Flower Power

As of late I have been keeping my home a little cleaner. I have found a little bit of extra energy that I've invested into our house. My laundry room is little happier, my floors have been washed twice (TWICE) within the last week. I'm sure to most this doesn't sound epic, however, I have engineered laminate flooring with a piano finish. ARGH! I detest these floors. Because of the piano finish, which when clean is absolutely stunning, the moment moisture of any degree meets floor a cloudy residue appears. It looks even worse after it's been cleaned.

After having had these floors for over a year, I've tried every kind of remedy. Vinegar and water, no water, laminate floor cleaning made specifically for the brand of floor that I have, orange glo, mr.clean...and the list goes on. Nothing works. The only way to clean the floors and avoid the dreaded cloud is to get on my hands and knees, lightly mist the cleaner directly onto the floor then immediately buff with a dry towel. On average it takes three hours to do. I of course have this floor throughout our entire home. Awesome. I've cried over it, wondering why I just spent all of this time doing the floors just to have one of the kids walk through with bare feet and leave their little marks everywhere. Their feet don't even have to be dirty, they just leave prints!

I have come to the end of my relationship with my floor. I have decided that as soon as our finances will allow it, we are going to tear out this floor and install bamboo. That's it. I'm through!

But I digress, I began this post talking about how I have managed to keep our home a little cleaner. I spent a great deal of time on my floor a few days ago. I started it knowing that it would only be clean for a few minutes. So I made the most of these minutes. I did the dishes and the laundry, organized my desk, cleaned the t.v. unit. and gave my tiniest a bath all while my bigger kids were playing in the backyard.

The day before this I had picked up groceries in the city. I don't normally get flowers, nor do I buy them, but as I was ready to checkout, I passed a display of roses that were on sale. Without thinking I grabbed a package and off I went. After I was finished cleaning and baby was fast asleep in her crib, I looked around my house, fully satisfied with my progress. Granted there are still many many unfinished projects, but they all seemed somehow to disappear in the presence of these three red roses. So weird.

Over the next few days I found myself tidying up and not absolutely hating the chores. I felt contented to be cleaning and cooking and baking and just generally keeping house. I firmly attribute that to my little roses. It was entirely gratifying to set the vase back on the table after cleaning off the lunch crumbs my girls leave for me. One last wipe and my flowers can go right back to where they were. Ahhh. There. Pretty.

Sadly, this morning after feeding everyone breakfast I noticed a sad drooping kind of look on my flowers. Oh no. They're dying. I have plucked off the petals that don't quite look right anymore and it seems to have revived them just a bit, but I don't think they are going to last until tomorrow. Someone call it, time of death, Sunday, 9:15am. Damn.

Now I'm too sad to clean. House sucks again.

The only solution here is obvious. Get more flowers. It won't even matter what kind, just so long as they are alive and have vibrant summertime colors. This is the power of the flower. Flower Power.

Flowers = Clean House

A New Toy.

It's funny how the tiniest most mundane things can cause such amusement for a child. As adults we muddle about not giving a second glance to ordinary things that would cause a three year to giggle themselves into a blissful stupor. Is it because this all new to them? A butterfly pausing a moment on the tip of a teddybear's nose. A batted balloon bouncing off the top of their head. Bubbles!

My kids, all six of them, have an exaggerated love of water. Not to drink, but put into things, to pour, to spray, to spill or just generally sit in. The world absolutely stops and sheer happiness abounds when they are playing with water. It doesn't much matter what it is they are doing with it, just so long as there is plenty of it, and they aren't required to sit at the table and drink it.

Right this moment they are holding their six hundredth water balloon fight today. They have found so much joy in it that once they ran out of the 300 water balloons I gave to them yesterday, they spent THEIR OWN MONEY on buying 200 more! Normally this money is lovingly spared for the purchase of candy and ice cream, so this is a big deal.

Yesterday my hubby brought home a new backyard toy. An above ground pool with a salt water chlorinator and a solar cover. The kids are positively itching to get it set up and filled. I doubt any amount of cold could keep them from diving right in, full body on the first go. I wish I enjoyed something, anything that much. A line from a movie I saw. "I wish I loved anything as much as kids love bubbles." So true.

The downfall to this wicked cool purchase is that it requires a great deal of planning and set up. A fifteen foot wide above ground pool needs to sit on level ground and will need a few buckets of water to fill it. Our backyard is graded away from the house to keep water from washing into our basement. A good plan, and something that shouldn't be messed with. So I guess the first point of business is to find a spot where levelling out the ground won't cause damage to our foundation. No problem. Fair sized yard, and thanks to our female dog, not much grass left to kill.

Now to level it out in a sixteen foot diameter. Okay, let's pause and take a break. Pina Colada time. Book time. Blog time. Kids are quickly running out of water balloons, and if the pool is still in it's box, they WILL resort to entertaining themselves some other way. We don't want this. Kids with nothing to do on a beautiful summer day will inevitably lead to "Mo-o-o-m-m-m-m. I'm bo-o-o-o-r-r-r-e-e-d-d-d-d!" Ugh! Damn delicious pina colada! Damn interesting book!

