We've taken on a lot, and somehow managed to stay in tact. Living life now as a family of 4!

Today I walked home from school much later than usual. After basketball practice I stayed at school for one of the monthly 'Village Kitchen' evenings, where parents and families of students in our school come for a meal and to get to know each other. It's pretty amazing, actually, as such events regularly draw over 50 people, and involve translation into many different languages. Anyway, by the time it was all over, it was 7pm. The most direct route for my walk involves going down some 'sketchy' streets through the residential areas near downtown - streets that often appear in the news for whatever reason. I have never had a problem, though, in all my years of walking home from university down these same streets, and set off tonight unconcerned, although some of my colleagues were worried for me. At one point in my walk I came up behind a group of four men. Their jeans were low, jackets big, hoods up, hats on. They were all over 6 feet tall. I wondered how/if I

Before I came along, Jake had a plan to tackle the downstairs in the same fashion he had done the upstairs - one room at a time as money allows. He hadn't even allowed himself to consider re-doing the kitchen. That all changed when I came into the picture. I don't know about you-all, but living through the mess of demo-ing lath and plaster and then putting up drywall is something I would rather only live through once. Of course, this means tackling the kitchen. The other day we measured to get some idea of what things were going to cost (counter, cabinets, etc) and were rather stunned to discover that it is a mere 100sq feet. That currently includes 3/4 (depends on how you count them) doors. After renovations that will decrease to 2 - big improvement! I'm looking at pictures (pinterest is going to be the end of all productivity for me) and trying to think of ways to incorporate every cool design idea so as to more than maximize every square inch...it's a little da

Maybe writing that whiny post the other day was cathartic. I've been having effortless fun with the kiddies again - awesome! But that is not the reason for this post. This one is going to be an actual update on renovation stuff! Although spring and summer and especially fall seem very far away right now, I know that it is not that long till we find ourselves mid-reno while full-on finalizing details for the wedding. So. Research, planning, etc has begun in earnest. Last weekend we went to the kitchen and bath show to check out ideas and perhaps knock some items off our list. What kind of counters? What makes a patio door a good door? How wide are patio doors? How tall? What style and kind of cabinets? See, many many questions. We did discover some useful things, such as a patio door that seals itself shut by going right into a pocket- pretty hard for air to go through that seal! - and a gas hot water heater that vents out the side of the house rather than up the chimney.

You know, I'm not gonna lie. It has been very difficult to be in a good mood at work this week. I know I'm not the only one struggling through the post-holiday/winter blues, but sheesh, I was hit hard this week. Getting up, going to work, dealing with teenage drama and angst, being told 'I don't like your class. It's boring.' while planning up a Make Your Own Ice-Cream lesson, having my new hair ridiculed (just kidding - that was funny. One grade 7 boy was not impressed and told me it didn't 'suit' me. HA!)....it was just all a little much. I don't know that I've felt quite this low/apathetic about work before. The diversity of kids and classes on my schedule is wearing me down - ridiculous, because I just had two of the best weeks off EVER - I should be relaxed, ready, and in a good mood. All this Eyore-style griping is not becoming, is it? Thankfully, there have been some good moments. Today I was standing in the hall watching them

We're back! And I have to say, Cuba was great. I loved it. We got to spend a lot of time with an adorable niece and nephew, built sculptures in the sand (well, that was mostly Jake, Jainin and Roger), read on the beach (mostly Sue and I), learned a little Spanish, and got a little tan. If you're looking for some solid family time, there are definite advantages to the all-inclusive. Logistics become more about getting a table for 8 (ocho) rather than about grocery shopping, preparing food, and cleaning up. Everyone can have a nap before dinner in their own space. There is lots to do for everyone, and adventures are plentiful. The kids and I relax-a-matted on an ocean so blue it looked photo-shopped, we snorkelled right from where we were hanging out at the beach, we went for walks and explored the area. We watched the sun go down and giggled to ourselves about our good fortune. Before we left, I was bragging (a little) at work about my wicked awesome plans for the break, and