Hot Tub Mess

It started out like a most beautiful day. It really did. Simone decided to spend some time on the deck in the backyard, accompanied by her cohorts, Little B and Eliot the German Shepherd.

Simone and Little B played with bubbles. Simone threw a stick for the dog to fetch. The three companeros kicked the water in the wading pool and splashed and laughed and chased and had a great time.

Then Little B sidled up to the hot tub.

"How ta," he said.

"Give me a minute and I'll open it," promised Simone.

Simone flipped half of the hot tub cover open as Little B squeezed himself between the end of the deck and the hot tub. Then he balanced on the planter at the side of the hot tub as Simone walked around to pull the cover completely off. As the cover slid off the tub, Eliot heard the next door neighbour's yappy beast come barreling outside. Eliot rushed to the fence, barking like mad and bounced himself against the fence separating the two properties.

"Quiet," admonished Simone, but the dog failed to heed her. Simone grabbed the dog by the scruff of the neck. The dog tried to flip over on his back to show that he knew he'd done wrong.

"Stand," said Simone. "In the house!" But the dog kept trying to drop to the ground, making the process difficult. Simone allowed the dog to show his belly then pulled him in the house. When she closed the patio door and turned around, she saw the hot tub. Little B had used his time productively: he'd thrown several fistfuls of dark brown mulch from the planter into the tub.

"Argh!" said Simone incoherently. "Time out for you!" she told Baby B.

And that was how Simone came to spend a half hour with a small strainer trying to skim the mulch out of the hot tub...

Il est 7:15 et...

Il ne reste que 45 minutes avant que l'école ne débute pour le garçon de 13 ans. Et il n'a pas l'air de se réveiller d'ici tôt. Simone se demande si elle devrait le réveiller.

Que faire? Car si elle le réveille, elle devient responsable de ses réveils. Désire-t-elle véritablement faire ceci?

La réponse est simple. Non. Nous devons tous assumer un jour ou l'autre, n'est-ce pas? Et il est grand temps de laisser l'enfant grandir.

N'empêche que Simone voudrait qu'il se réveille...

La vie d'un parent n'est rarement facile...

Is it already over?

Simone had a superb long weekend. Lots of sun, lots of swimming, lots and lots of relaxation while being pampered and spoiled.

The trouble is, it's Tuesday. And that means back to reality. Simone got to bed at 10 pm last night. A very reasonable hour when one does not have to wake up at 3:30 am... The chores will likely keep Simone awake for a bit but how long before she dozes off on the job? Will she fall asleep while walking to the grocery store? Will her eyes close in blissful sleep as she pushes Little B's swing? Will she manage to last until she plays online games for toddlers so as to entertain Little B? Can she stay awake while listening to the older children tell her about their back to school experiences?

We will just have to hope and pray that Simone manages to hold on fast until she has successfully driven everywhere she needs to drive. And then may she nap into oblivion, cuz she's gonna need it... It's back to school for ALL the kids this week and it promises to be a very busy one!

On fait le ménage et...

Le chien de Simone est malheureux. Il a bien compris hier soir, lorsque son maitre a posé une valise vide sur le lit où la pauvre bête s'apprêtait à s'allonger, que tout n'allait pas à merveille. Il a tenté de sauter sur le lit, qui était recouvert de vêtements et s'est fait jeté dehors.

Et ce n'était pas tout. Sa maitresse a fait le ménage. Bon, d'accord, elle fait souvent le ménage. Mais pas deux fois par semaine. Il y a toujours au moins 7 jours entre chaque éclaboussement de produits chimiques qui font éternuer le chien. De même pour l'aspirateur, la bête préférée d'Eliot le berger allemand. Cet aspirateur a une belle lumière qui s'allume lorsque Simone le passe sur les tapis. Eliot s'amuse comme un petit fou à essayer de le mordre. Seulement là, deux fois en une semaine et Eliot n'en avait plus le goût.

