just updating

Today a friend emailed me and asked me how I was doing and what was happening. For anyone else who might want to know, this was my reply:

How am I? Right now I feel stressed, I’m having trouble sleeping. Some of it swirls around the inevitable move. I worry about the finances of it all. A bigger house means a bigger mortgage, and ultimately we will have to cut back somewhere. It IS necessary for us to move, this house does not contain 5 people well, and eventually Conor needs his own room. As well, there is much work that needs to be done on the house, which Rob is doing a great job on. What that means for whiny me is doing more household chores and living with the consistent renovation mess and bother. Not a bad deal, but I do find it stressful.

Our new home is in East Kildonan. Have you ever seen those 2 big hills that kids love to toboggan down near the Elmwood pool? We’re not too far from there. I called the school that is nearest. The secretary did not sound very warm or inviting. I calmed myself by saying that it’s the personalities of the principal and teachers that matter. I worry about the move. What are we giving up, what are we gaining, and how will it balance out?

You know I applied to do a Master’s degree, yes? I was recommended for acceptance by the department I applied to, and was offered a wonderful studentship, but the Faculty of Grad Studies turned my down as they would not recognize my degrees as they are from faith-based, smaller institutions. I appealed that decision and found out last week that I lost that. I was told in the letter that I could appeal to another committee, but in a phone call with the person who turned me down, he said that he didn’t think I had a chance in hell, that he would be opposing me and defending his actions, and that the studentship I was granted was just about the department “sitting on a pile of money and looking for a warm body.”

School is going well for the girls. Ashlin seems to be adjusting well to Kindergarten, and today she noted the differences between her nursery school teachers and her K teacher by saying that, “Mrs. J, Mrs. D and Mrs. P were silly and they really liked children.” I asked her if she thought Mrs. M didn’t like children or liked them a little bit. She thought a little bit. One does get that impression from her. But it doesn’t seem to bother Ash.

Taryn reported getting picked on by some boys – punched in the back, grabbed, that sort of thing. I’ve asked for a meeting about this. The principal went to observe what typically happens and noticed that Taryn aligns herself with other girls who are provokers, who goad the boys on, and then gets caught in the crossfire. So we talk about choosing friends and choosing activities quite a bit.

Conor, meantime, likes to tell us, “I fowted!” (I farted) and is taking very, very slow steps to toilet training.

That’s life.