Change . . .

Kindergarten has apparently changed quite a bit in the last 30 to 40 years. Yeah, I know, big surprise.

But I didn't think it had changed quite this much.

Got the list of school supplies Sonwun will need when he begins his academic career this fall. And yeah, some of it I expected. Some was a bit of a shock.

For example:
4 large glue sticks - Okay, makes sense. Of course when I went, we used that white glue, in jars, with brushes. I seem to recall it smelled like peppermint. And that one kid in every class, the "glue eater," said it tasted like peppermint too.

1 Large bottle of mucilage glue - is this the peppermint stuff? Never heard of mucilage glue. Must look that up on line . . . oh, cool. That's that translucent brown stuff with the rubber top. I remember that stuff. Some things never change I guess.

2 Boxes of Kleenex - Didn't have to bring that when I was a kid. But I guess the school boards don't pay for everything these days. Fair enough.

2 Boxes of Crayola Crayons (8 colours) - Um, okay. Again, that stuff was supplied when I went, but, whatever.

1 pkg washable markers - See above. And while we're at it, I'll include the "1 Pair of Strong Scissors" in the same category.

Okay, so that's a lot of the stuff I kind of expected to be buying. But . . .

4 Regular Duotangs
1 3-ring Binder
1 Notebook - half lines, half blank
2 two-pocket Duotangs for reading logs
1 Scrapbook, 30 sheets with coil binding
1 Copy Plato's Republic

Okay, I made up the last one. But seriously, how much research and report-writing are these kids going to be doing that they need Duotangs and Binders?? Or are these supplies for the teacher? I almost hope so.

I can't imagine a room full of 5-year-olds playing with three-ring binders. Unless they've changed the design over the last couple of decades, I seem to recall these things can be real finger pinchers . . . even in high school.

And Duotangs? Really? I hated those things. How long is it going to take a 5-year-old to undo one, load paper and re-close?

Seriously, I have no idea why they need these things, but I'm trying to keep an open mind; wait and see.

And ya know, having read the news daily over the last few decades, I was surprised at some of the items that are missing from the list. I mean, I was kind of expecting to see "Anatomically Correct Dolls, Male and Female" for the sex ed class.
1 Copy of "Miss Vera's Finishing School for Boys Who Want to be Girls" for the Social Engineering Class.
1 Copy of "NO ONE NEEDS A PENIS!" for the discussion following the field trip to the radical wing of the Women's Directorate headquarters.
1 Copy of "Your Sunday School Teacher's a Liar" for the religious studies class.

Okay, so maybe the news reports were a little more alarming than necessary. Or maybe they're saving this for Grade 1. Who knows?

All I know is that things have changed. Gonna be a challenge to keep up and only one more month to prepare myself.

Wish me luck and have a great Thursday!

First time at The Theatre

So . . . we went out to see a movie last night. It has been a long, long time.

Given our locations, and the age of our children over the last several years, a trip to the theatre has never been in the cards. Not that I'm complaining.

I lost my enthusiasm for the theatre right around the time tickets headed over the $8 mark and popcorn started selling for $5 a box. (And that was a while ago). It was around that time, as well, that it felt like movie theatres were bent on destroying my hearing. And movie makers, it seems, collectively decided that dialogue should be kept at the lowest decibel levels, setting you up for the sound of a, oh, I don't know, a door opening, at the highest decibel levels, right up there with car chases and gunfire. It just felt like an assault.

I much prefer the sharp screen on my TV, where I control the volume and eat much, much cheaper popcorn.

But, the theatre is an experience, and life is made up of experiences

So, when Toy Story 3 hit the Strand Theatre in Thompson, I felt it was time for the boys to expand their viewing resume.

Now, I should point out that The Strand is located in the worst part of Thompson, in what appears to be a run-down row of attached buildings that includes a homeless shelter, bar, restaurant and a few other places that I'd rather not take Sonwun and Sontoo.

But we asked around and we were told it wasn't all that bad. Hmmmm.

Sontoo, at 2.5 years of age, is a big fan of the Toy Story saga. On rainy days, when I need a little quiet, I can count on two hours of silence if I pop in Toy Story 2. He plays with his Woody and Buzz action figures regularly and, sometimes in the morning, the first sound I hear from his bedroom is a small voice proclaiming "There's a snake in my boot."

