Mid-summer Already?

Where is my summer going? It cannot be August on Monday it just can’t be. This summer is slipping away much too quickly. It feels as if I haven’t done nearly 1/2 of the things I wanted to do or the things I should do and I’m running out of time.

I realize it was an awful late start to the season as spring adamantly refused to show up hiding behind gusting winds and weeks of ice cold rain and sleet.  When finally spring came it leaped into summer very quickly and now that seems to be disappearing at a rather alarming rate as well.

I don’t think I’ve spent more than a few minutes swinging in my hammock, we have only been to the beach once and I’ve barely begun my warm weather to do list. The next few weeks are packed with plans as well so those peaceful moments I so love about summer will remain hard to come by.

Maybe that is part of why those moments are so special simply because they are oh so anticipated and rare. So what if I don’t get the dishes done and sweep up all the dog hair, or even if I don’t get my to do list done I would rather have one of those lazy summer days I love so much, a day with nothing to do and all day to do it in.  

So I vow that at some point this weekend between birthday plans for E and things that really do have to be done I will find some time to chill out with a book and a glass of wine on my hammock, feet up and swaying in the breeze. 

Time to try and ignore all the little stuff, and the big stuff I should get done, it will still be there next week. Before I know it summer won’t be.

Holiday Fun

A week spent with nothing more important than to relax and have some serious fun has done me some good but it is now time to come back to the day to day routine.  Last week was one where I washed not a single dish nor cooked a single meal and had someone to tidy up after me. My phone was ignored and forgotten, no e-mail or anything and it was absolutely fabulous.  

I don’t particularly care for hotel rooms as the beds are never quite as comfy as home and there is never anywhere comfortable to sit but having someone else to make my bed and clear out the trash and dirty towels more than makes up for it. We ended up spending very little time in the room anyways as we had lots planned out and Mall of America rounded out whatever time was left.

I always love a good vacation, really who doesn’t,  and this past week spent in and around Minneapolis was a blast.  It was relaxing fun and full of shopping just as a great vacation should be. There were no arguments or moments of stress, it was calm and peaceful and packed with museums, amusement parks and family fun.    

My husband, kids and I together with my husband’s siblings and their families all traveled down to Minneapolis for the week.  Having all the cousins together is always a great experience particularly when they are willing to consent to a day at Valley Fair wearing matching t-shirts labeled cousin 1, cousin 2 etc just to make us Moms happy.

We had originally planned to spend our holiday in Toronto but decided on travelling to Minneapolis for this group vacation as the kids are all getting older and we don’t have much time left when getting all the cousins together is going to be quite so simple. We didn’t spend the entire week together as our family was the only one interested in visiting museums but we did do a number of great things together. 

Thanks to our GPS I didn’t get lost in the maze of interstate travel during rush hour excursions in a city I don’t know well. For the most part it kept me on track with the exception of telling me to turn right when turning right would have sent us careening off a 50 ft drop; I obviously ignored that particular instruction.   

The trip also gave us the opportunity to break in the new SUV we just purchased, nothing like putting 2,000 KM on a vehicle in the first 2 weeks. Well it gave us a good idea of what mileage to expect and it’s handling. This SUV also has a DVD player for the kids so the 7 ½ hr trip from Winnipeg to Minneapolis and back was actually quite pleasant.

Everything about this trip really seemed to work out perfectly not a thing went wrong the entire time and everything was great. Even the border crossing which during the summer often involves a rather lengthy wait was fast both directions. Whenever we travel to the states for a shopping trip or a holiday away I always love that moment when we cross back over the border, that moment of contentment of time having been well spent and the welcome feeling of being home.     

Partylite, Tupperware Etc.

 I’m going to a partylite party tonight.  I’ve finally realized something about all these types of parties.  When I was a kid I always wondered why my Mother bothered to go to these things she never really bought much of anything. She always complained about how expensive they were and how she could get basically the same thing for much cheaper somewhere else.  So why then did she go?  Why would she want to waste her evening that way?

Suddenly as a wife and mother I get it.  No one is really interested in the products, even the one throwing the party, everyone just wants to get away from their children/husband for a few hours.   These parties are just an excuse to get together, chat and to sit on our buts for more than a minute at a time.  Without some sort of reason to go we feel guilty abandoning the kids and husband to their own devices. 

I don’t think husbands and children really understand how a lot of women simply don’t sit down and relax.  I know I rarely stay sitting for more than a few moments.  There is always something that needs to be done or someone who wants something.  Before I know it the whole day has slipped away and I never really sat down.  If it wasn’t for PVRs I don’t think I would have seen a whole TV show in years. I used to be able to read a novel in one sitting now I’m lucky if I finish before it is due back to the library. It just seems there is always something I could or should be doing. 

It’s like when I say I’m heading to bed, I should just be able to go to bed but nope it takes me forever to actually get there.  I feed the fish, walk the dog put away all the mitts and toques on the radiators, put the odd dish here and there away, pick up some toys, check on the kids, pick up some more odds and ends, make sure I have everything for the next day lunches, check homework is done and on and on.  By the time I actually go to bed I can’t rightly say what I was doing the whole time but it’s an hour later than when I said time for bed.    

 I’m not really blaming anyone, it’s not that others in the house don’t care they just don’t see it. Bless my husband who does help out around the house as do my children but they don’t see the little stuff or realize how much time that little stuff takes.  Their version of clean and mine are simply two different creatures.  They look around the house and see about the same amount of things I would if I were to go around without my glasses or contacts on.  And I have REALLY bad eyesight.  I’m constantly thinking about what needs to be done and feel I can’t really relax until it’s all done and it’s never all done.  Tonight though I’m going to go buy some very important and needed candles and sit down for awhile.