Spring 2010

Happy Easter everyone!
I would like to start a new chapter in our lives called: "No Excuses". I'm not going to make any more excuses for why we can't fit something into our schedules, or why I need to sit down with a(nother) cup of tea. We are a busy young family and we have REASONS why we can't accommodate everything. NOT excuses. So there.

I am also not going to accept any more excuses from the young 'uns.

I'm sorry, but WHAT broken arm, Mister Jack? If you can somehow scale the fridge to access the candy contraband on top, I am NOT going to believe you when you say you can't pull the sheets into place on your bed. Not rocket science, kid.

And Ethan, you are too smart for me to accept the fact that you forgot to mention you had homework. Just because I'm not home until late Tuesday nights doesn't mean you get a "bye" in the dictee practice. Pull out your Agenda and show Daddy, you big 7-yr-old, you. Even though he can't speak French well, he can still help you.

Big breath.

OK, so the past few weeks have been lots of fun. Spring break was perfect this year. The two weeks with the kids came at the perfect time for me, having just returned from Whistler and the month away. It was awesome to reconnect and spend time with them without having to yell at them to get them out the door to school. Somehow, it's not so stressful when you're getting them to shoe and coat themselves prior to going to a playdate. Or visiting the new baby girl cousin. Or going for a walk to the beach. Still, after spring break is always the time that I start looking at summer camps in earnest. I realize my limitations, and full-time entertainer for two months to two active boys is WAY beyond my skill set.

We are all looking forward to summer camps and camping with the cousins, but also the last few months of school are very exciting for the kids. They are both doing well at school. Ethan is a natural student and does great in class. Jack is also performing well in class, and I admire his teacher to no end for keeping the Silly in check for 2-1/2 hours daily. Also, I may be jinxing myself here, but we are now in April and we haven't been called to the principal's office YET on account of Jack's behaviour. Please keep your fingers crossed that my kindergartner can hold it together until June.

Last week he got in trouble for kissing a girl and making her cry. I am SO not making that up. She is a lovely girl, and she is a special friend to Jack, but she didn't welcome the smooch in class. Madame spoke to the class about boundaries and who/when it is appropriate to kiss, and hopefully it stops there.

Ethan struggles with public perception. By that I mean that he is always afraid of looking silly in front of others. He will now sing at Christmas concerts, and speak in front of the class, and even perform in the class plays in front of parents. He is confident in front of us. But sometimes, he decides that something will make him look dumb, and he digs his heels in and will NOT participate. It happened last week with dancing in gym class. Usually it's things like Crazy Hair Day or Pyjama Day that he won't do. But he is doing way more this year than he has ever done before, so slowly we are working with him through his public confidence issues.

I pranked them on April Fool's Day by freezing their toothbrushes in a block of ice, and then demanding they brush their teeth NOW or we'd be late for school. It was awesome! And the whole point was to prove to Ethan that pranks can be harmless. He had been anxious to go to school that day in case people pranked him. He relaxed after he realized that pranks can be funny, too. It only took a few minutes to thaw the toothbrushes out!

Easter was fun. And by "fun" I mean that they woke us up at 6:30 to hunt for eggs, then demanded candy every 2 minutes before giving up by lunchtime. Jack also picked the lock on the bathroom and peed in the toilet right beside my head as I tried to relax in the bath. They do not understand privacy and are truly puzzled when I say I would like to have a bath by myself. Jack says, "But Mummy, you will be BORED without me!" Yeah, right. They repeated their egg hunt about ten times during the day. They re-hid every egg in the exact place they had found it, and then re-found them with great excitement. They also took great delight in messing up every room just as I had finished cleaning it prior to my parents and brother arriving for Easter dinner. I had to leave the house mid-afternoon on a 45 minute time-out because it is certainly not cool to hate everyone in your house on Easter.

Dinner was yummy and the eggs looked pretty. And today, we relax.