Love, Michelle

A pirate valentine

Ethan's class is learning about pirates this month. He comes home each day with something new to share. About Jack Sparrow. About ships and sea travel. And everyone is "Matey" right now. Even Helen.

So when I went searching online for class valentines, this free valentine set was the perfect choice. I downloaded the file, sent it to Staples to be printed, and there it is, the perfect pirate valentine.

Yesterday, I told Ethan he needed to address a valentine for each kid in his class. He sat at the table and started to write. He knows the first letter in most of the kids names. After that I'll tell him the letters and he'll print them. Sometimes he'll laugh and say "mama I can't write that fast!" I had to remind him to write smaller so the whole name will fit on one line. He responded by writing so tiny that it's impossible to read. And then he burst out laughing.

What a kid.

Meet Winky, our Christmas elf

Last night Winky gathered many of the toys together on Ethan's windowsill. He was excited to watch Ethan open the first box on his advent calendar, and wanted the rest of the toys to join him. Ethan woke up this morning and declared "Winky and the other toys are having a parade!"

Winky came to our house on November 10 this year. We lit a candle in the window to let the elves know that we were ready for our Christmas elf to arrive. The next morning Winky was sitting up high on a kitchen shelf.

I know many elves don't come so early. But Ethan was having some troubles listening at school and at home. We thought it might be nice to invite the elf to come a bit early to help remind Ethan to be a good boy.

Winky has flown back to update Santa most nights since his arrival. It's always fun to watch Ethan search for the elf in the morning. He talks to Winky most days and has asked him more than once to please sit up higher tomorrow because when Winky is down low Ethan is very tempted to touch him! Winky delivered Ethan's Christmas letter to Santa a few days ago, and we are patiently waiting for Santa to respond. We all know Santa is very busy.

Such a sweet holiday tradition.

A happy birthday shed

This weekend we celebrated Aubrey's birthday. In the weeks leading up we talked about what we could do to celebrate. Where he landed in the end? A day, or even better a weekend, of uninterrupted time to build a shed. No parties, no dinners, no gatherings of people. Just him and his podcasts and his tools and some very productive work.

So I took on the mission to keep the kids busy and happy, make all the meals, and hold things together to give Aubrey some time to himself to build.

At the end of the weekend all the walls are framed and he is thrilled. In part because it puts him closer to using the cabin for playing music. But mostly because I think he really needed a quiet weekend to himself.

Over the next few days the shed will be sheeted, the roof put on, a door built. And soon enough I'll be storing my skis there for winter.

And I am left to wonder what I would do with an entire weekend to myself with no kid or house responsibilities. It will be quite a while until I have that I guess. Oh well, I'll busy myself with wondering.

Your first day of kindergarten

Dear Ethan,

Yesterday was your first day of kindergarten. You rode the bus, ate all your lunch, and came home raving about the fun you had. I picked you up after school and you cried. You wanted to ride the bus home instead.

You have a new backpack. You love it but are always wondering why the sharks are orange and don't look more like the great white shark.

While you were at school, and Helen was napping, I was sewing bags for your class to bring their library books back and forth from school to home.

Your music teacher said you look just like your dad. And that you have a beautiful voice and were in key the very first time. You told me she gave you a time out. She said it's hard for little ones to go from excited to quiet so quickly. You couldn't remember the songs that you sang, but told me you played Simon Says in gym class.

Since Helen was born I feel like you have been lost in the shuffle. I'm so glad to focus on you right now. Buying your new clothes and backpack. Packing your lunch, and trying to challenge myself to give you something you won't eat. Breakfast and bus in the morning. Hearing about your day. Signing up for every parent volunteer activity I can, knowing this year is different and I can help out during the day.

I love you. You are loud and silly and smart and loving and brave and sensitive and exceptional. You are so ready for this new adventure. I'm so proud to be your mom.

Love Mom

Summer is here

 
 
Summer has arrived! Even though it was cloudy and 14C on this particular day, we headed to the beach. While the mamas were covered from head to toe with hats, long sleeves and pants, the kiddos were quick to get in their swimsuits and jump in the water. There were some canoe rides and a yummy BBQ lunch sprinkled in for fun and good excuses to warm up.

As a kid I spent summers at the ocean, but we don't go to the beach much here. The nearest ocean is the chilly and rocky Pacific a few hours away in Alaska. There are a few very lovely (although cold!) lakes nearby. But, to be honest, I've just never spent much time at lakes. Only the rare dip in Stillwater Lake when I was a teen and it was unbearably hot. (Since we moved north my definition of "unbearably hot" has most certainly changed.)

So I am, learning to love lakes. I think it's safe to say Ethan already loves playing at the lake and is very much "at home" in these chilly Yukon waters!

Books of 2010

Despite the crazy ups and downs of our life over the last year, I kept on reading. Mostly at night before bed. Sometimes early on a Saturday morning. Often late at night when I was having trouble sleeping.

My goal last year was to read 12 books and I read 27. This year I hoped to read 24 and fell slightly short at 21. But, as my dear sis says "give yourself a break, please".

One of the best things that came out of this year was a book club I started with some friends. We meet about once a month over dinner and wine and lovely conversation. Some of my favorite times this year has been book club evenings. In particular, last summer when we met to talk about Prodigal Summer was especially memorable.

My favorite books from this year were Fingersmith and Three Day Road. I will add them to my library. Unfortunatly there were, quite frankly, too many crappy books on my nightstand this year. I'm hoping next year I have better luck with book selection.

