Tuesday, January 29, 2013

All the things

The stomach flu hit us hard! First I got it, mildly, then the kids got it, then I got it again severely with Craftymama getting it as well. It was a week long puking fest - but luckily we seem to be on the mend now.

The drywall is completely done in our bedroom, and soon I won't be allowed in there. Craftymama wants to surprise me with a completely finished room. I hate surprises, but this one should be a good one. The platform bed needs to be built, the walls need to be painted, trim needs to go up, the floors need to be painted - so much to do! I want to be able to help her, but we all know how handy I am not.

We also want to paint the living room - for this she wants my help. I suck at taping and there is so much to tape in there, and goodness forgive me if I get paint on the original trim around everything. I'm hoping she tapes most of it, and then I can prime it. She is also going to show me how to prime properly, with patience, so that I don't have to do eight thousand coats. I am stingy when it comes to paint - it's cause I don't like to waste it and don't like to spill or splatter on anything - both of which I am known for.

The mud room, also known as the hole, is almost done as well. Shelves and bench have been built, the door has been painted, the walls are painted - to be honest I am not sure what's left other than trim. It seems every room in our house needs trim though - it is the finishing touch I suppose.

The kids are doing great in school. LittleR loves kindercottage and has transitioned beautifully to it. She is still getting used to playing with the other friends, but there have been no tears or complaints about going. R is gearing up for his class 1 readiness testing. In kindergarten they do a class 1 readiness test in which they look at the children's motor skills, drawings, and personality and decide if they are ready to move on past kindergarten. Now R is 6 so technically, in public school, he could be in grade 1 now, and would definitely be ready for grade 1 next year. However, I have some concerns about him. He lack certain coordination when it comes to skipping, which they look for. His drawings aren't quite at the level they want them to be at, and he still sometimes holds his crayons with a closed fist. I don't want to hold him back, but I want to do what's right for him, and if they determine he is not ready then Craftymama and I have some talking to do.

Craftymama and I have had some parenting discussions as of late. I have been stern, more stern than I need to be, with the kids, and not present with them when I am with them. I am not making excuses at all, but I know part of it has to do with the current depression I am battling. I am cycling through a down phase right now, and hoping it ends soon so I can get back to my normal self. I need to have opinions and actually care about things. I need to be present with my kids so as to create good memories with them, and most of all I need to find myself among all of this.

Work goes decently. I have been trying to have renewed motivation to complete my job and the tasks at hand, and slowly but surely they are getting done. I am getting some help tomorrow to help guide me in the right direction so I can start 2013 off on the right foot. My car is wonderful to have and I am thankful everyday for my boss who bought it for the company, but really bought it for me to use to get to and from work. The only downside is a side effect from my medication is extreme fatigue/exhaustion/drowsiness and I am certainly suffering from those. It makes driving and functioning at both work and home near impossible at times. I have a call into my doctor to help remedy this but for now I am living on whatever caffeine pills I can get my hands on, even though their effectiveness is waning.

C and my sister N are doing splendidly. She has hit a bit of a snag in her own mental health but is getting back on track. I love little miniC so much. It is so awesome to be able to see him grow and to know him in that way. I was super close, or at least I felt close to my sister E's oldest child who we will call BigM. I felt our relationship was special and she helped me through a lot of things. Though we aren't close now, due to distance, circumstance, and strained relationships, she will always hold a special place in my heart. It seems C and I are building that same relationship, I only hope we are not separated like BigM and I were.

Lastly, I want to touch on my weight. I have been running every other day, and I was working with a trainer but I simply cannot shed the extra weight I am carrying. I know that another side effect of my meds is weight gain and retention but there must be a way to combat that. I could probably due a workout on my off running days but then when would I have time to spend with Craftymama, and where would I find the energy when I am already exhausted from the day and my medication. It is frustrating to have been working hard for over a year with only weight gain instead of weight loss. I want to get down to where I was before my bipolar hit me hard - it's just feeling impossible lately.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Destruction and Rebuilding

This is what I managed to accomplish in an hour of ripping up the floor in our new room. It's laminate/asbestos flooring on top of original (painted) hardwood. 
This is what Glassman managed to accomplish in an hour. The whole floor is up. Oh what I wouldn't give for some upper body strength. 

