Jul 29

Dear Public Beach Lifeguard,

What the hell kind of beach has rules against water wings??? And where do you get off enforcing rules that aren’t posted anywhere and, in my experience, have never been enforced?

While I totally understand your concern that water wings may provide parents a false sense of security, asking me to remove one little bit of confidence my daughter (who is terrified of deep water) has, is just cruel. If you want to make sure kids are safe your rules should require parents to keep kids within arms length. I’m just trying to help my kids learn to be safe and comfortable in the water and your taking away their security blanket totally screwed my strategy.

And you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t totally trust your promise to be watching my children to prevent them from drowning when there are 300 other people in your charge.  I believe it’s my responsibility to supervise my children. Your stupid slippery slope argument (“if we let you, we’ll have to let everyone”) is ridiculous. If you’re making up rules as you go, just make up another one!

Bottom line, you can’t enforce rules that aren’t posted. And you officially cemented my daughter’s hatred of deep water. Consider yourself warned: I’m bringing the water wings with us next time and if you want them, you’ll have to pry them out of my cold, dead hands.

With unmitigated hostility,
A local parent

Jul 24

Oh gosh. I’m clearly failing to update regularly and I promise it won’t be like this forever. But for now, here’s the one word phrase summary of the many things going on in my life:

1. Visitors: too many to count!

2. Trip to Saskatoon:  exhausting and not as much accomplished as we had hoped.

3. Plane trip with a 5 and 3 year old: SO MUCH BETTER THAN FLYING WITH AN INFANT (OR YOUNG TODDLER)! OMG I CAN’T EVEN SAY HOW MUCH!!!

4. Jobs for the hubby: In progress.

5. Movers: Hired.

6. Packing services: Because we’re loaded lazy.

7. Schools for Avery in Saskatoon: being researched.

8. Buying a house: we came, we saw, we left – maybe we are too picky. Checking out some other possibilities (ie. renovating an older house like cuh-RAZY).

9. Summer weather in New England: continues to suck the big one.

10. Kids: Overcome with cabin fever and BOUNCING OFF THE FREAKING WALLS LIKE MONKEYS ON ACID.

11. Avery’s dance recital waaaaay back in mid-June: Cutest. Bee. Ever.

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12. Birthday: The hubby’s bike was stolen on my birthday.  Crap.

13. Final drive back to Saskatchewan: Kind of looking forward to it – I know, I’m batshit crazy.

14. Avery’s birthday: Next weekend. There will be no Taj Mahal birthday cake this year – we have something a little simpler in mind.

15. Business: We’re buying a business in Sasktoon – if you need new tiresor rims or wheel/rim repair, let me know. I can hook you up.

16. July 4th: I realize it’s waaay past, but it was cool. Americans are obsessed with fireworks and that is awesome. We can see several miles of shoreline from our yard and there were constant fireworks along the entire coast for hours.

17. Summer Vacation: It’s awesome not to have to get the kids out the door first thing every morning to drop Avery off at school.

18. Neighbours: I have the best neighbours ever. They babysit my kids. AWE-SOME.

19. New pictures: Awww….

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20. OMG WE’RE MOVING IN LESS THAN A MONTH!!!

Jul 10

You would think moving for the third time in just over two years would be a snap. You would think we have this process down to a science. You would think that we would be able to tell moving companies how many pounds of stuff we own to the decimal point. You would think we would be pros and the whole moving gig.

But you would be wrong.

Now that we’re actually getting into the whole process of organizing and planning and talking to moving companies and trying to figure out where we will be living and how we will be getting there, I’m once again amazed at how much work it all is. Frankly, I intend to leave packing until as late as possible.  I’m hoping to find and book a moving company and then not talk to them again until moving day.  (Shut up, it could so happen!)

Next week will be taking a short trip to Saskatoon which will hopefully include house-hunting and renewing of health cards (YAY UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE!) and school shopping and a bit of family and friend visiting.  Then it will be back home for rapid slide downhill to moving day!

Somehow this summer feels like it is ending before it’s even started. The unrelenting rain in June and the many visitors and the impending move add up to the sensation of the rapid passage of time. I even considered buying Avery’s school supplies BEFORE WE MOVE because our moving date will likely be very close to the start of the school year. Ok, maybe that’s pushing it, but still, it’s feeling like time for a good, old fashioned panic attack.

Also did I mention I’ve committed to flying with my children? In less than a week? I’m pretty sure last time I did that I said that I would never do it again. Ever. Getting ready for fun times, people!

Jul 6

Well hello there! You’re still here? I’m flattered you’re still hanging on after the lack of posting around here! Life has gotten kind of crazy around here. We’ve had a constant stream of visitors and more coming soon which is awesome. We are also in the midst of planning our move back to Canada.

Yes, that’s right, by the end of the summer we will be back in Saskatchewan, breathing in the dry prairie air and being consumed by mosquitoes, one bite at a time! I am really excited to be going home but we are attempting to enjoy our final months on the beach and in the wonderful city of Boston that we have actually grown to really appreciate in the past year.  Of course moving does demand a lot of time and attention and there will be a lot of that going on in the coming weeks, too. I will attempt to post something more interesting soon, but just so all two of you know what’s been going on here and why the lack of content, that’s it.