Mr. Kindergarten

All the 2013 kindergarteners got to go to school today to meet the teacher, see the classroom and generally just practise being big kids.  Sacha was very shy at first but then settled in. They sang a song, had a story and then had some play time. Sacha chose the Lego station and was happy as a clam.  I am really pleased with this school. 

After visiting the class, Sacha came back to work with me for a bit. It was supposed to be for just an hour but I ended up staying a bit late and Sacha was pretty good for all of it.  They also had a cake for all of us with June birthdays, so that was a special treat for all of us. We told Sacha that this happens every day at work. Cake Break. 

Catching Up

I haven’t written anything in more than a week!  Very unlike me, but it’s only because I’ve been so busy.  I got a call on Tuesday to say that Alice was sick again, luckily I was able to take the afternoon off and pick her up and even more luckily, Andrew was able to work from home on Wednesday so she could have a proper sick day.  I had her back on Wednesday night and she was looking a lot better on Thursday morning, so I sent her to daycare.  By 11am, I saw the daycare number pop up on my phone and I knew it’s never a good thing when daycare calls.  Again, luckily Andrew was able to rearrange his schedule to pick up both kids and he kept them Thursday afternoon and Friday.  He took her to see the doctor on Thursday and apparently she has a chest infection and is now on antibiotics for a week.

My car insurance was set to expire on Friday as well.  I am so annoyed at ICBC.  They need to update their policies.  I had the signed transfer papers and the separation agreement in hand but didn’t have the insurance slip signed from last year and they would not accept a fax, scan, copy of the agreement.  Nothing.  The insurance slip had to be signed in person.  Of course, it was now getting close to 6pm on a Thursday night.  I was given options by ICBC.  I could ask a friend to drive into Vancouver for me to get the papers signed, I could put my car in storage until I could work this out or I could buy temporary insurance until Monday and get it sorted out then, the temporary insurance, which for 4 days cost the same as a full month of regular insurance.   I did end up getting the temporary insurance but I was so pissed off at ICBC that I drove 50km to get the papers signed and then called around insurance locations to try to find one that was open.  I did find one nearby that they just happened to be working late and answered the phone.  It was the first lucky thing that happened to me.  They were so helpful and are getting me a refund for the temporary insurance (at least some of it).

This weekend, Mum and I had a mini vacation planned for Seattle for my birthday and as a grad present. Chris looked after all three dogs while we went stateside. On Friday, we stayed in Tulalip and hit up the outlet malls.  I don’t think there was anything left by the time we were done.  I was showing the kids what I bought for them on Sunday and it was even more than I remembered and this is for two kids that needed no new clothes.  There were just so many good deals.  I got about 6 light sweaters for $10 each.

We drove the scenic route the rest of the way down to Seattle; saw some amazing houses around Discovery park, as well as the lighthouse. We ended up walking along the waterfront, near the aquarium down town Seattle and decided we should take one of the sunset dinner cruises.  It was beautiful out on Puget Sound.  On Sunday, we visited with Mum’s friend Margaret and took the country roads home, instead of the interstate. 

Discriminating Tastes

The movie was decent last night. Sacha liked it and it was visually stunning. Not that Sacha kept the 3d glasses on for any of it. I would have taken him to the 2D verson but the times only worked for us for the 3D. 

The allowance adventure was interesting. We went to Toys R Us and right away he found a plastic motorboat that he liked but wanted to check out the rest if the store before purchasing. He quickly found out how much all the really cool stuff costs. Like the $150.00 Lego castle he liked.  Luckily by the time he was near tears, because "you won't let me get anything cool", he found a huge bag of giant coloured marshmallows.  Crisis averted. 

He's got a little bit of buyer's remorse. He now really wants that boat he saw. Now that he has eaten half the bag of marshmallows and he's probably sick of them. 

He has informed me that he wants to go to a "fancy" restaurant for lunch. I am not sure what he means by fancy, but he's said that if we can't find one, we can just go to Macdonalds or White Spot. 

Swimming with the Dolphins

The paper work has gone through for the new place, so I officially registered Sacha for Kindergarten today.  Go Dolphins!  I had been slightly scared by Devon because she says her school fills up so full that even in-catchment kids get turned away.  That would be an absolute nightmare.   The school told me to come in as soon as possible because they were filling up, but it’s all done now.   I also made sure that there was a big note on his file to put him in the straight kindergarten class and not the k/1 split.  I don’t think his attention span could handle having kids doing different things in the same room.  It is going to be difficult enough for him as it is.

