A lot of nothing

It's been a good-busy hectic week... It's not over yet and what I'd give to sleep in.

Friday I wondered how I managed to get the million things I needed to get done and to get to the million places I needed to be and then thrived on the sense of accomplishment when I came out on top of what seemed would be an impossible day.

That's the thing I like about writing and deadlines. The procrastination, the working under pressure and the feeling of cutting and pasting my piece into an email and hitting 'Send'. Bam. Done. Next.

I've been away from my boys for a few nights and we met at a restaurant in separate vehicles to have dinner tonight and I felt like a divorced wife without custody of my child and this was my once-a-week visit. My heart aches for the hearts of the parents in that circumstance. 

I am sincerely grateful for my amazing "single-dad" husband who broke the lid off the kitchen garbage can this morning because Ryker was whining, the dogs were driving him "fucking" crazy, the house is a disaster and he was trying to put something in the garbage and it was overflowing.

I've been away sharing a bed with someone else. A Weimaraner. My first full-time dog walk when I started Pet Love five years ago and who is moving to a different province next month. I can't access the Internet from there and had to hit a coffee shop late Thursday night when I wasn't able to alleviate the panic I felt in fear of the world unravelling because I couldn't access my email. 

I love the atmosphere in a coffee shop. Love it. I live in a small town and here's another thing I love about the city aside from a variety of skin colour and amazing playgrounds. Coffee shops give me inspiration and an other-worldly sensation. Great Indy tunes, lounge chairs and little round tables scattered with magazines and today's newspaper create the perfect atmosphere to dive head-first into the written word with a hot cup of something topped with whipped cream and chocolate. I look up in deep thought and gaze over again at the guy in the corner and wonder if it would be considered hitting on him if I went over to see what he was sketching, curious about his creation and why he's here on a Saturday night. 

You know what, I'd love to work here I think. A place where you'd know everyone's name and their drink, sandwich or sweet treat of choice, get to listen live musicians set up in the corner with just enough space for a stool, mic and keyboard and have an in with all things city-life creative.

Now is not the time for a career move. Not after an oober (where the hell did I just pick that word up from?) successful day promoting my pet care business at a dog fair in support of the humane society.

Why would I write for work when I can write for this? I still have a day 'til deadline. 

I can see the bottom of my something sweet with whipped cream and chocolate and the Weim awaits.

Out.

3.23.13

Legacy of teenage activist

Canadian Author shares legacy of teenage activist

By Kimberly

Powell-McConaghy

 Canadian Author and Illustrator inspired the young hearts and minds of Hillside School when she introduced her First Nation Communities Read winning title, ‘Shannen and the Dream for a School’.

 On Thursday, March 21 the Kettle & Stony Point Public Library, in conjunction with Kettle & Stony Point Hillside School welcomed Canadian Artist and Author of children’s books and inspirational speaker Janet Wilson. Wilson has published more than 50 books that are recognized internationally and her presentations inspire people of all ages. As well as making art that interprets the written word, she also paints fine art from life, landscapes and studio still life in all media.

 ‘Shannen and the Dream for a School’ is the true story of a teenage girl and the people of Attawapiskat First Nation, a Cree community in Northern Ontario who has been fighting for a new school since 1979 when a fuel oil spill contaminated their original school building. In 2008, Shannen Koostachin and her grade eight classmates launched a protest against the Ministry of Indian Affairs to have their temporary, run-down portables replaced by a real school. Their Students-Helping-Students campaign inspired people across the country to help and became the largest child rights movement in Canadian history.

 Wilson learned about Shannen while researching stories of young child-rights activists. “I was shocked that such systemic injustice was happening in my own country,” she recalls. “Although I had never published a novel before, I was inspired by the actions of the children of Attawapiskat to tell this story and help raise awareness for other Canadians.”

 Patty Lawlor, for the Southern Ontario Library Service and First Nation Communities Read Co-ordinator, joined Wilson at Hillside School to promote Aboriginal literature. First Nation Communities Read is an annual reading program launched in 2003 by the First Nations public library community in Ontario. The program encourages family literacy and intergenerational storytelling. ‘Shannen and the Dream for a School’ is one of many titles chosen by First Nation Communities Read and specifically teaches children that young people can make a difference. “Children can have a voice and can make a change,” says Lawlor.

 The popular Author says that with all that’s happening in the world today and the challenges facing the future, she believes students have a growing desire and an important role to play in finding solutions. “Many young people, who are increasingly aware of global issues are no longer content to sit on the sidelines and wait until they are ‘grown-up’," WIlson adds. "Students are receiving a better education in environmental issues, peace and conflict resolution, character development and are encouraged to become active participants in their community.” Students have responded to Wilson’s presentations with remarkable insight and understanding that leaves her with a feeling of empowerment and hopefulness.

  The young activist, Shannen Koostachin, died in a car accident in 2010 at age 15. She left the legacy of a fighter for the rights of native children and at age 13 she wrote: "I would tell the children not to be afraid, to follow their dreams. I would tell them to never give up hope.”

The Fossil Guy

I just returned from covering a garden club special guest speaker presentation on The Wonderful World of Fossils for the local newspaper. 

 Through my work I meet so many people, hear so many stories and learn so much. Tonight, it was about fossils, but I was much more intrigued by The Fossil Guy's passion for something than the fossils themselves. 

Inspired. My this week's theme. My response to an email interview with one of the young professionals I'm highlighting in a business magazine this month. A young professional born the same year as me, married with a son born the same year as mine, but he has accomplished much more meaning in his life.