This is what happens when I leave to get them food. They painted each other's faces with lipstick. 


The floor and insulation ready to go up. 

Insulation installed! Before there was just two layers of paneling separating the boys' room and this room. It made the rooms cold and not sound proof at all. Now it's changed. 

Now there is also drywall up along the above wall. We have to wait another two weeks before we can finish dry walling the room. I shouldn't lie - the floor, insulation and dry wall project has been a Glassman and Craftymama thing. I've been getting them food and watching the kids :)



And just to end off here is an adorable picture of Craftymama and M


Friday, January 11, 2013

LittleR

LittleR started school yesterday. We were a little nervous as she doesn't really like talking to new people. I took the morning off work so I could go with her, just like I did for all the other kids. We found her slippers and her chair and she got settled into colouring in her book with some tea right away. Yes, they serve tea to the kids - its decaf herbal tea, sometimes just warm apple cider. No screaming or uncertainty on her part. Craftymama and I watched through a little window outside for a couple of minutes and she seemed completely fine. When craftymama went to pick her up she was crawling around the dirt with a friend, and exclaimed that they made a boat, and had porridge, and she talked to people! She had a great time. I am so glad.

This means all the kids are in school now. R and K go from 8:15a-1:30p 5 days a week, M goes from 8:30a-12:30p 3 days a week, and LittleR goes from 8:30a-12:30p 2 days a week. Yes, that means craftymama has an hour to kill between pick up of a little kid and pick up of a big kid. I feel bad for her. It must be hard to entertain them for an hour every day.

Craftymama went and started the renos on the hole today. The hole is a room in the back off the kitchen. It was a mishmash of cupboards and a random counter top that made no sense. For some reasons, that being LittleR losing her gloves, she decided it was time to turn it into a mudroom so there was more organization for the kids' stuff. The cupboards and shelves came down, the stuff in them was put elsewhere (some sitting on a desk waiting for the playroom), and the random countertop had already been removed. She just can't wait to destroy things. She must have a weekday project and a separate weekend project on the go at all times.

Things with glassman are becoming more normal. The kids call him nearly every night and they see him as regularly as possible. K is still having trouble adjusting at bedtime and as a result the house isn't sleeping as soundly as it once did. She is up quite frequently. I still miss him, but I don't get as viscerally sad when he leaves.

:)

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Glassman's room and a new light!

We are starting the renos on Glassman's old room. We are going to turn it into our room, and make our room a playroom. But before we can move, there are a lot of things that need to get done. These are the before pictures of the room
This is the view when you walk in, left side, this wall will be a built in platform bed. 

This is the view when you first enter the room, right side. The far wall will be a built in platform bed. 

The view from the platform bed area. This is a small alcove where we hope to put a small dresser. 

The view of the entrance door. Note the old tacky bifold closet doors. 

And finally! This is our new dining room light! It's centered in the room now, and gives it a much more modern feel. 

The renos are coming along nicely in our house. Already in Glassman's old room the ceiling panels have come off and the scraping is done. We are hoping to finish sanding, wash, and get them painted this weekend. Then the paneling will come down, the floors will come up, and a new wall will be built.

The fireplace in our room has also been painted, but I'll post pictures when the final coat is done on it. Lastly, the laundry room has gotten some beadboard, a primed ceiling and painted door, and a light fixture make over. Again, pictures when it is all completed - including a painted blue chevron ceiling.

Craftymama's love of power tools increases. For Christmas she got a drill and a jig saw; now she has her eyes on a kreg jig, mitre saw, and sawsall. Oh how she has changed from her knitting needles and sewing machines :)

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

My unconventional family


"Merry Christmas. I love my mammas. This present is for all my family. I like when my momma 'resourceful' let's me drink coffee when I'm turning 4. I like when my brother tricks me. I like it when my daddy wrestles with me. I like when my mom 'craftymama' helps me do stuff on the calendar. I like when my other dad does stories at bed"

This was on K's Christmas present to us. I love this, it perfectly exemplifies our very unique family. It's awesome.