No problem. Maybe the hubby is ready to get this set up. I know he isn't looking forward to bored kids...

Nope.

Shit.

Okay, looks like I'm gonna have to manipulate the situation. Sleepovers are always fun, and I bet I could distract them with ice cream. It's worth a shot. Hopefully we can get ourselves organized and motivated to get this done for tomorrow. I think I might just be as excited as the kids for this one! I LOVE swimming pools!!! I'm just too old to love it enough to bare the icy cold waters that will reside in said pool until the sun has a chance to warm it.

Summer's Here

Summer is in full swing; kids are all home from school and already bored, water is constantly running in the front yard, fire pit is getting full usage, fireworks are abundant and classic hot muscle cars grace the highway on the weekends. I love summer! Love it! Everything except the spiders of course.

Right now is super busy. I have all six kids home, hubby is working at moving on to a new career and we are renovating nearly every room...still. The bathroom is nearly finished, and there isn't much left to do in the living room. The kitchen is a far cry from complete as is the master ensuite, but we've still made great progress.

My good friend came by last yesterday for a visit, our kids ran a muck, we had a few drinks and enjoyed dinner together, then she scooped up my three small girls and took them for an over-nighter. My son is spending an entire month in Calgary and left a few days ago. My eldest and my tiniest daughters are the only two kids home today. This morning is super quiet.

So quiet in fact that it has started me thinking about what is to come when September arrives. It seems to come so fast. When school resumes, five of my six will be in school. Granted the twins will only attend full days every second day, they are still mostly gone. Then it's just me and my tiniest, and she'll be busy for two hours in the afternoon just sleeping. So every second day for at least two hours I will be completely and utterly alone. Holy cow. It's a bit scary to think about.

My maternity leave is finished in September as well. Big month. I have decided that I'll need to keep busy, and I don't intend on taking up bird house making, or puzzles...so...I will be working on getting my real estate license, I think, maybe...Oh I don't know!

I want to be home with my babies, but when my babies aren't home I should be doing something productive. However, I have no intentions of going back to work any time soon. This is a conundrum. I figure that getting my real estate license will allow me to work when I want to and be home when I want to. Only one way to find out I suppose. Luckily for me there isn't currently a local agent in my town. I could be the first, the one and only local real estate agent. That would be cool. I would also like to get licensed to sell farms/acreages since that would be the bulk of sales that would happen out here. Something to think about.

In the meantime, I plan to be home with my babies all summer. I have a few plans to keep them busy both in the sun and the rain. A trip to the dollar store next week should warrant a pretty hefty haul of crafting goodies and summer time play things. We have also planned a week long trip to Calgary to see family. A seven or eight hour trip, depending on the bathroom breaks and stops to threaten to spin around and take them right bake home. This should be a ton of fun.

My sister has booked off the entire week that we are going to be home! I am so excited! We plan to see the Zoo, Heritage park, Calaway park, Riley park, Olympic Plaza, mini golf, Steven Avenue, the Tower, and the wave pool! Everything that I always had right around the corner and took entirely for granted. Now my kids get to enjoy it all with me. Awesome.

Nothing. Nothing at all.

Well today is going to be one of those days were I need to conjure up some motivation. It's already noon, and I've only managed to get the dishes done. Hubby is busily working on the tile in the bathroom, but this won't last long since our mud is nearing it's end. Sunday in a small town doesn't typically lend itself to making supplies readily available. So, the end of the mud also means the end of tiling for today.

I've whipped up a seven layer taco dip, my Pepsi is on standby and the kids have been sent to their room and aren't allowed out until I can see the floor that I am sure resides just below the mess.

Maybe I'll relish my lazy Sunday. Let hubby just sit after he is finished and not require anything more. Just enjoy our day. I'll take the kiddies for ice cream in the new van, marinade the steaks and pour myself a drink or two.

Well there we are, a plan. A good plan. A plan I'll likely stick to!

Eight Hours!

I do believe that today is going to be one of those days where things get done, music gets played and sun will shine. You betcha. My tiniest went to bed last night just after midnight. She had a slight cold, so I prepared myself to be up most of the night with her. She fell asleep in my arms and I placed her in her crib, covered her up, kissed her and off she went. Into a dreamland I only wish I could have a peek at.

I blogged, chatted with the hubby, turned on a movie and slowly entered a dreamland of my own.



...



I woke this morning at 8:30...8:30?...8:30!!! Hubby was still here. Odd. Everything is quiet. I lay in bed for a moment listening to the hum of the air conditioner as it buzzed to life. Still nothing. I sat up trying to get a peek into the crib. No movement. WTF?

I asked hubby if I had the right time. Yep. Definitely slept in, but how? Baby wakes at 2am and then again around 5am. She loves to wake up and eat and fall asleep on mommy. I walked over to her crib and found her sleeping soundly. I couldn't believe it! I haven't had a full eight hours sleep in over seven months!! Holy cow!! Now I am sitting her wondering if this is a new phase we are happily entering into, or if this was a side effect of the new homeopathic cold medication I gave her before bed last night...I can guess, but I would rather that it's a new phase! So sticking with that, we move on.