But show time was 7:30, about half an hour past his bedtime. Wasn't sure he'd make it through. Decided to risk it.

Sonwun, on the other hand, prefers his Batman, Superman, Wonderwoman, Flash movies. But he did enjoy the Toy Story movies for one or two viewings each. I was pretty sure he'd be up for number 3.

Anyhoo, The Strand was like stepping back in time, to the Lincoln Theatre in St. Catharines where I saw my first movies.

It is not a multiplex kinda place. There's one theatre, one movie, seats and screen circa 1979.

For myself, Neomom and the boys, we paid $26 for tickets. $9.50 for popcorn and drinks. The movie started about 10 minutes late, which is something to consider when you're trying to keep young 'uns occupied right around bed time.

But overall, I was pleasantly surprised. The theatre was relatively clean, the staff was efficient and the boys loved the movie . . . mostly.

I loved having Sontoo sit on my lap for much of the screening (no choice as the spring, that pops the seat up when not in use, was too much for his little legs and he got folded into the chair a couple of times.)

He stayed awake for the entire movie and was kind enough to crash immediately upon returning home.

Sonwun, while he enjoyed the whole popcorn, root beer and "biggest TV ever" movie experience, was a little put off just a little by the scary monkey in the movie. I won't say much beyond that, in case you haven't seen it.

But I will say that, given the age bracket of the fan base, I don't think it was necessary. We'll leave it there.

Anyhoo, that was my night last night. No major complaints, good experience and a good night's sleep.

Happy Thursday!

Another Day

Saturday . . .

Still feeling the post-family-visit blues. The house feels empty. Blah. On top of that, I checked my tickets and learned that I must once again put aside my plans for spending $50 million. Bummer.

Anyhoo, went in for the one-week check-up on Sonwun's broken wrist yesterday. All appears to be well and he got a nice new cast. He got to choose the colour and he went with blue.

Wow, times have changed. Didn't have all that many casts as a kid, but I never got to pick the colour. (There was only one - white) And it wasn't this fibreglass stuff either. Plaster as I recall. Probably easier to sign, but these ones today are just cool!

Not that it takes the all the sting out of being banned from deeper water during the summer months. But it helps a little.

The doctor, a nice enough guy, was very, very impressed with Neomom's home-made sling. She sewed it up shortly after Sonwun's return from the hospital last week. The sling provided was just a triangular piece of gauze, sorta tied together to form, at best, a crude sling. It didn't last long.

The original

But the doctor was so impressed with Neomom's creativity, that he showed everyone he could find the ER.

Neomom at Work

And he suggested she make a few more for them to have on hand for other kids who find themselves in Sonwun's shoes. Not gonna happen, but it was a nice compliment.

Much Better

So no big plans for the day. Probably do a little garage saling (saleing?), pulling 70 pounds of children in the bike trailer. We rarely actually make a purchase, but it's good exercise and the kids seem to like poking around in other people's stuff. So it's all good.

Happy weekend!

Hangover

Feeling like I have a big hangover this morning. No drinking last night, but it just feels bad.

Aunt Nizzie, Uncle Davey and Grampa left yesterday morning. Dang! I'm gonna miss them.

It was so nice to have family around, even for a week. It's been too long. Neomom and I actually got out for an hour and a half, ALONE! That was cool.

"I miss Auntie Nizzie"

We took advantage of the time to go bike riding. And I gotta say, pulling 70+ pounds of children around in the bike trailer all summer has improved my leg strength and stamina. Riding up and down the hills ALONE was a breeze!

And sure, Sonwun has an injured wing, but it didn't stop him from strapping on a plastic bag for a little beach time, and it didn't slow him down at the bowling alley. He earned the "Best One-Armed Hook Shot" award, while Sontoo picked up the "Best Victory Dance" trophy. Uncle Dave earned the "High Speed" award, clocking his best throw at just over 53 kph.

Best Victory Dance

I played board games and Wii with adults. We laughed, mocked each other's play and reminisced about the old days. Really, really, really gonna miss it.

Just hangin' out

Even the dog is a little down in the mouth today. She had Luna, my sister's dog, to play with for a whole week. They wrestled on the deck for hours, ran around the yard and "fought" over toys. Today, she's just kinda lying there, wondering where her new friend went.

Ah well, life goes on.