Ce matin, c'était encore pire. Il a vu de ses propres yeux sa maitresse qui mettait son sac de victuailles dans la voiture. Dans la voiture!!! Ça, ça ne peut vouloir dire qu'une seule chose pour Eliot: il va passer quelques jours ailleurs. Mais où, nom d'un humain, où?

The walk to school came early...

Traditionally in Ontario - at least as far as Simone can recall - school starts the day after Labour Day. It's a given. A fact of life. There will be no school until the Tuesday after Labour Day. People had come to depend on this hard, cold fact.

Unfortunately, the "fact" changed this year. This year, at lest for some kids, school started early. And so the 11 year old who goes to a French school started on the Wednesday before Labour Day while the 13 year old had orientation on the same day - and did not start classes at all - and the 15 year old doesn't have to go near the school until next week.

The 11 year old thought this was grossly unfair. She thought about rebelling and not going to school. Then she realized she would find out who her teacher was for Grade 6. Such questions gnawed at her insides. Would she get the very strict Mme S for a Grade 6 teacher? Would she get Mme J, who although strict, does not frighten the 11 year old out of her wits?

And the questions egged the girl on until she decided that yes indeed, she would go to school. The walk to school seemed oddly quiet, since other schools in the neighbourhood do not start for another week, but the excitement was nonetheless palpable.

Sigh... but now there's day 2, 3, 100... and the 11 year old grows up...

Joyeux anniversaire!

Simone et le petit B on fêté son anniversaire au Coin des petits hier matin. Le petit B était super heureux d'être là. Trois de ses copains, des p'tits gars du même âge que petit B, étaient là.

Le petit B n'en pouvait plus d'attendre l'heure de la collation. Il voulait absolument aller se laver les mains, et ce une bonne demi-heure avant l'heure de la collation.

"Naaaann!!!" insistait-il.

Dix minutes avant l'heure, Simone l'amène finalement dans la salle de toilette où l'enfant et la mère se lavent les mains. Le petit B va ensuite s'asseoir à table. La table est bien propre mais pas de nourriture en vue. Il attend patiemment pendant quelques minutes puis se relève pour aller jouer. Il trouve ce qu'il lui faut, un jeu de quilles en plastique, alors que la collation est en train d'être servie.

Le petit B ne veut plus de collation malgré le fait qu'une bougie a été insérée dans son morceau de gâteau et que tout le monde présent lui chante une belle chanson d'anniversaire. En fait, il hurle car Simone a refusé de sortir le jeu de quilles de sa boite. Les amis du petit B dévorent leur collation. Le petit B tente de lancer son gâteau à l'autre bout de la table - un de ses copains l'aurait certainement manger alors...

Lorsque tout les petits amis ont terminé leur gouter, le petit B se calme et croque un morceau de banane.

"Mmmmm," fait-il. "Encore."

Joyeux anniversaire, petit bonhomme. Ce n'est pas souvent qu'un enfant hurle lorsqu'on lui offre un morceau de gâteau!

Moving right along...

The summer's over... It may never have started in this region of Canada. Do two weeks of warmer weather constitute summer? Probably not. In any case, school starts tomorrow for some kids. It started yesterday for others. And a bunch get to wait until the traditional after Labour Day Tuesday to go back to class. And we all know here in Ontario that once school starts, that's pretty well the end of the good weather.

The 11 year old has her bags packed, her wardrobe ready and her new indoor shoes are broken in. She anxiously awaits the first day of school to find out who her new teacher is going to be. We've all got our fingers crossed.

The 13 year old is doing his best to ignore the fact that school starts soon. He sleeps until well past noon and hides behind his computer. His school shopping will take place tomorrow, after Simone and hubby receive, hopefully, a list of items necessary to the boy's portfolio.

At least the 3 year old gets to stay home and keep Simone company. And while we're on the subject of the 3 year old, let us remind Simone that it isn't a good idea to play chase with a three year old while he's carrying a sippy cup. He's liable to trip, fall and land his face onto the juice cup, thereby giving himself a stunner of a black eye.

Just saying.