By now I’m sure that the few who did read my rants at one point have probably now written me off, and why shouldn’t they. It’s been almost a month since I last posted, downright disgraceful in the blogosphere. Off in the distance I can hear chants of “Turn in your card you poser!” So, this will be an attempt at a few things. Firstly an attempt to restart this ball rolling, and secondly to redeem myself with the one or two of you out there that might still be dropping by once in a while. So here goes.

My Summer has been NUTS! The busiest, most frantic, nerve-racking, stressful two months I can remember. I have had a complete hard-drive crash (in the middle of a major project), A two week vacation that turned into a one week Real Estate shopping trip. Three weeks of back-breaking “Staging” of our home to be put up for sale that has left me with a herniated disc, and two weeks of financial hoops to jump through to secure a new mortgage. I have spent the last two weeks largely on my back due to the disc issue, with the added cherry of the biggest headaches and gut pain of my life thanks to the “pain-relief-regimen” and stress I’m pummeling myself with. YA-FREAKIN-HOO!

I wonder if this is a Test.

I know my problems pale in comparison to, you know, people who have real problems, but this is my life! and my blog! So I can say what I want! I long for the night where I sleep in my new home for the first time and think “Tomorrow, I have to make breakfast.” Not the myriad of other thoughts of planning, and timing, and closing dates, and lawyers, and moving companies, and realtors that are currently occupying my grey matter. I do not want to move again. EVER. Bury me in the backyard, under the compost. When I was single, I moved a lot. Two or Three times a year for a bunch of years. It was easy, I had two huge duffel bags, and if it didn’t fit in there, I didn’t keep it. Now, moving two kids and a four bedroom home, well I’m sure a lot of you know. It’s not my idea of “super-happy-fun-time!”

There is some good in all of this. We are moving to Beautiful Rossland, BC. Look it up, you’ll probably be jealous. It’s a beautiful little (pop. 3800) town in the Kootenays, in the Interior of British Columbia. Affectionately known as the Mountain Bike capital of Canada (although some might argue Whistler should hold that title but who can afford to live there!). It is the Home of Red Mountain Resort, which boasts some of the best powder snow on the planet accesible by lifts. The main street is four blocks long, and just about everyone drives AWD or 4WD. My kind of place. Wow, I feel calmer already. Sounds like a good place to own a dog right? As for those of you who chimed in on the naming of the dog, we are as of yet undecided. We will not actually have him or her until late spring/early summer when the breeder releases the pups so we have a while to decide. ThingOne is still set on “Rock Johnson” but we’ll see.

There is a huge process to relocating a family of four. Much more than just the logistics, which is what is weighing so heavily on us right now. Sugarmomma and I are cycling back and forth on who is stressing out and who is trying to keep the other in check, some days better than others. The first part of this process was done completely on faith. It seemed as though the universe was telling us to go for it. Everything felt right and was falling into place so easily it seemed destined. We felt confident in our decision and not just confident, we felt calm. It all felt right, It’s a chance to stop waiting to live, a chance to start just living. Now we are in the middle of the seemingly never-ending bureaucratic waltz where everything is spinning around you and all you can do is keep spinning until the music stops, but, it does stop, right?

This is not just geography, it is a huge shift in lifestyle, hopefully towards more of the values that the Sugarmomma and I want to model for the ShortThings. A Life more in lne with who we want to be, and who we would like them to be. It has been a tough decision, leaving the place where they were both born, leaving the social network that is finally emerging around us, leaving the small support of family close by. Going into a new place neither of us has lived in personally, I have lived near there, but when I was young and single. Sugarmomma starting with a new employer, finding a new home, one that is hopefully more of what we dream of in a home, a place to build a life. Somewhere to live a BIG LIFE. That’s what we want, to live a BIG LIFE. A life full of experience, challenge, success, wonder, and humility. A life of Memories that are told and re-told around the family table. A life where it’s participants are revolutionary, they keep coming around and around.

I can’t wait to raise a pint to “A BIG LIFE”

Thanks for reading this far. It’s only going to get better.

BBD.

Tags: Test, Patience, Stress, Wonder, Experience

Now I am in support of Potty training, but also am not afraid of diapers and all that they entail, and some small part of me was not disappointed that she did not give herself fully to the process at that point. You see, she was pooping about five times a day, and I was not, eager, to "coach that team" if you will. Someone told me once that life with a small child is all PPB. Poop,Puke, & Boogers. I have mostly passed the Puke phase and it only rears it's messy head on rare occasions. Boogers have an entire research division devoted to them. Then we have Poop.

A week ago Thingtwo decided that she was now going to wear underwear, and that was that. Now, like I said she is a child of great resolve and there would be no dissuading this decision, and we were in no way intending to. This was a good thing, she was ready again! Of her own accord!. Since then there have been only 3 incidents.(2 wet, 1 otherwise). It's the otherwise that concerns us. She will not poop on the potty, and she does not want to wear a diaper at home, so she's holding it in. Fortunately we are able to enforce the, Diaper when going out, and diaper for sleeping (naps & night time) strategy with her and she likes to go out so there is still some small shred of leverage there. Hopefully like all of the other choices she makes, there will be an overnight embrace of the porcelain throne and she will find peace and zen in it's chilly yet comforting embrace.

Tags: Potty Training, Patience, Zen