Wishin' and Hopin'*
A Lion Among Men
The Hour I First Believed*
Nineteen Minutes
Time/Steps
Expecting Adam
Prodigal Summer*
The Happiness Project*
Comfort and Joy (audio)
Firefly Lane (audio)
Bel Canto
Magic Hour (audio)
Winter Garden*
The Alchemist
Fingersmith*
Three Day Road*
Knit Two
Still Alice*
Comfort Food
Things I Learned From Knitting
The Jane Austen Book Club
The Long Walk*
The Time Traveller's Wife
Shanghai Girls

I am getting used to this

 
Just over a week ago, we were living in the cabin and cooking in a toaster oven. Now, we're baking together in a real kitchen. It's not quite our kitchen yet, but it will do for now.

The best part is how happy Ethan is to help. See the flour on his shirt? Oh, love.

I'm hoping to get back here a bit more often. To catch up on the new house, where we are right now, and maybe even to look back on the crazy year in the cabin.

A tour of the house, with words

Our house is at the end of a cul-de-sac, tucked in the woods. The first thing you see when you look at our house is the deck. There is a big covered deck that wraps around two sides of the house. I have to admit that I thought the deck was an inpractical expense. I didn't want it. I thought we could easily do without. Now, of course it's one of my favorite parts of the house. It looks stunning. And it makes a beautiful place to sit when the weather is good. And a perfect refuge when the weather is bad.

When you walk inside you will be greated by a good sized entry right next to a laundry room/pantry/powder room. I wanted a nice, big mudroom. And that is exactly what that space is turning out to be.

On the main floor we have an open kitchen/dining room/living room. There are windows that overlook the southeast. This is the place in the house that gets the best light from morning to night. Aubrey thought a lot about the direction of the house and the light. Also on the main floor is my craft room. With two big windows that overlook the deck on the north side. It feels like it is tucked into the perfect little nook in the house. Plus, I have easy access to the food in the kitchen.

Upstairs, there are three bedrooms and a shared family bath. Ethan's room and the guest room are tucked in the gable ends, so they are funny shaped rooms with lots of nooks. These are my favorite rooms in the house. So many spots to put a cozy reading chair. Our bedroom is in the centre. We get that beautiful light from the south.

The basement will be unfinished for now. But there are some rooms down there, too. One is a TV room. The other is a music room for Aubrey. There is a small bathroom and all the utilities including a huge water tank (we opted out of drilling a well, for now). And finally a big storage room with the wood stove. That room has an exterior door. I can see coming in from a ski and hanging all my gear to dry near the stove.

Our house is far from perfect. We've made our share of mistakes. But our house is us. And that's why I love it. Now, when can I move in?

Three blue jugs and a kettle

We have been living without running water for nine months.

When we were making plans to build the cabin we tried to include running water. But our friend who had just spent a year with her family in a cabin without running water said, "You don't need water. It's too expensive and you can live without it". We knew she was right. Adding plumbing, a water tank and extra room for a bathroom would have cost big money. Money that we, quite frankly, didn't have.

So it was decided. Lots of people lived without running water. For generations people have lived in the north without running water. Heck, there are still lots of people NOW in the Yukon who don't have running water. If they could do it, so could we. Plus, I could just wait until November when we move into the house (where we will have running water) to potty train Ethan. Right. I just kept telling myself that.

So we bought two blue jugs, an electric kettle, a few wash basins, and we were all set. One year. No water.

If it seems that I was totally game for this adventure, let me set you straight. Before cabin life, I took a bath every night. I took a shower every morning. I washed my hands so much they were raw. I did laundry almost daily. I bathed Ethan everyday. We used the dishwasher regularly. I used a new cup with every drink. I'm not proud to say it, but I was not someone who thought too much about conserving water. I used it. I took it for granted. I was terrified to live for a year without running water. Terrified.

By the time we moved into the cabin in November we were almost five months behind schedule. We spent those five months couch surfing in a glorified "we are a family with a toddler" kind of way. We moved three times during those five months - from spare room to spare room.

I remember sleeping that first night in the cabin with an incredible sense of relief. I didn't even give a thought to water. I was just so glad to finally, finally (!) have our own space. I was so grateful that I didn't worry one moment about the challenges that were ahead.

And, I'm proud to say we've made it work. I am not saying that I will not be thrilled to move into the house and have easy access to water again. I'm just saying that I will be forever grateful for the simple act of turning on the tap.

Maybe he doesn't need a nap

Ethan is a night owl. If he gets to bed and asleep by 9 pm we're lucky. Right now, for example, he's busy eating a snack (two PBJ sandwiches and a bowl of strawberries).

I've struggled with trying to get him to go to bed earlier. When he's going to sleep that late, I'm following very soon after which doesn't leave me much time to myself in the evening.

So many people have said "maybe he doesn't need a nap." He'd go to sleep early without a nap, is the theory.

We've tried it and it doesn't seem to make a difference. We end up with a kid that falls asleep at the table during dinner, or is a very grumpy kid to have around.

Today he missed his nap at daycare. They went to the park for the afternoon so of course none of the kids slept. I picked him up around supper and we went off to do some errands.

He fell asleep on the way to the grocery store. I picked him up out of the car and layed him in the cart, and he was still sound asleep. He slept in the cart for the whole time we were in the store.

Maybe soon he'll be ready to give up his nap. But I don't think he is quite ready yet.