Wednesday, September 29, 2010

What a scripted day!

- 2 hours of playing Harry Potter (must learn spell to unfreeze myself), Thomas the train, and matchbox cars (can you believe the big semi consistently beat the svelte porsche?)
- support letter written, financial statements signed, Grant for SSMDO handed in for Community Initiatives Program by gifted Grant Writer "B" *fingers crossed*
- off to meeting to determine fate of part-time job #1
- 1.5 hour meeting ends in decision to resign but most importantly relationships are repaired
- meet supportive husband for quick coffee (he knew the right decision all along but let me discover it on my own)
- speak to great friend about our new visions: his finance, mine socialist
- pick-up son, mom (me) unsuccessful at making balloon animal, son sad but diverted by yogurt and juice snack
- pick-up other son and play in park: glorious leaves and sunshine!
- speak with committee members about fundraising event
- speak with another great friend who is ecstatic that my child care resolution is moving forward
- discover son just fell in pond, luckily a warm day and didn't get his library books wet
- dinner prepared by choice husband, delicious but of course kids eat minimally
- well deserved piece of chocolate caramel cake for XX house rep

Saturday, September 18, 2010

My 2 cents on Child Care

I have faced the huge challenge of work/life balance for 7 years since my eldest's birth. If high quality part-time daycare was accessible, it would've significantly reduced my child care challenges.

I want the best child care for my child. When delivering my own child care, I gain personal growth, self-esteem, satisfaction of rising to the challenge, and the learning of new skills. As well, I have completed 24 years of education and want the best for myself. I desire the personal growth, self-esteem, satisfaction of rising to the challenge, and use of my trained skills that career brings.

Parents will always remain the most influential and important people in nurturing and promoting a child's development. However, to be the best parent that we can be, parents need support. With the recent changes that find extended families typically distributed around the world, the nuclear family is solely responsible for solving its own child care needs. A compounding problem is that community spirit is at an all-time low. This makes it difficult to know your neighbours let alone trust them with helping you care for your most precious commodity.

As a society, we need to determine if supporting the growth and safety of our most precious commodity is a priority. If so, we need to explore and determine solutions to help support our nuclear families with the difficult challenge of childrearing.

It really does take a village to raise a child and currently the village is absent.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

My Dr. Seuss moment

I just met this fabulous woman.  She is energetic, passionate, optimistic and excellent at implementation.  I have the occasional zany idea that seems to grow and grow and then spontaneously combust.  It's a repetitive pattern.  I like to think that I'm an "ideas person".  But deep down I fear that I'm just bad at follow-through.

The great thing about this fabulous woman is that she LOVES ideas!  My ideas, your ideas, any ideas;  she wants to hear them all.  She validates then questions then inspires more ideas!!

But even better than that, is that she's skilled at putting these ideas into action.  "Oh, the places we'll go!"

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Darth Vader Saves the Day

The rain stopped 50 minutes before the show was to go on.  We quickly dressed in our rain gear, loaded up the stroller with juice and candy, and headed to the outdoor symphony showcasing John Williams' greatest hits.

We set up our blanket on the edge, behind the garbage can, where we wouldn't bother too many of the older patrons.  Candy was handed out and the sun was trying to make an appearance.  The music began and we listened, without event, to Superman, Memoirs of a Geisha and Hook.  Despite Karen Gomyo's superb violin playing, the 3 pieces from Schindler's List were not quite as enticing for the boys.  They started rolling down the hill, which then progressed into bumping into one another which elevated to pushing, shoving and grabbing.  Before a brawl broke out, I escorted No. 2 around the perimeter of the grounds while No. 1 was sent to the blanket.  I feared that we were unlikely to experience the second half.

However, intermission and Lord Darth Vader followed suit.  My sons were in awe of Darth in full costume.  We made our way down the aisle for a glimpse.  Their eyes have never been bigger nor have they ever been as quiet as they were while shaking Darth's hand.  They later exclaimed, "He even breathed like Darth!"

And just like that, Darth Vader had saved the day!  Following the meet and greet with Darth, I witnessed my eldest son's glee and delight when he recognized "Harry's Wondrous World" from Harry Potter.  I laughed and swayed as they both danced and conducted the orchestra to Fiddler on the Roof.  I joined in as they loudly hummed Darth Vader's theme, "The Imperial March".

And that's what life's like with little kids.  One minute is chaos, the next is pure joy with your heart bursting.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Glad Plan A worked out

Day 8 of 10 of single parenting.  I am blogging whilst my littlest son hums Star Wars and plays with lego.  The bigger one is in the house somewhere doing something, likely mischievous.  Have already made porridge, changed a wet bed (I'm so tired I forgot to put littlest son's diaper on last night), took LRT to market to market to buy a fat pig home again home again jiggity jig, made lunch, did the dishes x 2, went to a kite flying festival and am gearing up for dinner and Symphony Under the Sky to hear the Star Wars theme (don't tell them I'm secretly hoping for rain).

What have I learned:  it is REALLY hard to be a single parent and it's almost impossible to have any time for yourself (maybe 30 minutes before you pass out on the bed with all your clothes on), little kids are laborious (I compare my life now to pre-kids and it feels like 100x the work,  okay, maybe 10x in real numbers but multiplied by another 10 when exhausted), I am super happy I didn't have to opt for plan B which was to use an anonymous sperm donor and live on a commune, and lastly, I have new appreciation for my husband and can't wait for my well-deserved 2 week spa holiday - ha, ha!!