I was talking with Dad on the phone last night, trying to arrange where to stay for 4 days in Sydney between side trips.  Dad and Anita seem to live in the black hole of hotels in the greater Sydney area.  The closest hotel is completely booked for July and August.  Which is crazy.  It would be like the Best Western in Burnaby being booked for all of January and February.   The backup hotel found looks really nice, it is kind of far away distance wise but is an easy route on the highway so not too long of a commute.  It has a nice little pool and is in a nice area.  Dad’s final word about that place was that it is located directly next to a small nuclear power plant.  At least if there is nuclear fallout when we are there we won’t feel a thing, unlike those a little further away with all the tumours and melty faces and nuclear winter to contend with.

This weekend is my special weekend with Sacha.  I am going to take him to see Epic tonight.  He has baseball on both Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting, and we are having a birthday dinner for Mum on Saturday.  I have also started him on an allowance where if he feeds Oliver every morning and is generally helpful and puts on his socks without complaint.  I have said he will get a dollar per morning that he does this ($5) per week.  This is the first weekend that he will get his money so he is so excited and wants to go to a dollar store first thing after I pick him up from Daycare.  I am trying to convince him to save up to get something better after 2 weeks but I can see why the first weekend it would be too exciting not to blow it all. 

Lazy Day

Today was supposed to be a "chore" day for me and the kids but it has turned into a "watch tv while mum naps on the couch day". I was up at 4am this morning and I'm in the middle of crazy June/school year wrap up at work.  I keep thinking its Thursday today as well. This is going to be a long week.

The only chore that is actually going to get done is cleaning the fish tank. I think I'm going to get him a new tank when we move and keep him in the kitchen instead of Sacha's room.  The filter is not working at all on this tank but I'm not sure if its the filter or the crappy electrical outlets in the house. 

I have piles of clean laundry that need folding but I can't see that happening any  time soon. I'll just keep digging throw every morning to try to find us things to wear. 

Hello Friend

Chris and I went to see Bill Cosby at the River Rock Casino last night.  It was the third time that I have seen him live and I have enjoyed every show.  The first time I went to see him was in 2003 all the way in Salt Lake City, Utah and I did make the trip specifically to see the show.  Last night, fifty percent of the audience had white hair and I suspect a significant portion of the rest of the audience only didn’t have white hair because they paid to have it dyed.   I don’t even care if most of his fans are twice my age, he is one of my favourite comics.

I have solved the Kindergarten issue for Sacha but it means that right after we get back from Australia we are going to be moving.  I have to give two months notice on my current place and with the trip, the timing is best to wait until mid-august.  I think the new place is going to be really good.  Much much bigger than here, well taken care of and only two blocks from the school Sacha and eventually Alice will attend.  The only down side will be that the kids in the co-op here run around like crazy in big packs having lightsaber battles and the new neighbourhood is a much older crowd.  There are a few kids though, so hopefully we aren’t too rowdy for everyone.

Gumby

Oliver is back home after spending the week recovering at Mum’s house.  Even though he still has stitches in until next weekend, he seems to be feeling so much better and he no longer stinks.  He has a cone of shame, but I have taken it off him when I can watch him and make sure he doesn’t scratch.  He had a weird bump on his face that was removed as well, I think his teeth stiches will dissolve on their own.  He had 22 teeth removed and has 14 left, they are mainly bottom front ones so you can hardly tell that he is near toothless.

This week has been pretty stressful because this was the week I was supposed to be updated about the waitlist for Sacha at the elementary school that I want him to go to.  He is apparently 1 or 2nd on the wait list but the school is full and they really don’t think he will get in for September.  Or, if he does get in, we won’t find out until September.  So I spend the rest of the week calling all the local elementary school seeing how long their waitlists are, calling new daycares to see if I can find one that has before and after school care as well as a preschool/daycare program so Alice and Sacha can stay together.  Right now, the local school that Sacha is signed up to attend has a before and after school care provider but it is all the way down in Crescent Beach and Alice couldn’t attend their during the day.  I can barely make it to work in time with one stop in the morning, so two stops across town is not going to work.   I’ll get things sorted out before September but it’s pretty stressful until then.