I completely forgot to post saying we were going up to the cottage for a week or so.
It's our first visit of the year and so far it is awesome! I'll give a full report when I return home. Even with the iPhone with me, I don't plan on spending my time online.
Now back to doing nothing.
-- Post From My iPhone
One of the joys of living in a new part of the province or country or world is to compare and contrast experiences of living in that new place with what we're familiar with.
I've lived in Waterloo before but it's been a long time (eight years!). Some things are the same, some are different and I'm seeing it all now through the eyes of a parent instead of the eyes of a late twenty-something.
I've decided that I will do an occasional series called Life in Waterloo. I plan to write about our life here of course, things I discover, things I love, the ways that our lives are different because we're in a different city and different part of the province. I'll try not to make it "how Ottawa sucks and how Waterloo rules" or vice versa but that will likely happen once in a while. I'll do the same for the months that we're in Austin, Texas.
And so, on to Part 1.
We live in Waterloo. About a 5 minute walk up our street, and you hit Kitchener. I can bike to Tamara's house in 5 minutes. Tamara lives in Kitchener. I live in Waterloo. Bell Canada and Canada Post list us as living in Waterloo. Onstar and the Globe and Mail list us as living in Kitchener. (They're wrong.) Other people list us as Kitchener-Waterloo. That's because Kitchener-Waterloo (also known as K-W) are twin cities. It should really be conjoined twin cities. You can't tell where one starts and the other begins save for the small signs that say in various ways "you are now entering the historic village of Waterloo 1857" or "City of Kitchener 1916" in a small nondescript sign posted above the parking regulations (yes, they could be different in each city).
My favourite one is on King Street and says in a tall, vertical sign from the 1940s or so "City of Waterloo".
There are two municipal governments, two hydro companies, two library systems, two distinct downtowns (although both are located along King Street and Waterloo affectionately refers to its downtown as Uptown Waterloo). There are two of many things. It does seem ridiculous to those who don't live here or haven't lived here in a long time. It's hard to explain if you haven't been here and can't picture it. They were once two distinct villages that grew together as the villages grew. Now it is one large(ish) urban area that is still two cities.
There was talk at one time of amalgamating but nothing came of it. And so they remain conjoined twins with people living in working as though they were one. Until you have to deal with government or phone companies or hydro or swimming pools or community centres (if you live in Waterloo and want to take swimming lessons a few streets over at a Kitchener pool you have to pay an extra $25 a year). Then it matters.
It all adds to the odd character of this town/town that I love.
We're on Day 3 here and so far we haven't made a trip to a toy store. Emily almost succeeded on the first day but ended up flipping out at the pool at Greg and Tamara's house (it's too cold! I don't like it here! I don't want to get out!). I knew yesterday would be a write-off when she appeared at 6:30 beside our bed and promptly burst into tears.
However today is a new day! I have a good feeling about today.
This is the happy one:
No, not that contest! This is a family-rated blog (most of the time, minus some gritty language now and again).
The contest is this: I've challenged Emily to go for a full day - from when she wakes up to when she goes to bed - without crying. Crying due to getting hurt is allowed. All other crying is not - because your ice cream isn't a perfectly round mound on your cone, because Mummy isn't walking up the stairs directly behind you, because Hope isn't scared to go on the swing when you are, because you can't draw a perfect house - all of that is NOT ALLOWED. And mostly it is not allowed because if there is crying for any of those reasons or equally inane ones anymore this week/month/year, Mummy will throw herself in front of a moving train.
The contest is really a challenge to keep Mummy from moving into the woods and living like a hermit. And loving it.
The prize is any toy Emily chooses the day after she succeeds. If she fails (and I KNOW she will fail during the first few tries), she gets to start fresh the next morning. She seemed keen and I even caught her stopping herself from crying when she had to say goodnight to me without having me actually put her in her bed.
I honestly have no idea what has got into her the last couple of months. I can't blame it entirely on the move or school ending (although having those two things happen simultaneously was unfortunate). For now I'm blaming it on being 4, almost 5. And 4, almost 5, sucks. It really sucks. At least if you're the parent of the 4, almost 5.
I think there are crazy emotions running rampant, unchecked, having a grand old party in there with no one telling them to TURN DOWN THE G.D. MUSIC or STOP USING MY CANNING FUNNEL AS A BONG or THAT'S THE NEIGHBOUR'S DOG, FOR GOD'S SAKE!
And Emily is no match for that.
I do feel for her. I also feel for me. Hopefully The Contest will have a happy conclusion and at the very least, a little less crying. I'd go for even 10% less.
-- Post From My iPhone
Trying posting from my new iPhone. So far eating up intended jam making time. Not for people with sausage fingers.
Me eating cake this evening.
Update: I just noticed that under my arm in the photo is tiny Aisha's face, swaddled and in the cradle. Don't miss checking her out. She's beautiful.
I feel like there is a lot I need to write here but I'm not sure where to begin. I expect this post will be all over the place with no real plot line, no thesis, no conclusion. A sure D paper.
The house is mostly put together. There are still a few stray boxes - some winter clothes, one box of toys, a box of DVDs, but mostly everything is unpacked. As we've been really living here the last few days we've made a few discoveries, mostly appliance-related; the oven was 200 degrees off (running way too cool); the washing machine doesn't work; the fridge has a broken gasket; the toilet on the main floor runs; many, many windows don't open; many, many screens on the windows are missing or torn; and there are a few other, smaller things.
It sounds like the place is a money pit (which I guess it is for the owner) and it was a bad decision to live here. But actually, I love this house. It has a ton of character, lots and lots and lots of yard space, huge windows. And the property manager is on top of all the things that have to be fixed (the stove is already fixed). I think we're going to love it here.
What I'm not loving so much right now is Emily's behaviour. In a couple of words, she's totally brutal. I actually can't stand to be around her right now. I know that she's having some trouble adjusting to our change but her level of anger, frustration and downright sourpuss-ness is becoming intolerable. If there were a circus going through town, I might be lining up to sign her up for world's shortest woman.
On a brighter note, we went strawberry picking this morning at a great farm in Wilmot, where I've bought produce before (really, they're known for their corn). It was lovely and I plan to spend tonight making jam. The girls were great during picking and had lots of fun. I won't get into the events that followed but it did almost push me to have an 11:00 glass of wine.
On an even brighter note, my great friend Tamara (she and Greg are our close friends - along with Paul and Marnie - here in town) had her second baby on July 4. Her name is Aisha and she's lovely (of course). We're very excited that we're here to help out.
John is out right now buying us an iPhone. I'm pretty excited about exploring the iPhone Apps. It will put my little Kyocera to much shame.
My next project for tomorrow, aside from having the handyman in to fix all the remaing house issues, is to dig garden beds, weed the existing ones and then go to the garden centre. For my own sanity, I might do that during an evening when I don't have to take any children with me.
This afternoon will end, hopefully, with me sitting near Greg and Tamara's kid pool, sipping wine, while the girls play in the pool, watched by their father and ignored by me.
It's been an exhausting couple of days but the house is actually starting to come together. Eventually I'll post some photos once we acquire a bit more furniture (we're going to Generations this afternoon to look for some used stuff - Generations is the Mennonite equivalent to Salvation Army stores).
It's almost over, folks. The big move, also known around here as the big headache, is reaching it's peak and I can see the other side.
