What a Pain...

I have decide single parenthood is a pain in the ass. I know this is a shocking revelation, but there it is. Nobody ever said life would be easy, and I certainly knew this deployment would be very difficult. Factor in one prepubescent 11 year old boy, and you've passed difficult and arrived at level 3 of hell. Connor went off to school with a 3 page note for his teacher. Of course, you know he was thrilled by this. It didn't help that we started off the day with the discovery of 5 missing math pages at the bottom of his back pack. That boy is going to drive me over the edge, I know it. Surprisingly, he had a good day at school, 3 smiley faces from his teacher. You wouldn't know it though, he was cranky the minute he got off the bus. The bad mood might have something to do with the meeting I have tomorrow afternoon with his teacher. I know he is worried he will have a lot of extra work to do. Too quote Libby, "Well, Duh!" I'm not quite sure what he expected to happen after he brought home his report card, but it sure as hell is not going to be a ticker tape parade. The last time I checked, we don't celebrate mediocre results. His fowl mood continued when I told him he had to go to cubs. Of course, that resulted in another, "Cubs is boring" argument. Funny how he had a great time once he got there. The mother of all arguments came at bedtime, though. He didn't get home from cubs until 8:35 pm, so I let him have a snack before bed. The proverbial shit hit the fan at 9 pm when I told him it was bedtime. You would have thought I'd cut off his arm. The screaming and yelling that ensued could be heard down the street, I'm sure. He is one lucky little boy that his daddy was not home. Of course, once he calmed down, he felt terrible and was very apologetic. In the end, he still ended up going to bed, and he still didn't get to watch that ever so important, brand new episode of Mystery Hunters. Oh, and he gets to go to bed an extra 30 minutes early tomorrow night. If he keeps the attitude up, he might end up having his bedtime at 3:30 pm, as soon as he gets off the bus. You know, I can't believe people actually choose to be single parents. Seriously, they must be masochistic, or smoking crack at the very least. There is no way in hell I'd ever volunteer to do this alone. This is so not my idea of a fun way to spend a year, but there it is. Endure it we must. We don't have to like it, we just have to get on with it. Five weeks in and I already need a vacation. On the bright side, I have seriously earned me some honking bling this week.

“Boys are beyond the range of anybody's sure understanding, at least when they are between the ages of 18 months and 90 years.”~~James Thurber

Boys Will Be Boys....

So, today was report card day in the Bobbitt house. As expected, the girls both brought home excellent report cards, especially Libby, who was actually congratulated on her superlative writing by Madame on her report card. She is doing very well, her comprehension is phenomenal, her math skills great, etc etc... Katty's report card was much the same. I was shocked however, that there was no mention of her penchant for talking. And then there was Connor. Connor, Connor, Connor. A very smart young man, but he's got the ambition of a slug. Seriously, the poor boy is so lazy, I'm not sure he'd move out of the way of a truck if it came at him in the road.. I love that boy to bits, but he's driving me crazy. I think perhaps it would be easier to accept poor grades if he were a stupid child, but far from it. He's quite smart, and he has no problem with the language at all. His problem is just school in general. If he's not interested in it, forget, he won't bother. And disorganized and forgetful. There are times he has 4, count them 4, lunch bags in school! He has absolutely no problem doing the work, if he can actually remember to bring it home. He just does not see the point in showing his work, this is especially true in math. Neatness is not one of his stronger suits, either. His work is barely legible. Poor bugger, he was most upset when he saw his report card, and after lots of tears, yelling, and door slamming, finally sat down to do his math homework and to study for his 2 tests tomorrow. Of course, we went through the litany of excuses, and trying to blame the other kids for distracting him, before he finally fessed up and admitted he'd been slacking off. He is not looking forward to his father finding out. Oddly, though, he was much more scared of Gramma's reaction. Seems he heard Grumpy and I talking about the time Gramma chased me around the house with a hardcover book because I only got 99% on a test. As luck would have it, I have 2 bookshelves full of such books, and Gramma is coming to visit in May. I think he might do okay that month. But for now, as a result of his slacking off, his bed time is 30 minutes earlier, he has to practice cursive writing and verb conjugation everyday, he has a series of math work sheets to do, and he will be rewriting every test he goofed off on over his March break. Sounds like fun, don't it?? I can hardly wait!!

