A Note from Preschool

I am bringing fruit. Or so I've been told.

Last week when I went to pick up Sonwun from preschool, one of the teachers walked up and handed me a note. I was a little worried about opening it, as the previous week, a teacher came and told me Sonwun had earned his first "time out" at preschool. Proud moment.

So I opened the note:

"It is your turn to provide a snack for our upcoming party. Please be sure to read all labels and prepare food carefully as we have a number of children with severe allergies. Thank you in advance for your contribution. Each class has 20 children. You are asked to bring (and then hand-written) fruit."

Okay, he hasn't been expelled. Good.

After reading the note, I had a couple of quick questions. First one being, when is the party? Second: What are we celebrating? Superbowl? Louis Riel Day? (Don't get me started). Ground Hog Day? Our Fourth Freakin' Month of Winter? WinterFest in Thompson? A birthday? The really dumb kid got his driver's licence?

I was told the party is Thursday, but I forgot to ask what we're celebrating. But I guess with fruit, it really doesn't matter. I'm not cutting cantaloupe in the shape of a groundhog or a traitor.

I suspect, but am not sure, that they gave "daddy" fruit because it's easy. Which is fine with me. Sure, I could have baked a cake (oh, it's for Valentine's Day by the way) and it would have been great. But they gave me fruit. Kind of like when you're the only guy at the office pot luck and they ask you to bring "buns" or "chips." You're a man, you're incapable of cooking. Meh, whatever.

Anyhoo, rather than spend an afternoon cutting fruit, I'm probably just gonna pick up a fruit tray at Safeway. Maybe 2. How much fruit will 20 kids eat anyway?

I have set up my computer to send me an email on Wednesday afternoon to remind me, on Thursday morning to remind me again and an alarm will sound half an hour before preschool, to remind me one more time.

When you mess with my routine, I get confused. And with the truck out of commission, things are already a little messed up. But I think I've got it covered. I will bring fruit.

Have a great Tuesday.

Weekend Update

Well Happy Monday!

It's a fresh -27C here this morning in the paradise that is Thompson, Manitoba. That, for my friends in the south (meaning almost everyone I know, but I'm referring to those in the U.S.) is -16.6F.

Oh, and when you factor in the wind, it feel like -35C (-31F).

Oh Timmy . . . it looks like we'll have a white Christmas after all! (Insert picture of smarmy, squeaky clean, pajama-clad children staring and smiling vacantly out the window, circa 1950-something.)

Anywhoo . . .

It's been a busy few days. And I'd like to blame that for the blog shortage . . . so I will. I will also blame it for the disjointed post this morning. Too many thoughts, too little time.

This weekend, we finally picked up some stuff for the rec room. Two couches, a chair and ottoman and a new TV. The TV we got on Thursday (LCD=WOW) and the furniture arrived Saturday. That meant a Friday night and Saturday morning of rushed cleaning, dusting and decorating to prepare for the new arrivals. It ain't exactly top of the line stuff, but it's soft and it's a place to sit.

And, it didn't fit down the stairs to the rec room.

So, with the help of The Brick delivery guys (thanks, really!), we moved all the living room stuff into the rec room and put the new rec room stuff in the living room. It all works out in the end and I will get to watch the Olympics next year in high definition - cool!

Yesterday, we celebrated Sonwun's fourth birthday. I can't believe it's been four years already.

Unfortunately, I think it was a little disappointing for him. We did our best, decorating the rec room Saturday night with about 25 balloons, streamers and stuff. But he was under the impression (not sure why) that all of his friends would be coming to celebrate with him. And by all his friends, he means people back in Gimli as well as family members who live some 2000+ kilometers away. He misses them and talks about all of them every now and again.

But we worked with what we had and he seemed to enjoy himself.

We had the added bonus of the RCMP kids' Christmas party yesterday. I wanted to tell him that it was his "real" birthday party and that even Santa came to celebrate it with him. But I didn't.

Following that, we headed out to Boston Pizza for his birthday dinner and then home to watch The Santa Clause and The Grinch before bed. Pretty good day all around.

Neomom has a few days off this week, but will be hitting the books downstairs in the office. With furniture in the rec room, we'll be closer and she'll feel a little less isolated as the boys can now play nearby.

Anyway, that's the weekend update. I once again pledge to try to keep this a daily thing, not only to keep my writing (or make my writing) sharp, but because it will keep my from getting nasty emails from my sister-in-law, who likes reading this first thing in the a.m.

Enjoy Cupcake!

Tried a flash-free shot and it almost worked. But got some nasty lens flare. Thought I'd post it anyway. Happy Birthday Sonwun!!

Shrek and The Knight

Before we begin today, I feel I should put out a quick disclaimer. The Parents 'n' Tots playgroup, to which I haul Sonwun and Sontoo twice a week, is the best I've been to. Great toys, limited structure, no crappy coffee and, generally, a good time had by all.

