a peek inside the fishbowl

I was talking to someone recently who asked me how I manage to work and have kids running around the house at the same time.

Summers were really challenging when the kids were small. I wasn’t able to accomplish much work during the day so I’d stay up until godknows o’clock just to get work done. The girls are older now and are MUCH better at taking care of themselves, which is great because I can no longer stay up until midnight cranking out an article or a website design. I decided it wasn’t fair to me as well as client … who was probably getting the not-so-creative results of a person who is only a shell of herself after 10:00 p.m.

Although I am fortunate to be able to get some work done during the day I decided to taken the additional step of getting up early to get additional writing work done.

I got the idea from a creative writer’s workshop I took at Algonquin awhile back. The author leading the workshop wrote several books by getting up two hours early every day to write. (And at the time he was a full-time working dad of a young family to boot!)

It sounds crazy, but it works. If nighttime isn’t good writing time, why not go to bed early and get up in the morning instead? It’s not like I’m doing much after 9:30 p.m. anyway.

There’ve been a couple mornings this past week which have worked out really well for me. Yesterday, not so much. I got up and realized we didn’t have milk so I felt obligated to go out (pjs under my clothes) and pick some up.

Impromptu milk pickups aside, overall I’ve actually been enjoying having a quiet house to myself while I write. 

ETA: The idea of making priorities and managing time are two things I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. If you were able to find two extra hours every day to do something you’re passionate about – what would you do?  And could you find those two hours if you tried? i.e. by giving up TV, decreasing the amount you spend on the Internet or adjusting your bedtime?

–

Just for fun I wanted to list all the things we did yesterday we:

• watched some cartoons
• biked to the library (it was closed due to a power outage)
• returned our books anyway
• biked home
• biked through puddles
• went to the bank to deposit allowances (It was so cute, and the girls feel very rich today)
• brought our pennies to the coin machine at the Superstore (it was closed)
• bought ingredients to make our own ice cream (we decided on “Creamsicle” flavour) and cheese buns for lunch
• painted our nails funky colours
• danced around in the rain (this was mostly the girls)
• ran through puddles
• fed the neighbor’s cat
• ate grape-flavoured popsicles
• played loud music while we tidied the house (we set a timer for 30 minutes to make it feel less like a chore)
• took pictures in the garden (mostly me)
• read
• thought about how we’re going to spend the rest of our summer
• collected moss for transplanting
• napped (just me – it’s the early rising thing!)
• made homemade mac & cheese for dinner, with carrots and broccoli on the side
• biked to another place to feed another cat. (We’re professional house sitters this week – although it’s mostly just Mark. We’re just the assistants!)
• read Harry Potter before bed (that would be Mark too.)

That sounds like a lot, doesn’t it?

Now what should we do today?

Last week SavvyMom published my latest piece called Choo Choose the Train which highlights some neat little ideas for families with trainspottin’ transportation-crazy kids.

(As a sidenote, I would like to mention that if you’re an Ottawa-area parent and you’re not a subscriber yet, please consider signing up. You won’t regret it. It’s a great – and FREE! – resource for family-friendly activities around Ottawa.)

I really enjoyed writing that article. I have always loved taking the train. There’s something that is so absolutely Zen about it. Maybe it’s the hypnotic thump of the rails passing underneath – a rhythm akin to a heartbeat. Maybe it’s because driving is more stressful than I ever thought. Maybe it’s the fact that I can read a newspaper, drink a coffee and look out the window AT THE SAME TIME that is so appealing?

Whatever the reason … I digress. The SavvyMom piece was about trains. I sincerely hope there aren’t parents out there who believe that trains are only interesting to boys or Thomas-lovin’ toddlers. My girls have always loved trains, scratch that, they are nuts about any kind of transportation. (i.e. When we went to the Dragonboat Festival we took a *shuttle bus* from the Carleton parking lot to Mooney’s Bay. You’d think they were on a rocket ship or something. That’s how excited they were.)

Now think of how cool it would be to take an old steam train on a rambling journey to Wakefield. The Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield Steam train was one of the train-related ideas I mentioned in the SavvyMom piece.  I wanted to post a few pics and a few extra thoughts about our trip. I can’t describe how much fun it was … not just for the kids, but for all of us.

We boarded in Hull Gatineau. Oh the excitement!

(Imagine an additional 20 photos of some Very Excited Children.)

Seating is arranged in groups of four around good-sized tables… perfect for doodling, dreaming, reading, snacking, or just enjoying the view:

It is a very scenic trip. Not that it needed livening up (note the accordian player in the photo above!) but we enjoyed intermittent commentary of our bilingual in-train tourguide.

Before we knew it we were there. We disembarked, got a good look at the train and found out how they turn it around. (!) VERY COOL.

We walked through the village of Wakefield to Chez Eric, a restaurant which was recommended by a friend. It did not disappoint. In fact, I think it was one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time:

Mark had some chicken chili:

Emma ordered the grilled cheese (declared to be “the best ever”):

Sarah and I shared the Quebec cheese plate. It was drizzled in honey and a balsamic reduction (I think). Pardon me while I wipe away the drool:

(Yes, my vegan eating regime went out the window that day.)

Speaking of which, there was ice-cream too (also not vegan):

I didn’t realize it at the time but I think we managed to plan our trip for the warmest day of the summer.

Soon it was time to board for the trip home, which they signal by blowing the whistle. There are two boarding platforms, which is great in case you find yourself stuck on one side of Wakefield. (As they point out, it’s a VERY EXPENSIVE cab ride back to Gatineau. SO DON’T MISS THE TRAIN!)

The journey back to Gatineau went by just as quickly. There was lots of distraction to be had in the form of free facepainting:

… and more excellent live music (these also happen to be the guys who turned our train around):

Pretty neat huh?

If you’re going to go, there are a few things you need to know:

• There are bathrooms on the train, but unless there’s a bigger one I don’t know about the ones I saw were very small. (Parents: It might be very challenging to undertake a diaper change!)
• Seats are assigned. Book ahead of time.
• It’s a 90-minute trip to Wakefield with a two hour stay in Wakefield. It’s enough time to poke around the shops OR eat lunch at a restaurant but it might be tough to do both.
• The trip back to Gatineau is 90 minutes. This might be a long day for some, so come prepared!
• There were TONS of families on the train. I’d been holding off because I thought my kids were too little. I was wrong.
• There is food (and coffee!) available, as well as train-related souvenirs if you are so inclined.
• You can buy a boxed lunch on the train (which is prepared on the train) to take with you to Wakefield. We didn’t go this route so I can’t judge the food, but it seems like a good option for those who didn’t pack a picnic.

Anyway, we enjoyed this trip very much. It’s a little on the pricey side (click here for rates), but it was money well spent. There’s a Sunset Dinner Train (the Club Riviera Car is adult only!) which I think Mark and I might have to try out in the near future. I wonder if they’d let us bring a bottle of wine? ;)

This is Sarah’s own invention. I just adore it.

To make:

• Sarah used a type of Bellflower we have growing around here. It’s a rather invasive perennial that’s all over our yard and the greater neighborhood. (I’m willing to bet this would work with similarly-shaped flowers just as well.)
• Tear a small piece off the top of each flower to create a hole (it should be the width of your finger)
• Stack the flowers until desired “layering” effect has been reached
• Keep one of the flowers intact for a little fairy “hat”
• Draw a face on the finger (if desired).

As you can see the results are pretty sweet. Maybe we have a little Martha Stewart in the making?