And to think, I used to love Tuesday, they were my favourite day of the week. I should have known this one was going to be crappy when I woke up to the news the spring Offensive had begun in Afghanistan. This would be one of those days where I had 2 cups of coffee. I fear there will be many more of those in the next few months.


“Laziness erodes a person of his enthusiasm and energy. As a result, the person loses all opportunities, and finally becomes dejected and frustrated. The worst thing is that he stops believing in himself."~~Sam Veda

Another Week Begins...

Here we are at the start of another week. Five weeks over with already. It seems to have flown by, but then at other times, it feels as if it is still January. This might have something to do with how bitter cold it is outside today. This is the kids last week of school before March break. The count down is on. They are looking forward to having a week off of school. Me, not so much. On the bright side, Nana and Poppa arrive at the end of next week, just in time for
St Patrick's Day. Libby is thrilled, as it just wouldn't be a holiday without family here to celebrate. She is concerned however, that Daddy won't be getting any green beer. Little does she know, Daddy won't be getting any beer, green or otherwise for another 4 months. She felt marginally better when I told her we could celebrate St Patrick's Day in July in Ireland with Daddy. Though the beer won't be green, I'm sure Daddy could probably force himself to gag down a Guinness or too as part of our belated celebrations. For now, she's making do planning our little celebration. She's already planning the wardrobes, decorations (apparently I've got some signs to paint this week), and food. I'm just planning on the Bailey's, lots and lots of Bailey's.

So Katherine was up at 6 am combing her own hair. I am pleased to report there were no tangles or screaming. Hallelujah! Everyone noticed the new hair do at school today. And they were all suitably impressed. Even the teacher noticed, and complimented her on it. She was chuffed as chips when she got home today. She most enjoyed being the star of the show. Don't know where she gets that from.

“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.”~~Henry Van Dyke

The Rats Nest.....

Well, Libby survived her sleepover. She had a blast actually, they went tobogganing on the big hill, played outside, had a trip to Timmie's (no sleepover is complete without at least one trip to Timmie's), did some crafts, and got little sleep. Oh, and they had lots of snacks. Sounds like a perfect weekend to me. She was pretty tuckered out the rest of the day.

Katty and Connor had a pretty quiet day too. Of course, Katty woke me up at 6am asking me to comb her hair, just so we could see if it was tangled or not. Ask me how impressed I was by that. Apparently, it was a success as she skipped around the house singing "no more tangles" for the next hour. We had to check her hair in the mirror several times, and admire how short it is. She also spent a lot of timing wandering if the kids at school are going to recognize her tomorrow or not.

I have to say, the highlight of my day (before I spoke to my hubby, who is good, but tired) was cleaning the rat's, I mean Pine Cones, nest. Seriously, not my rat. Why was I in there wrestling its cage back together?? Because I'm a mother, and that's what we do, whether we like it or not. I was so not impressed. Now to give Connor credit, he took it all apart and cleaned it all up, but had difficulty getting the slide on. Never having done it myself, I was unaware just how complex this whole cage is. Dan told me on the phone tonight, its a bugger to get back together. No kidding, thanks for the heads up, you. Of course, it really helped that all three of the kids were quite sure they knew the right way to put it together (each on different of course), and had to tell me all at the same time. By this point I'm losing patience (no kidding), and told Connor he'd better sort it out. He obviously knew I was not amused, and had that thing back together faster then I could say Hamster Haven. Of course the, "This will be the last bloody pet we ever get," might also have something to do with the ease at which the remainder of the cage went together. He even vacuumed up all the pine chips by himself. There was just one fatal flaw in his plan, though. When he was done, he informed me how much he enjoyed vacuuming (he is so his Nana's boy). Three guesses as to what Connor is doing after school tomorrow. And oh yeah, the first two don't count.

“My favorite animal is steak.”~~ Fran Leibowitz

Hair, Hair, Hair....

