a peek inside the fishbowl

I’ve done this twice before, and thought it might be neat to document this sliver of our lives again.

I’ll be adding to this page as the day grows long. Scroll down for the most recent posts.

7:41 a.m. – there’s a travel mug full of hot coffee on my left. Breakfast has been eaten. It’s really humid out today and my hair looks like something out of the house of Frankenstein. I’m dressed and (almost) ready to bring Piper for her first puppy cut. (I feel like a nervous parent!) I am happy that she’s going to get her nails professionally trimmed. I hate doing that.

10:35 a.m. – we’re back home. Piper survived her first clipping! It seems to have gone well. She looks so cute. While we waited we knocked a couple of errands off our list. Emma got a new pair of sporty sandals at Bushtukah. Now that she’s in adult-size footwear it’s beginning to cost us more money. Boo. Sarah got a new duffle bag. They both had a little croissant from Swiss Pastries. I’m thinking of making a second coffee before launching into work.

10:47 a.m. – girls doing a puzzle. Shouldn’t they be outside?

10:58 a.m. – mail is here! Getting paid is NICE. Getting art in the mail is nice too.

11:37 a.m. – early lunch of chicken noodle sodium and strawberry smoothies. The last of our summer berries are gone. Also: first load of laundry is in the washer. But guess who hasn’t managed to do any paying work yet? Me! :(

1:10 p.m. – back from a very hot and sweaty bike ride to the library, the park, and the McKellar park wading pool. I wish we’d known it was open today, we would have been more prepared and brought bathing suits and sunscreen.

Sarah waded around and got soaked. Ah, summer.

1:16 p.m. – Crap. I just realized Sarah forgot her puffer at school.

2:03 p.m. – Back from school. Gah. I didn’t think I’d be walking this walk on the first day of summer holidays. Sarah decided she needed extra sun protection. Now they are making lemonade. Hopefully they will remember to serve me a tall icy glass when they’re done. I’m curious to see if they remember how to make it. Recipe involves sugar/concentrated lemon juice/water.

2:07 p.m. – Sarah: “Two fourths make a half, right?” Yes. And I hope that’s sugar you’re using, not salt.

2:30 p.m. – It’s good. Very good. I am hearing lots of slurping coming from the other room. And I am officially giving up lemonade-making duty.

2:31 p.m. – Posted this week’s KMDM. Have done a bit of SavvyMom research (you will FALL OVER when you see where we’re going/trying … woot). Now I need to get a grip on that laundry. Also dozens of unanswered emails. I AM SORRY.

3:08 p.m. – Girls are reading. I am emptying the dishwasher and thinking about dinner. FUN.

3:23 p.m. – Fighting urge to nap.

3:38 p.m. – Having tea and toast instead. Realizing that soy nut butter is GOOD!

3:57 p.m. – The laundry fairies are a no-show again. I guess I have no choice but to put in another load. Also, chicken burgers are on the menu for dinner. Too hot to use the oven.

4:14 p.m. – kids can smell the dinner desperation. The ground chicken is actually turkey. There are no burger buns. I don’t want to run to the store, or turn on the oven. The bread is mouldy. Ack! Am nibbling raw asparagus to quell gnawing hunger and anxiety.

4:32 p.m. – am forging ahead with chicken turkey burgers despite lack of buns. They’re made and waiting in the fridge. I hope Mark appreciates this. I hate touching raw ground meat. Normally I ask him to make the patties! Now I’m trying to figure out what to do with a head of cauliflower.

5:01 p.m. – made up a recipe for cauliflower salad. I know I will be the only one eating it. Thank goodness for corn, red peppers and cukes.

5:02 p.m. – Wine.

5:07 p.m. – The girls are STILL reading.

5:30 p.m. – Mark home. Doing the BBQ thing.

5:32 p.m. – “Piper got out somehow and rolled in something stinky!”

5:34 p.m. – Girls are giving Piper a bath.

6:15ish – A quick after-dinner walk after a quick dinner.

9:29 p.m. – We are home after a last-minute decision to run out and see Toy Story 3 in 3D at the Coliseum. It was great, and we all enjoyed it very much. Mark is working. As should I be. :( Girls are in bed.

10:17 p.m. – Working, when I’d rather be asleep.

10:55 p.m. – So. Tired.

11:03 p.m. – BED!

11:17 p.m. – No, really. Bed!

Last week I drew this activity from the KMDM tip jar:

 Make a list of physical activities you like. Pick one to do this week. 1/3 of youth indicate doing no physical activity as part of their free time.

You know what I really like to do? Ride my bike. I don’t do it to compete, I don’t wear any spandex, I don’t have carved muscles in my legs and I suspect I never will. I just like to tool around on my bike. I like the feeling of the wind in my hair helmet and the landscape pouring by my eyes like a glass of cool water pours down my throat. I also like travelling to places on my own steam.

It’s good for my brain, good for my soul, good for my heart.

I really wanted to undertake a fun kind of outing this week (kind of like our marathon bike trip of 2008) but the weather gods did not cooperate, so the girls and I went today. We picked up our bikes and pedaled over to the library, and then to the local park for a rest in the shade. And it felt pretty darn good to have done it.

Maybe I’ll start biking for groceries again this summer? We’ll see.

In the meantime, the KMDM challenge for the coming week is this:

Stop the pop! And drink more water. Flavour it with lemon or a sprig of mint. Cola adds extra calories to our diets. Studies show that drinking large amounts of cola may contribute to obesity.

MAY CONTRIBUTE? I will refrain from commentary at this point.

Emma drew this tip, handed it to me and promptly announced how easy this is going to be. It won’t be a struggle, that’s for sure. Pop is rare in our house, but getting more water down the hatch might be a challenge. Hmm.

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If you’ve been following the KMDM twitter feed please note that my job as official tweeter ends at the end of this month. I’m taking my name and face off the account, but please keep following along! I’m sure the tips will be just as good. :)

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On one hand it feels like it was so long ago, and on the other hand it went by so quickly. Where does the time disappear?

In September 2009 we started like this:

… and yesterday we finished the school year like this:

Yay summer!