Today, Sonwun must head back to the hospital to check on the healing progress. Don't expect any issues, but it's nice that they follow up. Other than that, bit of cleaning up to do and then, well, no big plans. Which I guess is part of the hangover. When family's here, you try to find things to do every day. Go fishing, go bowling, go swimming, go for a walk, ride a bike . . .

A little beach time

So maybe that's the lesson I'm supposed to learn. Treat every day like a family visit. Get out and enjoy the day. You only get 24 hours each day. Might as well take advantage of them.

Have a great Friday!

A broken arm does nothing to slow him down

Float like a hummingbird . . .

So, this morning, Sonwun is sporting a cast, a lovely new sling thanks to Neomom and a black eye, courtesy of Sontoo.

It hasn't been a great weekend for him.

The cast on his arm is itchy. World class itchy. Stay-awake-half-the-night-tossing-and-turning-and-kicking-and-crying itchy.

Well, the first night it was anyway. Last night he got a better night's sleep and, thusly, so did I.

Yesterday, during a ride in the bicycle trailer, Sontoo delivered a headbutt that has left Sonwun's left eye swollen and bruised. No one saw exactly what happened but, according to Sonwun, it was a headbutt. The jury is still out on whether or not it was an intentional foul.

As for the broken arm, it has somewhat limited his normal activity. Bike riding is out. Swimming is out. Soccer is out. And that means he must find new ways to put his other arm in danger. While I am touting the benefits of Wii tennis and bowling, Sonwun is trying to figure out how to use the swing the back yard with one hand. He's trying to leap from the ottoman to the couch and land in such a way as to protect his wounded wing. And he's begging to go back to the playground: the scene of the crime. (I guess he really didn't want me to cut it down.)

I guess I wouldn't want it any other way. I mean, he's not letting this arm thing get the best of him or curtail his idea of what are permissible and prudent activities. Four-year-old's shouldn't be prudent. They should be pushing the limits at all times. Plenty of time left in life for playing it safe.

Anyhoo, plan today is to head off to Paint Lake and enjoy what is supposed to be a beautiful day. We will, of course be joined by Uncle Davey, Aunt Nizzie and Grampa, who arrived for their visit last Wednesday. Two days before my daredevil busted his wrist.

No, he won't be able to swim, but I'm sure he'll find plenty of rocks to climb on, places to run at full speed and plenty of playground equipment to swing, slide, leap and climb upon.

With a broken arm and a black eye, I am just hoping he doesn't add to his list of injuries today. I don't want to have to explain every bump, bruise and abrasion on the boy to a Child and Family Services employee. They're all legit mind you, 'cause he's a normal little boy. He's got the speed and energy of a hummingbird and the grace of a rhino. It's a recipe for disaster.

So, that's my weekend and my plan for the day.

Have yourselves a great week.

Another Milestone . . .

Well, so much for swimming lessons and soccer games.

A trip to the playground yesterday evening ended with a trip to the hospital for Sonwun. And, in addition to the tooth that fell out last week, Sonwun can now add "first broken bone" to his list of milestones.

He, Aunt Nizzie, Sontoo and Neomom walked over to the school playground after supper last night, while Grampa, Uncle Dave and I stayed home. It was a relatively short trip. I was looking out the front window when I saw Neomom hustling across the lawn with Sonwun in her arms. I could see he was crying. That had to be trouble. He generally only cries for short periods of time when he gets minor injuries. The fact that he was still going strong, and was being carried, well, I knew it was something a little more serious.

Turns out my little daredevil had been pushing the limits, as is his way. He was trying to jump up off a platform and grab a wheel thingy that's probably a little more than six feet off the ground. Well, he caught just enough of it to swing his feet out from under him before he lost his grip and fell. He tried to break his fall with his left arm and, well, broke his left arm.

Fortunately, Uncle Dave is a Nurse Practitioner. He had a quick look and said that, well, yeah, it might be broken. So we loaded the boy into the van and headed for the hospital. The ER was packed. But apparently 4.5-year-olds with possible fractures do get bumped up the list and we were in in no time.

And once we found a comfortable position for the arm, he began to calm down. And, in the process, found his way to anger. He told me through his tears that this particular piece of playground equipment was "naughty" and made me promise to go and cut it down "forever!"

And while it was kinda cute, it was the only part of this process that really surprised me. I wasn't expecting this level of anger, mostly because I'd never seen it from him before. But we talked our way through it and shifted the conversation away from the fall.

