Various odds and ends

over the weekend, we went to a friend's house for dinner. all was well, but what made it memorable was the amount of food my children ate. we had to fill up Skye's plate FIVE times and Claire's THREE times! either my friend is a fantastic cook or i've been starving my children! well, my friend is a good cook - i enjoyed her cooking too! i was just glad she is Korean and would feel happy about my children's very big appetites. i couldn't imagine what i would have done if she was from a place where people are supposed to politely decline seconds, or are expected to leave food on their plates when finished.

Skye began her violin classes a few weeks ago. she is very very excited about them and loves to pull out her violin to practice. i was a little hesitant to begin, worried that she would want to give it up soon after starting, but perhaps because SHE has wanted it and it wasn't me encouraging her to do this, she has taken to it really well. she has this tiny little violin...it's very cute.

Claire likes to quote lines from books i've been reading her. the latest quotes are from "Madeline": "Miss Clavel turned on the light", "Madeline cried and cried". but what Claire does is she'll just blurt out these quotes during random times. while i'm helping her get dressed or while she's eating or while she's drawing.

as for me, i feel like i'm still trying to find my footing. last month felt so stressful and while i went away for a weekend to write, i don't feel like my life has slowed down at all. i'm a little concerned that my life will continue at this stressed out, hectic rate for the rest of my life!! and with all my energy going into my novel, it's hard to keep up with the blog. BUT, i will say it felt odd yet wonderful to be completely alone for a few days, my schedule not dictated by my children's lives. i woke up both mornings with all this energy to channel into my writing instead of spreading it all out on my children. yet at the same time, i missed my family. it's called love, i guess. :)

Valentine's day?

what is that?? our day was lost in the endless list of activities i had inadvertently packed into the day. first, a special brunch at Marigolds. then, i had promised to pick up my neighbour's kids for part of the day - they have a day old baby in their house, so i thought i'd be neighbourly and take the older kids. Phil and i took turns taking the kids out to various outings. the one i ended up taking them to was Skye's school's winter carnival. crazy. there were so many people and kids running around, i barely had my wits together to keep track of my kids. finally dropped off the neighbours' kids back at their house and then it was off to dinner at a friend's house, but of course, i'd volunteered to make dessert... i'm just thankful the day didn't end in tears. i should be overcome with exhaustion and conked out in my bed, but my mind is going a mile a minute and so i'm sitting here writing.

i'd love to catch you up on my weekend getaway, but the minute i stepped out of the car after i drove back home, it's been crazy. for those of you who are wondering where i've been, i went to this place last weekend to take some personal time to work on my novel. it was great but also really bizarre. it felt so strange not to have my time dictated by my children's schedule/needs. i did get some good work in, but of course, felt i didn't have enough time to do everything i wanted to do. i also had a great time talking, over meals in the dining hall, to some of the other people who were there. it was really beautiful and peaceful. great place for writing, as many other writers have noticed as well.

but the best news is, my kitchen ceiling is finally all fixed!! yay!!!! on friday, the painter came and finished the painting. it is so great to no longer look up into these big gaping holes above us blowing in cold drafts!!