With a full sleep charging me up I have to spend my glorious day wisely. My good friend with a gaggle of children herself took my twins for a sleepover last night. They will likely be occupied until this afternoon. Superb. Just four at home today. Totally manageable. I have my coffee, my shower is calling and hubby is going to have to get off to work eventually...or maybe I keep him for the day. Play hooky from work and just tile the bathroom. Sounds like a plan!

Wish me luck! I'm off to make the most of this beautiful day!

Age is Just a Number?

I was rocking my tiniest to sleep tonight when I began to ponder the births of my other little babies. I had my first when I was 20. I might as well have been 15. I knew nothing about responsibility and patience and putting someone else's needs before my own. Growing up we were, how can I put this, without alot of things, broke, poor, destitute. (Okay so I know exactly how to put it!) We didn't know that we didn't have what everyone else had. We had no idea that we had any less than our friends or family. I have my mom to thank for that. She had a way about her that kept us all feeling safe and cared for, no matter what was or wasn't in the fridge.

I had my second baby at the age of 22. I had a bit more clarity on the whole mothering thing, but looking back on it now, I am amazed that I made it through.

I had my third when I was 26 and my fourth and fifth at 27. Now came the growth. With two small children you can still occasionally leave the house if you are lucky enough to have family who is willing to help out. I still had an identity that lived outside of my home life. It was almost like having two lives really. At home I was a mom, responsible and reliable. At work I was fun, outgoing and spirited. Anyone who knew me from work was always surprised to see me in "mommy mode".

After having my twins, my third baby was still just a baby at 11months. So much I just cannot remember. I joke and say that I've blocked it out. Having an infant now makes me wonder just how the hell I managed. We lived in a very small condo; two bedrooms, one very small bathroom, a living room with a funny little kitchenette off to end of it and no backyard whatsoever. My two older children shared a room, and my three small ones shared the other. Hubby and I shared a pullout sofa in the living room. We didn't have a vehicle at the time, but we still managed to get around, although not that often.

So my train of thoughts tonight have left me wondering how did we do it? I knew so little, and had so little. Those poor babies! How could I have thought for even a moment that I was capable of being a mother? To be the one person that is that babies everything. Everything that this child is going to need has to come from me. If she is ever sick, or sad, or lost, I have to make it better. I have to make sure that she has no idea that we have so little. I have to make sure that she never wants for anything even when there isn't much in the fridge. My babies all have to grow into adulthood feeling like their mother did everything she could for them. My oldest is going to be 13 in a few weeks. It scares me to think that I didn't do enough. I wonder what they think...

I am now 33, I have six children, a husband, a home and a few cars, only two of which actually work. I am so lucky that my children are as wonderful as they are. I am so lucky that they turned out to be the people they are. I am so lucky that I have so many more years to enjoy them, love them, watch them grow and create families of their own. How amazing it is to be a mom, especially to these six incredible babies.

The Results are In...

Some time has passed since I last posted, and in that time I have tested my theory and have gathered results. Now to interpret those results.

In order to find out whether I was able to create a good mood out of thin air we needed to compile a list of tasks that needed to be done. (See previous post for details.) With this list I could measure my mood by how many of these tasks were successfully completed and whether I was happy while doing them.

Task 1. Catch buckets for the nine new holes in my ceiling were strategically placed, water mopped and wiped and mopped again, and a large circus type multi colored tarp was lovingly laid on the very wet roof. Complete. Done and done. Happily?  Not sure if we can count ourselves happy in this scenario, however, we didn't get upset or pissy, so we'll call this a win none the less.

Task 2. Monster truck cake. While the roof was draining into my living room I baked my butt off! Cakes were successfully baked, however, due to the time and effort that went into damage control on the part of my roof, the cake was delayed and entire day. Customer was happy with the adjusted delivery time, and crisis was averted. So, task not quite fully complete, but again we didn't get upset or pissy. Cool.

Task 3. All of my community market baking was finished! Complete! Woo Hoo! Oh, but...I bailed on actually attending the market to sell said baking due to the fact that I had delayed the monster truck cake and was now behind the eight ball. Okey dokey. Well, still not crying. Moving on.

Task 4. Sister arrives on time! Yeah! House is a drippy mess, kids are semi-clean, dishes are done, but as dishes tend to do, they continue to pile up. Laundry is moving along nicely, but is NEVER ever fully complete. Sweeping, done. Mopping, yeah right. Bathroom, had the kids do it! Baking, of course. Still not crying. Whoopee!

Task 5. Hair not brushed, but rather twisted into a mangled bun at the back of my head so as to keep all loose strands from adding a little extra to my baking for the day...but my teeth were brushed! I'd call that a win too!

So to tally these all up...not many of my tasks were fully completed. They never are. I was however able to keep myself moving for the entire day. I didn't sit and wallow in my floor puddles, nor did I curl up in a ball and cry myself into next week. Conclusion; I successfully conned myself into having a good day!

So while this isn't the most scientific experiment ever conducted, it sure kept me busy, and I now have reason to believe that should I need to, I bet I could talk myself into a good mood any day.