Summertime, and the living is...

With no disrespect to Gershwin, summertime does not equal easy living. Maybe it's easier not to have to bundle up with several layers of innerwear, outerwear, footwear and the like; but I fidn myself constantly dashing out the door to work, soccer games, board meetings, interviews, daycare drop-offs, day camps, summer school...there's nothing easy about it.

Updates: Hubby got a job. Woot! He'll be baking; but he starts at 4 am. Before the buses run. Yeah, nothing easy there.

J is doing awesome with soccer. He's had about six games so far; and this past week, he was the goalkeep for the first time. Despite the rain and wind (we were soaked to the skin) he did an amazing job! There were probably about 25 shots on net (the other team had a couple of kickass forwards - this is U7, remember!) and he only let in four goals! The overall score was 4-3. He was proud of himself and I was proud too!

C is...well, when it comes to terrorism, she could give any Islamic fundamentalist a run for his/her money. She is my beautiful girl; but, being 3, she's quite convinced that her way is best, and seems to have boundless energy to expend in defense of her position.

The thing about our kids is that they got a good dose of stubborn from each of their parents. :) It will definitely serve them well in their adult lives, but right now, it certainly requires us to parent creatively! I say this with all love and good humour.

Board meetings & interviews: I was honoured earlier this spring to be invited to join the board at Sexual Assault Centre Kingston, where I have volunteered for a couple of years. I attended board member training just last night; and I am feeling energized and enthusiastic about the group of women I'll be serving on the board with. Also, SACK is hiring a new volunteer coordinator, and I am on the hiring committee; so will be helping conduct interviews with candidates. This is a pretty exciting time for the organization, bringing in new energy and a fresh perspective on the group! It's all good!

J will be going to a summer school-type daycamp later this summer, put on by the school board. He did an AMAZING job this year of bringing up his marks. We were absolutely thrilled with his final report card - almost every single mark was brought up; where he had a B- last term, he had a B this term, and so forth. I don't want him to regress over the summer, particularly with his reading and writing which were his biggest challenges. So he'll be going for two weeks and hopefully that will help prevent slipping.

Coming up: Hubby's sister and her husband will be celebrating their 10th anniversary next month with a party at Korner Stone Kastle, a beautiful B&B in Verona owned by our friend Steven Johnston. I am helping her plan and organize the event; and hubby is catering. Check out Steven's website here. If you're looking to stay in a B&B in the area, the Kastle is a gorgeous early 20th-century home with two wrap-around porches, a beautiful, relaxing garden, and nicely-decorated, comfy rooms. (Steven's not paying me to say this, honest! :P )

So - sorry, George; but I respectfully disagree with your assessment of summer living. And I wouldn't trade it for anything. :)