A Good Week

So let's start with a few updates:

1. Mom came through her surgery just fine Wednesday. I'm told they were able to get all of the tumour that had invaded her bowels. It was in fact cancerous and it had spread to her liver. There were two spots on the liver they were able to "zap" (still not sure what that means) and it's all looking pretty good.

Thanks all for the good vibes, prayers and positive energy.

2. Got the truck back. New engine installed, seems to be running great. No charge whatsoever, which I'm very happy to report. I know that the truck has a 3-year, 60,000K, bumper-to-bumper warranty and all that, but I guess the cynic in me just expects someone to tag on a fee, or a tax or something that's not covered by the warranty.

But nada. Not a dime. That's good. Almost, almost makes up for the fact that it took a little over a month to get done— and no loaner!

Anyhoo, it's Friday, playgroup day.

In the last couple of months, I was charged with changing Parents 'n' Tots playgroup to Thompson Parents 'n' Tots Inc.— a legally incorporated entity that could obtain insurance, accept donations and, hopefully, run with a little more organization.

That was accomplished this week.

The next step is to make it a legal, non-profit charity so that we can issue tax receipts to those kind enough to make donations.

It's a bit of a rough road, as I am finding it difficult to impress upon some of those running the show that we need to have regular meetings, keep minutes of those meetings, discuss EVERYTHING we intend to do and keep track of the money in a responsible and government approved way.

Hopefully, by the time I leave Thompson, everything will be in order and will continue to operate smoothly after I'm gone. But, as I said, long, rough road ahead.

Gotta admit, I had never even thought about incorporating anything and I enjoyed learning about the process, completing and filing the paperwork and having it all work out. As a stay-at-home parent, I haven't had too many opportunities to exercise my brain. Nice to know it still works.

So that's been my week. All in all, not too shabby.

Have a great weekend.

A change in Routine

Monday. Hmmm.

Do you ever feel like you're only existing and not living? Just going through the motions each day, sticking to the schedule. 8 a.m. breakfast, lunch at noon, supper at 5? Lather, rinse, repeat. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Been feeling a little like that for the last week or so.

Today will be different, but not by my choosing.

The truck crapped out yesterday. So, today, the boys and I will have to take Neomom to work for 8 a.m. . . . and then pick her up 4. That means breakfast for the boys at 7 a.m.

I will also have to find a way to get the truck to the dealership and then figure out if I can trust them. That's one of the things about moving to a new town every now and again. Takes a while to figure out who's honest and who's gonna screw you. And no matter where you take your vehicle for service, you'll find three people in the following week who will cringe at the mention of the name and three others who'll say you did the right thing. Small towns are funny that way.

Must also return DVD rental Julie & Julia. Happy to return it. In spite of the hype and the fact that Meryl Streep stars, I found it pretty flat. Trying to tell two stories in an hour and a half just seems to mean you do a crappy job on both. Seriously lacking depth . . . things just seem to happen out of the blue and are resolved the same way. Don't recommend it.

Anyhoo, that's the plan for today. In spite of the problems, it's a least a variation in the routine. I'd prefer a variation that involves a plane flight to a tropical location, but you take what you can get.

Have a happy Monday and a great week.