We had a super busy day today. I love it when the weekends are busy, it's much better then setting home mopping. Libby went off to her sleepover, she was most excited. There were big brownie plans for the day. When we got to the Rec Plex, there were 17 over excited girls swarming around like bees looking for honey. Poor Connor looked rather petrified, there was way too much estrogen in the room for him. We beat a hasty retreat, lest he get stung, and headed for the mall. Thankfully there was power this time, though I was rather disappointed my buddies form last week weren't in their perch in front of Timmie's. No worries though, they had been replaced by two other equally as charming old men. They didn't call me a dynamo though, oh well. We spent some time in the book store, and did my errands from last week, before we had our lunch date at Burger King. For such a skinny little fellow, Connor sure loves to pack away the red meat. He was in hog heaven, or should I say cow heaven, as he had hamburgers again for supper when we went to Stu and Arlene's.

After we left the mall, we headed back to Petawawa to the hair salon. It was a big day. Katherine had finally decided she could not stand her hair any more and wanted it all cut off!! I had to restrain myself from doing a dance of joy. Katherine's hair has been a bone of contention for months. She wanted to have it long, but refused to have it combed. Her hair has been the cause of many morning arguments since school started. And also a lot of tears, and yelling. You'd think the child was being tortured in a Chinese prison. I am not exaggerating. She starts crying before I've even taken the comb out of the drawer. But she refused to allow me to get it cut. We had it trimmed last month, hoping that would help, to no avail. I'm not sure why she had the sudden change of heart, but I wasted no time in getting her in. Of course, I'm sure that's just how Connor wanted to spend his Saturday afternoon, but there was not one word of complaint. I think even he is sick and tired of her yelling about it. So off she marched to the chair. She'd obviously put a lot of thought into what she wanted, because as I told the hairdresser I thought maybe a bob, Katherine piped up and said, "Yes, and I'd like it shorter in the back and longer in the front." Well, alright then. So off came her long (I'd like to say silken, but no, matted and tangled, would be more appropriate), locks. As the bulk if it fell to the floor, she had this stricken, "What have I done?" look on her face, but it quickly went away. And when it was all said and done, she was thrilled. She absolutely loves it. She immediately showed it to her brother, who was, of course,totally not impressed. And then she had to show Stu and Arlene, and their boys, who all were much better at feigning excitement then Connor was. She has already combed it several times, and in typical Katty fashion, is talking about it insistently (not sure where she gets that habit from). We have looked at it in every different mirror in the house, and she has combed it several times. I even found her, on the couch, combing her dress up Dora doll's hair, and telling her how much easier her hair would be to take care of now. As I watched her play, it suddenly occured to me where she got the inspiration for her hair cut. Katherine's haircut looks suPISSciously like Dora's. In fact, I'd say their hair cuts are identical. Whatever the inspiration, I am looking forward to Monday morning, and fingers crossed, there will be no screaming and yelling. And I'm also hoping that, by then, I will no longer be singing, "Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, flow it, show it, long as God can grow it, My hair!" Freaking hair!

"Life is an endless struggle full of frustrations and challenges, but eventually you find a hair stylist you like."~~Author Unknown

In Like A Lion.....

Well, it finally happened. Despite my misgivings yesterday, the forecast was right for once, and though the snow did not start until around 3am, we got our storm. Joy of joys! And yes, the bloody buses were cancelled. The screams of elation could be heard up and down the Ottawa Valley. They were over the moon ecstatic. Me, not so much! Of course, the day started off exactly as one would expect. Connor was bored by 7:30 am and Katty had been sent to her room by 8 am. I figured we were in for a day from hell, so I casually pointed out the storm hadn't really started in earnest yet, and I could still drive them to school. Funny, they were both good as gold the rest of the day. There were, however, two other major concerns. The first was that Libby would miss her math test. Apparently, this was a big deal, as she felt it was necessary to do the practice test in her book first thing this morning, before she did anything else. So seriously did she take this practice test, that at one point in time, Katty and I were dancing in front of her room, when we were basically told to get lost, "Hello, doing a test here." The second concern was the cancellation of Brownie Camp. Libby had been looking forward to this for weeks, but the camp was about one hour away from here, so they decided to cancel. She was so disappointed. But we made plans for lunch and shopping tomorrow, and that cheered her up (she is such a girl). Then this afternoon her Brownie leader called, and they are going to have a sleep over at the Rec Plex on the base tomorrow. They are also going sledding, so she is pleased as chips.