 He graduated high school at age 16 and moved on to do missionary work with orphanages and churches in more than 10 countries and then traveled to the same number for pleasure. He took part in Hurricane Katrina Relief work and moved to Alberta to be the Director of Operations of a Youth Drop-In Centre. With three others, he recently founded the organization "Community 4 Hope" - Bringing hope and making a difference, but more importantly spurring people on to get off their "duffs" to ignite a fire for change.

Inspired to be passionate. Inspired to do something, but then again I've always had good intent...

3.18.13

Hmmm...

Ryker and I just came in from a short walk down the street and back. The sunshine was deceiving. He sunk his hand in patches of snow in neighbour's yards and stopped intrigued by the wind chime hanging in the tree of the yard of the woman with the red door.

He's really getting so big so fast. It seems to come and go, the feeling of him taking leaps. Sometimes it goes unnoticed and the next week he won't stop doing new things. Like helping daddy empty the dishwasher and me load the dryer. Putting his shoes away in the closet and his book back on the shelf. Walking down the two steps that take you to the front hall and then out the front door and up the walk.

I had a great night with friends on Friday for my girlfriend's 30th birthday and of course had too much fun and stayed up too late and so my husband drove around for work the next day because I was dead to the world. I had to take a picture for the newspaper of Scrapbooking Day and then give a cat an insulin shot and then take a picture for the newspaper of a child's NASCAR birthday party in which he collected donations in lieu of gifts.

Most days in my life would make a really good comedy skit.

Did I mention it's been a long time since I've felt any other thing deserved my time more than my family.
3.17.13

Spring ahead & other things in life

Nice night for an evening.

We finished up dinner at six and I got my tired-from-work husband on board to take advantage of the extra hour of daylight. We bundled and leashed up the dogs and strapped the little Abominable Snowman into his stroller and hit the sidewalk toward the dirt road at the old tracks where we often go to let the dogs run free. We breathed the cold air in and a light, wet snow started to fall. Ryker walked the road in his big boots and winter get up, rosy cheeks, laughing hysterically at the crazy dog antics. 

Bry spotted a golf ball and the search began that led to trails we didn't even know existed. Ryker kept pretty good balance on the rough and muddy terrain and found a lonesome piece of snow he chewed along the way as the dogs randomly zipped past us, dodging trees running through long grass growing from mucky earth.

We got in just as the darkness fell and I sit here writing with just enough space on my desk for a mug of hot chocolate. The little man has warmed in a bubble bath and is cozy in his crib and the big guy is in the Man Cave watching a hockey game. The dogs are cleaned up as best possible and on their beds. My family. All of us snug.

It was just what I needed.

•••

He looked so much older and confident when I picked him up from the toddler room today. He walked to the truck with his little Dr. Seuss backpack on his arm and then from the truck to the front door when we got home greeting each dog with a hug. This growing up thing.... It's hard to take, but exciting to witness.

•••

Did I say all of us snug? Temporarily. You see, we're re-sleep training this week. Backtracking to a year ago. Ryker has been sleeping with us for the past few weeks ever since he was sick and I've been loving it. When he gets up in the night, I just scoop him up and bring him into bed and he's adapted quite well. Daddy, not so much. Ryker cuddles into me and kicks daddy to the edge of the bed.

I love it because he's never slept with us. He never could. He's always needed his space and slept well alone. Well, enough is enough and it's nice to sleep next to my husband again and the thought of us all in one bed continuing long into the future frightens me.

I can't wrap my head around how a kid goes to sleep once they've moved from the crib to a bed. I seriously don't understand the idea of laying a two-year-old on a mattress sans cage and he just staying there. It can't be possible. Which is why one of my BF's lays with her two-year-old every night. Not just because she won't stay and sleep in her big girl bed, but as translated in a late-night text conversation a month ago no one will ever convince her to not stay with her until she falls asleep when you miss the whole day with her.

This coming from two moms whose babies have slept on their own since day one.

She said, and I love this so much, "Isn't it funny how we worried about all those things we would never do as parents. Turns out who knows and who cares."

12.3.13

Toddler & other things in life

He'll be 17 months old tomorrow. I dropped him off in the toddler room this morning and he never looked back. I just went to take a picture for work next store to the daycare and there he was. His blue winter coat and orange mitts playing outside with the big kids. I went to the fence to say hi and it was almost like he didn't know who I was... and he was off. I watched from the sidewalk as he stood at the fence watching the even older kids playing and then took off, little shorty, to climb the stairs to the slide and come down with no one waiting for him at the bottom.

In other things in life... I have a lot of catch up to post on here. Like that we just got home from Florida, the skies are still grey at home, one of my fluff pieces is being printed in a magazine, I'm worried about money for the first time in my life, I like our home again because we were away for a week, I want to rid it of meaningless possessions, Grump is dying of cancer.

Grump is dying of cancer. It's consumed me since we were told last night that they have stopped treatment and that he is on his own through the rest of the battle that he's fought so hard for the last year and a half. I'm not sure what to say or to do and feel stupid for getting upset because it makes me feel that I'm making it about me and not about Grump and his feelings and his pain. But, it is about me and it is about the kids and it is about Jody and my family and the sadness and wanting to give everything to make it better. It is about being strong to send positivity in his direction because we're not giving up because when we thought he had been beaten in the beginning he kept beating back.

12.3.13