Camping comedown

   I have returned to the land of indoor plumbing, air conditioning and daycare (blissful daycare that I dropped my darling babies off to this morning!). I am welcomed home to a mammoth pile of laundry of truly gargantuan proportions. I think I counted 8 potential loads, but there might be more to be squeezed in. It is mind-boggling how much laundry can be accumulated in such a short span of time. I can barely step into my laundry room, with every square inch crowded with smoke-saturated articles. Dirt is ground into towels, jeans, shirts and shorts. Lake Erie sand is sprinkled in everything, but especially coated on bathing suits and beach blankets. Excuse me while I go switch over a load...

    Ahh, despite all the prep work before and clean-up after, I do love camping. Once you have set up your temporary enclave, the biggest task is to learn how to relax. Food and beverage is imbibed freely and regularly. Dishes seem to be never-ending, but somehow do not seem too taxing when done outdoors. We were at the beach every day soaking up the fresh air, sunshine and washing it all down with a hefty dose of swimming and splashing in the nearest Great Lake to our home. With it being the shallowest of the Great Lakes, the water temperature was quite warm. It was refreshing enough to cool you down and wash away the sweat from a hard days work (suntanning?), but not startling enough to turn all the men into eunuchs and women into glass-cutting nipple-wielding  terrors. One day, we enjoyed terrific wave bashing into a torrent of white-crested water, but the subsequent days were more along the lines of peaceful splashing in the rolling waves. Fun for kids and adults alike. 

    All that fresh air and fun was definitely enough to work up an appetite as well. My other favourite thing about camping is the food. Cooking on a Coleman is challenging at times, but nothing beats that morning cup of coffee it produces. The campfire is where the real magic is made though. Steaks seared to perfection were the order of the day on Day 1. Hot dogs just can't be beat over the open flame and where else does the humble marshmallow shine so brightly, as but over the glowing embers of a fire pit. It always amazes me how much I can eat while camping, but it is just all tastes so good! Oh yum. 

    As I change another load of laundry, I can smile at the memories that were created for my children. They thrilled at their beach days, sleeping outdoors in a tent, bush pees (everybody does it, don't they?!) and togetherness with friends and family. While I know I had my grumpy moments, I prefer to forget them and focus on the smiles of my children and laughter of my friends. I shall perhaps share a photo or two in the days that come, but today cleanup is the name of the game. I hope you are enjoying your summer, for those of you in the Northern hemisphere. I certainly am.

Black Widow Crossing

    I sit folding laundry after a busy day of running around. My glorious children somehow let me sleep in this morning, for which I am extremely grateful (I was up really late the night before last going through some new computer programs & had a child awake about two hours after I went to bed with a  nightmare. Ick!). So, this morning I still got my cuddles, but the girls went on their way after a spell. I won't tell you what time I got up for fear of repercussions from my jealous fans. :)

     While the plan had originally been to head out to visit Daddy, I quickly realized that there were not enough hours in the day. Somehow I ended up going through clothes to pull out the summer wardrobe. It was on the list of things to do, and apparently that shot to the top of the list. I suppose the heat wave we have been going through makes it a priority, especailly with only two pairs of shorts in my youngest's drawers. The mountainous load of laundry was daunting, but with six loads down, I am getting ahead of the game. I cannot finish the task at hand though, as I have run out of hours again. 

   "It's early yet," I hear you say.

   Yes, but this evening I am going out. Aha! One of those rare moments when Mama becomes Katherine. In fact, I am going to a party. A costume party at that. I can take it one step further even. The party (Stag & Doe) I am attending this evening is a superhero party. OH Yeah! I get to dress up and be a super-sexy super-hero! Unh, hunh! Well, it only took Nancy two months to convince me into this and she completely made my costume, but I am excited to be going. I thought about it and realized yesterday that as it was a stag and doe, there would be dancing! Ohhh! Oh boy! I will have to dance in heels (or kick them off to soft-toe in my fish nets). Perhaps there will even be new people to meet. Hmmm. That is exciting and nerve-wracking all at once, but in a good way. So my friends, I cannot stay. I have to finish my Mama duties, then squeeze me into my costume. Have a Super Friday!

solar power cleaning

   So, I made it to A New Day. I have not completely shaken the grumpies, but I am trying to keep busy and hope that I lose them around a bend in the day. So far, my two big tasks on the list are checked off;

1. pay bills 
2. make extra house keys

and I am on load number three for laundry. I am even being a greenie today and hanging clothes on the line (my electricity bill came yesterday and reminded me that I have a cost saving measure out in the yard; summer = line drying = $$). Of course there was a water main that broke in the area yesterday, so doing a gazillion loads of laundry might not be what the city wants, but oh well. I am not perfect. Grumpy me says "phfttt!" to the powers that be. Whatever ;)

   With a road trip just days away, I have also realized that there are a few tasks needing to be accomplished before leaving; ie. clean bathrooms, vacuum, maybe even tackle the mop and beg it to be kind with me this time. Going away for a weekend isn't really a big deal, but we are going to be gone for upwards of a week. That means getting someone to come in and take care of the kitties. That means that someone else will see the disaster that I call home. Ugh. So embarrassment has me fretting over cleaning. Really, whomever comes over will truly not care about the state of my house, I am sure. They have been here before and would be shocked to walk into a sparkling palace. No need to cause heart failures in friends. So perhaps, I will just contend with the bathrooms before heading out to yoga this afternoon. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, so the saying goes. I will try to relax into that thought, but right now have to go add another load of laundry to the line. Solar power cleaning. My meditation for the day.

Ciao!

Give me a break

   The spectre of that evil monster, that icky trickster, the dreaded and ever lurking COLD has struck again. Yes, a cold has descended upon our house. This is not new, as last weekend I was snuffling and snortelling. My kleenex box has not gone far from my side this week. In fact I have blown through a box or two in various rooms of my house. I even had a friend bring me some back-up packs when we went for coffee earlier in the week. Still, I soldier on. A little eucalyptus oil rubbed into the chest and perhaps a night cap to seal the deal. Good to go. My cold hasn't slowed me down. I can tick off book club, yoga, drum circle, shopping, swimming lessons, laundry and of course house cleaning to my list of activities of the week.

   Now I sit in between loads of ever-present laundry, despairing of being stopped in my tracks. Yup, I drew the line. I can push me as much as I want, but I managed to infect the darling angels under my roof as well. Bad Mommy. That has been the chant around here the last few days from my eldest. "Bad Mommy! Bad Mommy!" has resonated off my flittering frame. She is lucky that my skin has thickened up over the last little while. Even if it is in jest (or perhaps not?), a short time ago this would have had me headed to the kleenex box, but not for the cold I suffer through this week. The tenderness and loving kindnesses I have allowed myself and accepted from others has changed my outlook. I might still have my days (I am a single parent of two under 5 years. Give me a break!), but I try to add more smiles than tears to their plates. So this morning I debated again whether I would pack myself and the girls into the van and head State-side to visit friends. I really wanted to visit, but had a confab with Brad and decided that it was probably better to let the girls have a low-key day. After their busy week, they needed some down-time too. Nothing like enjoying your own space and walking at your own pace versus plunking into the van for a 3-hour tour, trekking across the border and then racing after bigger kids all weekend. It takes enough out of us on a good day. We are not on our a-game, so why push it? So we are planning on pizza and movies tonight and are making up for it with a visit from grandma tomorrow. Hopefully good vibes will bring good germs back our way. And for now another load of laundry calls...