We talked about the "cool pictures" the doctor would take of his arm bone and how he might even get a cast. Uncle Dave and I explained the long and proud tradition of broken bones in the family and the nurse promised him a popsicle.

By the time we were ready to head to x-ray, he was so calm and cool that I began to believe it was just a sprain. Wrong!

It was a buckle fracture of the wrist. Certainly not the worst kind of fracture, but bad enough that he will be wearing a fibreglass splint/cast combo for the next several weeks.

All in all, it took about 2 hours at the ER, which is pretty good. Last night he slept fairly well. And, as I write this at 5:20 a.m., he is still sleeping.

As for me, I am gonna make a quick run to Tim Horton's, grab an extra large and then head over to the playground with my hacksaw before the world wakes up. After all, a promise is a promise.

Have a great weekend.

A little Catching Up

Well, happy Tuesday.

The family made it from Kelowna BC to Strathmore, Alberta yesterday. I think Saskatoon, Saskatchewan is the goal for today. My goal is to complete the deck, do some grocery shopping and then get some cleaning done. Wooohooo!

(I know I said the deck was done about a month ago, but that was just the deck part. The railings have been sitting quietly on my Honey-do List ever since.)

So, what has happened in the last few weeks, you ask? Well, Sonwun graduated from preschool, with entirely too much pomp and ceremony. But I guess that's what they do these days. Yeah, it's kinda cute and all with the little paper grad hats and stuff, but I mean, it's preschool.

Not only was there a ceremony, to which all parents were invited, but there was an end-of-school barbecue as well. I was away for that, but Neomom managed to get some pictures and video.

I was here, however, for another major milestone in Sonwun's existence. He lost his first tooth about a week and a half ago. He almost swallowed it during breakfast, so I had the distinct pleasure of searching through a handful of chewed Cheerios for the prize. Found it. I guess that beats going through a handful of "completely processed food" searching for a tooth. So I'm counting my blessings.

As you can see below . . . he was pretty excited.



Anyhoo, I got up late this morning (6 a.m.) and have much to do. But I didn't want to skip the blog. Must get back in shape, back in the habit of writing a little each day. I will try to get another picture or two of the deck progress today and, hopefully, post them tomorrow. Not making any promises, just expressing my hope.

So you all have yourselves a great day. Supposed to rain here today, but it's welcome. It's been dry for about a month. If it would just be so kind as to give me a window of about 4 hours, I can get my deck work done. Cross your fingers.

Cheers.

Hello Again

Well, what can I say. It's been a while, once again.

Much has happened in the last few weeks, but I won't bore you with all the details. But, in brief, I lost a friend a few weeks back in a car accident. Evan was too young, at 20. He and his family were among the first to welcome us to Gimli back in 2001, when we arrived. He was 12 at the time and I watched him grow up in this small town, where everyone knows everyone. He went from batboy and spectator to player on the slo-pitch team his father and I played on. He went from school boy to working man at the local grocery store. He went from trying to sneak into the bar I worked at, to walking in legitimately. And through it all, this kid had an omnipresent smile that he shared with one and all.

I still feel sick for his family— a really great group of friendly, outgoing people. He came by his smile and sense of humour honestly.

About a week later, my mother's husband passed away. Elvin was one of the most easy-going, friendly guys you'd want to meet. I am happy that I was able to enjoy one of our shared passions, fishing, at least once in the time we knew each other. We spent a week together a year or two back, fishing the Winnipeg River near Kenora. It was a good week and my first real opportunity to get to know him. He will be missed.

But I'm back and, I hope, will continue where I left off in my life as a stay-at-home dad.

So, it's Monday morning. The boys are still asleep, as is Neomom. I'm half an hour away from my morning treadmill run.

I'm also anticipating the arrival of my brother, sister and father. They are driving in from Kelowna, BC, leaving this morning. Should take a few days. Sonwun is very, very excited about them coming and asks each morning if they will arrive "this day."

He has big plans for them. They need to see his room, they need to go swimming, they need to see him play soccer and they need to go bowling with him. And that's the abbreviated list.

This morning, it's swimming lessons for Sonwun and then soccer tonight, weather permitting.

Anyhoo, that's all I've got this morning. I hope to resume my regularly scheduled blogging in the coming weeks. I miss the writing and the feedback.

Have a great day!