Do we have to go to the library AGAIN?

It's that time of year: summer. The dreaded summer word. What is there to do when the sky is overcast, the temperature unseemly cold and a drizzle of rain keeps slipping down your neck when you go out?

In an effort to tear the kids away from the television and computer, Simone offered to take them out to the library.

"What for?" complained one. "My favourite show is on." This was said while the kid's eyes remained glued to the computer screen in order not to miss a second of the game she was playing.

"I don't want to read," said the other.

"ABC," yelled the third.

"Readopoly," Simone reminded them all. "You know, the summer reading game that they have at the library? You can win free books!"

"You're gonna make us go every day," whined the kids.

"Nah," said Simone. "Just today."

Two grumpy faces and one smiling one. "ABC!" the two year old gleefully said.

At least one of the kids likes reading...

Il est 5 heures du matin...

et le coeur de Simone est sens-dessus-dessous... C'est une véritable zone de guerre chez elle. Le garçon de 13 ans est amoureux d'une fille qui habite à 2 heures de route et, comme il veut se rapprocher d'elle, fait son possible pour se faire virer de chez lui. Il ment, il vole, et il insulte les gens autour de lui qui ne cherchent qu'à l'aider...

Simone soupire. La vie n'est franchement pas facile des fois...

Wonderland!

No, no. In spite of writing novels in the fantasy genre, Simone has not finally slipped into a fantasy world where all's well that ends well. No. Yesterday, the 13 year old decided to go to Canada's Wonderland, an amusement park, with a couple of his buddies. This entailed procuring a ride there (from Simone) and back (from a buddy's parents).

The morning of the event, the 13 year old was, to put it bluntly, full of vinegar and the other unmentionable. He bounced off the walls, decided he needed to buy two bottles of Gatorade from the local store to bring with him, refused to have breakfast and claimed there was not enough room in his backpack for a lunch. He asked belligerent questions that made little sense, argued and generally made a nuisance of himself.

Simone, shortly before walking the 11 year old to school, told the 13 year old that he was welcome to find other transportation to his event: she wasn't going to drive him. She got the stroller, the 2 year old and the dog and headed out the door.

"Are you serious?" the 13 year old chased after her, his face a mask of wounded disbelief.

"Yes," Simone told him. "I'm very serious. If you can't be nice, I don't have to be nice to you."

This stumped the 13 year old. He considered Simone's words. "Okay," he said soberly. "I'm going to clean up my room and have breakfast and make a lunch. Maybe we can go then?"

Simone sighed. "Yeah. Maybe we can go."

Il fait chaud!

Et voilà! Mine de rien, l'été est arrivé! La température a grimpé jusqu'à 35 Celsius hier... Du coup, Bébé B ne veut plus sortir. C'est comme en hiver sauf que Simone ne gèle qu'à l'intérieur. En effet, elle sort dehors, loin de l'air climatisé, pour se réchauffer. Mais Bébé B n'a pas envie de sortir. Pas pour la piscine, pas pour le Coin des petits, pas pour la bibliothèque, pas pour un biscuit à l'épicerie... Il veut rester bien au frais dans son petit coin. Surtout depuis que le toboggan lui a brulé les fesses - enfin, pas vraiment brulé, mais le plastique était définitivement très chaud. Simone croit savoir comment régler le problème: la plage! En tout cas, ça vaut la peine d'essayer. Aujourd'hui, opération on saute à l'eau!

Grade 8 Graduation!

Last evening was the 13 year old's graduation. Preparations around the house involved going to a second hand store to buy a last minute suit because the young teen had, in his infinite wisdom, trashed a perfectly good pair of dress pants bought only two months prior. Grandma, being a wonderful Grandma, bought the suit and dress socks. She ironed the suit and the shirt and hemmed the pants and, bless her for this one, harried the 13 year old into the shower.

The boy took the day off school to "get ready". He showered 30 minutes before supper, had supper and got dressed in 10 minutes. That was it. Voilà! The boy was as ready as ready gets. And unlike the many, many, MANY days he dawdled to get to school, leaving well after the first bell had sounded, he was chomping at the bit to get there in time.

The rest of the family got ready while he was away, the sitter arrived for the youngest of the clan, everyone got into the cars to head to the school and poof! An hour later, the 13 year old was in possession of his Grade School diploma. Can't beat that - unless they made the school chairs more comfortable to sit in...

Simone a mal au...

Trois jours comme ça, ça promet! Trois jours de nausée et de colique - et non, Simone n'est pas enceinte.

Il fallait bien s'y attendre, pourtant. Le chien a été malade - Simone a accusé le chien d'avoir mangé des saletés. Plausible. Le bébé a été malade. Simone a accusé le chien: le bébé a bu de l'eau dans le bol du chien.

Et puis l'horreur. Simone changeait la couche du bébé et le chien, qui se mèle toujours à tout, a voulu lécher les fesses de l'enfant. Le bébé, qui jusque là hurlait, s'est arrêté brusquement et s'est mis à rire. Tout fier, le chien a léché le nez de Simone, histoire de dire, "Tu vois? Tout est bien qui finit bien!"

Et oui... sauf que maintenant, c'est au tour à Simone de faire la course aux toilettes. Car tout le monde est guérit sauf elle!

Wanna be my friend?

The sun shone bright, the heat turned up and Baby B was out and about, minding his own business in the backyard when Simone spotted... another little boy in the yard behind theirs.

"Baby B!" she called. "Look! Do you see who's over there?"

Baby B, being shorter than Simone for the time being on account of not being 6 years old yet, could not see what Simone could. From his point of view, he could see a fence. He therefore continued on his merry way, picking up the dog's stick and pitching it three feet in front of him for the dog to chase. And yes, the dog DID chase it, going past the stick then back again to pick it up.

"There's a little boy in that backyard," Simone insisted, pointing.

Baby B gave Simone a look that said, "Yeah, nice try, Mom." Then he pitched the stick at Simone. Fortunately she was 4 feet away so he missed.

The other little boy came up to the fence and peeked through.

"There he is," Simone cried excitedly, racing for her camera.

When she returned, Baby B and Eliot the dog had decided to investigate. The three "kids" then started a game of tickle tickle through the fence.

"Arden!" A voice called from the other house.

The little boy stopped playing and glanced back at his house.

"Arden! Lunchtime!" Sighing, the little boy popped his thumb out of his mouth.

"Bye Arden," said Simone.

Arden and Baby B stared at one another through the fence for a moment longer then Arden raced back toward his house.

"I think you've made a friend, Baby B," said Simone.

And without a single word being spoken between the two protagonists...