After the testing was done, they all headed out to play. As they were going out the door, the decision was made to go to the woods. Katty instantly panicked. What about the walrus?" (That darn Walrus!! ) To which Connor and Libby replied in unison, "There is no walrus." So Katty put on her brave face and went off to play. They had a blast and were out for hours. They finally got to make their snow angels. What a relief! A winter without snow angels, what a travesty that would have been. Mommy was really happy, because when they came back, they asked me to take them to Tim Horton's for hot chocolate. It's all about the Roll Up the Rim. So off we went in the snow storm to get our red Timmie's Cups. Luckily it was before the storm got really bad. Of course, none of them won, and they were poisoned when I won a donut, til they figured out one of them would get to eat it. We were just getting set to go back out and shovel, when our wonderful neighbour across the street came over with his snow blower and did our driveway. We have the best neighbours! We gave him a plate of chocolate chip cookies in return. I'm not sure who was happier, him or me.

"The stormy March is come at last, With wind, and cloud, and changing skies; I hear the rushing of the blast, That through the snowy valley flies."~~William Cullen Bryant

A Pinch and A Punch, Round Two....

And this round goes to? You guessed it, moi! Poor John, he doesn't even try any more. He says it's because I'm fragile. I say it's because he's senile. He just can't keep track of the days, even after all those reminders I left him. It's just like taking candy from a kid. I'm sure it's wrong that I enjoy it so much, but in the immortal words of Sponge Bob, "Sweet sweet victory!"

So, the first day of our second month was very exciting. First off all, there is a storm warning for tomorrow. We are supposed to get 25 cms, but we've been down that road before. The kids of course are revved. Tomorrow just might be bus cancellation day, fingers crossed. Theirs, not mine. Unfortunately, it is brownie camp tomorrow, so that might be cancelled as well. Libby will be so disappointed. I have promised her dinner out and a trip to the book store on Saturday to make up for it. It's after 10 pm, and Connor is still awake, he can't stop checking to see if it is snowing yet. It's not. Oh my, they will be so not happy if this storm misses us too.

The main excitement of our day, besides the impending storm, was the visit from our friends Heather and Henry and their four children. They were our back yard neighbours in Ottawa. Heather and I shared many coffee mornings (I know, how shocking is that?) And the kids were great buddies. Hannah was Katherine's best friend in Senior Kindergarten last year, they were inseparable during and after school. The kids were so excited, they couldn't wait to see their buddies. Katherine even cleaned her room for Hannah. Lydia, who is not a baby, thank you very much (she's two), is absolutely smitten with Connor. The kids practically ran off of the bus, they were so excited. Hannah and Katty had the expected love in. And Lydia was all over Connor the minute he walked through the door. The kids haven't seen each other in eight months, but the bond between them all is as strong ever. Henry had to come to Pet to do his deployment administration. Figures both Dan and Henry would deploy at the same time, just not when we were neighbours and able to help each other out. They only recently found out about his deployment so he missed out on most of the work-up training, which was nice for them, as it meant he wasn't away as much. Heather is doing well, taking it all in stride, just like she does everything else. Tomorrow will be her hardest day. Just think, that was us almost five weeks ago now. It's so different for her in Ottawa. Even though they are in PMQ's, there isn't as many people gone from there, so she doesn't get the same level of support. It's the same for the kids in school. I guess the good side of that is, the kids won't hear as much about it from other kids, like my kids do. It was so great to see them. I just wish it wasn't Afghanistan that brought us together again. Always Afghanistan, the elephant in the room.

Tomorrow, another friend will kiss her husband goodbye, and send him off to war. And another friend will kiss her husband as he arrives home safely. And the circle continues. It seems that's the constant theme these days. Hello, goodbye.

"Don't be dismayed by good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends."~~Richard Bach