That being said . . .

Yesterday we had the Halloween Party. The kids dressed up, one pissed off mom dressed up ("You guys suck! I thought parents were dressing up!") and it was all very cute. There were dinosaurs, Jack Sparrows, ninjas, lions, tigers and bears (oh my)! Sonwun was sporting a Knight costume and Sontoo went as Shrek. He's got the belly for it.

But I'm not feeling good about poor little Shrek. I dressed him up because I gave in to peer pressure. I dressed him up for the amusement of others. I was not amused trying to stuff his little body into that costume. He was not amused by the way it felt. I was not amused by the crying and fussing. He has no idea who Shrek is or why I want him to look like a green ogre. And he hated the little hat.

Now I understand why parents dress kids, under the age of 2, in Halloween costumes. It's cute, or funny. But let's be honest, it's kind of like putting a little outfit on your dog. The dog is not amused, finds no pleasure in the outfit and is a little freaked out about having to wear it. Eighteen-month-olds, at least mine, feel the same way. Why did I give in?

Now as for Sonwun, he understands the costume concept. He chose his own and was quite proud to be Sir Sonwun, the knight. I, wisely I think, chose not to arm him with a sword, even though it would have completed the ensemble nicely. It just didn't make sense to send him out into a group of 40 children, already with an inflated, knightly sense of self importance, with a weapon.

Five other parents disagreed.

And, as one might expect, the morning featured a running battle between two Ninjas, a Transformer, a pirate and Winnie the Pooh who realized his hunny pot had little impact against a Ninja sword. Pooh wanted in on the action, so he picked up the pirate's discarded scabbard and used it to join in the wild swinging festival.

Now, I understand that the swords are part of the costume and the children want to play with them. But why the mothers not only allowed the swords to make the trip to playgroup, but allowed the duels to continue unabated - I just don't get it.

Maybe it had something to do with the sugar buffet along the wall. Now, I understand that some moms want to bring a special treat to the Halloween party. But, seriously, the amount of sugar and frosting on that table would have sweetened Hitler's disposition. And come on people, it's 10 a.m. Is it really a good idea to detonate this sugar bomb in a room full of toddler's and preschoolers? I just don't get it.

To be fair, I should point out that one mom actually brought in a big plate of sliced fruit for the kids to snack on. I know, not very Halloweeny, but certainly more nutritious. There was plenty left over.

All that being said, it was a good party. There were games for the kids (Sir Sonwun finished third in musical chairs) and plenty of opportunities to burn off that sugar, even without swordplay.

And tonight's the big night. But I'm not sure how we're going to handle it. Today's forecast high is -5C (that's about 23F for those of you down south) and it's expected to drop to -10 (14F) tonight. Sonwun will surely want to hit the streets, but that form-fitting Knight costume won't offer much protection from the cold and it will be impossible to stuff sufficient insulation underneath it. Must come up with new plan.

I expect Shrek will stay here with me and help hand out the loot. But I will probably dress him up as one of the kids from Peter Pan. You know, a pair of pajamas and maybe a pair of slippers. No hat. He'll be happier, I'll be happier.

Have a great, spooky Halloween everyone and I'll see you next month.

Storm Ahead

The day dawns in a dreary way. Thunder, rain and more to come.

But it's not so bad. It will be an indoor day and a chance to further explore the new house with Sonwun and Sontoo.

Yesterday we attended our first RCMP party in Thompson. It was good. Nice bunch of people and a few of them have kids in the same age range as our two. It's a smaller group here, in that the Ident and MCU folks tend to hang out together and the general duty folks do the same.

It's somewhat comforting to know, and meet, others in the same boat; others who are frustrated by the land prices in Thompson, others who can't believe the level of service at stores in town (at the Timmy Ho drive-through, the voice on the speaker actually said to one of the party-goers, "Welcome to hell, what do you want.") and others who are blown away by the amount of broken glass scattered around the playgrounds.

And it's nice to know there are others who have been through the "year of hell" that we are about to embark upon. It will begin August 17 when the wife heads to Ottawa for seven weeks of ident training, leaving Sonwun and Sontoo in my hands 24-7. That will be followed by 12 months that the wife will be working during the day and studying at night to complete the second phase of training. We're told we won't see much of each other and we are doing our best to mentally prepare for that. But I know that no matter how much we prepare, it's going to be tough.

At the party yesterday, I was promised help from those that have completed their year of hell. A day out here, someone to blow off steam with, a dinner there - the kinds of things we will need to survive.

So I guess we'll enjoy the coming month, scour the community for "Mommy and Me" groups that will accept Daddies, enroll Sonwun in swimming lessons, or music lessons or something to stimulate his mind and provide friends his own age. And we need to find a reliable babysitter or two, for the nights I need to escape.