty good day, no serious meltdowns and only a few tears where shed. It was movie night so we had pizza, watched the Princess Bride ( my choice!) and around 8:40 they were tucked into bed. I sat in the office to make sure they were settled by 9:40 Calvin was still tossing, turning and not anywhere close to going to sleep. I went in to pulled him out to run some laps which is the " I am serious it is time to sleep" strategy and it usually works. As we got downstairs he announced it was cause Fudge was spitting on him... what!

To make a long story short, Fudge was leaning out of the top bunk and spitting on Calvin because Calvin asked him to be quiet and settle down. What makes a child think that an appropriate response to that would be to lean over and start spitting at someone - I so don't get the steps there.

Fudge is moving back to the bottom bunk and if that doesn't work I am taking the bunkbeds down and they will have 2 beds as far apart as possible!

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Just in case you didn't know that I felt this way, adoption from foster care is a wonderful thing! Yeah for people sharing the great news!

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If you have the homework blues go read this - complete with contract! I will not even begin to tell you about the last to days in our house, well yesterday wasn't so bad but the day before was a doozy. I am off to finish building a bookshelf and find stuff to create an advent calendar because the playmobil/lego ones suck this year and I refuse to give my kids pirates for advent.

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Monday Moments

• I love this picture, I took it this summer before I blew my top when they broke the sprinkler, it was a good day until that happened. I found it when I was printing pictures to send out for Christmas and it reminds me of summer on the farm.
• We had a long day yesterday... pick a reason
• Calvin is writing essays after school today on all the countries he wants to visit. He wants to visit them so badly that he had to draw lines all over the map ( at least it wasn't on the wall) in their bedroom to show us all where he wanted to go. 
•  I am really tired today and battling the beginning of a migraine from some accidently eaten flour - opps
• Calvin's therapist called and cancelled this morning because she had a crisis to deal with, well more than one. I am trying decide whether to still pick Calvin up early and just do something with him, The good mama voice says that is what I should do. The tired mama voice who dealt with raging boy yesterday wants to call the school and tell them he is not leaving early.
• when trying to illustrate a point to your child about the importance of taking care of one's possessions dropping the child's piggy bank on the floor ( not actually on purpose mind you) and watching it shatter is not a good way to get him to calm down - that would be a stellar moment I am sure I will here about when he is an adult!
• Fudge seems to be on sensory overload lately, every little look or thing sets him off.
• I have noticed in the last few weeks that Fudge also seems to have a hard time recalling the word he needs when he needs it. Like the other day asked for a curtain when he needed a sheet and tablecloth when he needed a towel. I don't think this is a new behaviour just one that Calvin covered up more before and now that they are starting to be less enmeshed I am seeing it more.
• I could use this as my to do list this week, as I type I am thinking of all the stuff that needs to happen.
• There is no snow here yet in the great white north. Good thing considering I sent Calvin to school in shorts today because he insists on crawling around at school and ripped holes in the patches on his pants that cover up the holes he ripped from crawling around on the concrete. I have no problem with wear and tear on clothes but it takes him about 8 or 9 wears to achieve a hole, I think he tries to see how fast he can make it happen.
• We stopped putting Fudge in pull ups at night, he went 3 nights and has now wet for the last 3 nights... not sure what the best answer is on this one.
• I have laundry to fold, lots of laundry, must go get that done.
• The boys birth certificates came the other day, it was moment for me, a moment of realization of just how wonderful these 2 small people have made my world, regardless of all the challenges they really are great little people.
•  Now that I have them I need to get passports for them, not that we are going anywhere but should we decide to go somewhere it would be easier if I already had them.
• I added the little followers widget so go ahead and tell me you are reading, since I know that I am not just talking to myself, well sometimes I am.

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guess who, a guessing game

Guess who made the mistake of saying that she was going out tonight?
Guess who didn't "make it" to the bathroom in time and who ripped his pants?
Guess who destroyed his brothers stuff?
Guess who spent well over an hour crying and trying to engage a parent, any parent in a battle?
Guess who could not remember why he was in trouble?
Guess who finally thought of some restitution to make up for the ripped clother ( and all that resulted) and is now acting as though we pumped him full of speed?
Guess who should of kept her big ol' cake hole closed this morning!

This game has been brought to you by the letters S and M and the number 3 - I am off to knit!

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just when I think

We aredoing so well, I am calm, I have a had a long stressful day but the boys are being good and life is proceeding. Calvin and I are working on his Sea Otter project ( that was due today, bad mama) after dinner. I am helping him out by typing it out for him and printing maps and a picture of an otter we saw while in Victoria. I leave the table to ge the stuff that is printing in the office and come back and he has ruined the stuff I printed that he ws supposed to being colouring in,  big black colouring on it when I clearly told him to do it in a light colour, yellow or orange I said so that eveyone can see it easily. He said he liked black better - yeah mom and  know best which is what he was really saying and stop helping me/loving me - because why would anyone actually want to see the picture, they would only want to see big black marker colouring.

Now he is down at the table crying ( which is so much better than raging) because I have taken away the stuff that I helped with and just left him with the parts he did himself. I guess I should go and talk him through this one... like I ssaid at least he is crying and not raging. I don't think I can do raging this week. Off to fix his errors in judgement.

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big questions

It's funny how life works, well funny is not the right word but I don't really know what the right word so I will stick with funny.

On Sunday while we were watching our munchkins run around and stuff their faces with donuts after church I was rocking a friends baby in his carseat. I was standing there alone, rocking the baby and wondering how exactly the universe works. How it was that all these friends of mine who have big families (most have at least 3 kids, some have 5 or 6, all bio kids) have managed to have healthy, neurotypical kids. In a world where there are so many kids with special needs how is it that none of these parents have one. I am talking about 30 or so kids. What are the odds there, why did it work out that way? I did not come to any great conclusions, I just stood there wondering to myself. Then I moved on to talking about Stellar Moments with some of the other Moms, accidently leaving babies alone, leaf raking early in the morning so the kids wouldn't be to tired to finish and other day to day moments.

Last night I got a phone call from one of our church friends H, he needed to know how to post a note on Facebook, we chatted and I checked in to know if everything was okay, his voice faltered, no it's not he said. H and his wife R are expecting their 7th child in March, they learned last Friday that there was problem at a rountine ultrasound. To make a long story short their daughter has a Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) and most probably had Down's as well. They are devasteated to say the least. Apparently the CDH is rather large and the Dr is very concerned about lung development and has given them a 50/50 rate of survival.

As I stood there on Sunday and contemplated the universe they knew that their child was not well. They knew that they  may have to carry a child to term and then  perhaps watch her die because there was little hope of survival or perhaps walk the long journey that is life in the NICU.  They were carrying this burden alone because they were not yet ready to tell their friends.

I am struggling with the universe today, with the big questions of why things are the way they are, not just with this news but with lots of other things that have been going on in my world as well. Nothing bad, just stuff that makes me wonder why. 

It's funny how that theology degree I spent all that money getting doesn't help me to answer any of the universes big questions.

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