The end of the week is here, the end of our first week pet sitting leaving us just a half a week or so to go. In retrospect it has been relaxing, rejuvenating, and remarkable. Of course I have come to the realization that I do NOT want a dog any time soon… but Gypsy is cool. Now where to begin on my weekend… well… Friday of course! The rain had finally truly stopped so there was A LOT of time spent outside…

Gavin and his mini book report. He read the whole book himself!

Backyard Baby

But in the afternoon I got my long awaited and much anticipated trip to the library. This time Ken dropped me off to search out the books I had found as available while searching the online catalogue… I actually got a whole bunch of WONDERFUL suggestions off of my Facebook friends… I will share some suggested Authors!

1. Carola Dunn… a wonderful author and lovely lady. I can brag that she is my friend on Facebook!!! Seriously – check her out, her new stuff AND her older Regency romances (many are on ebooks I am told!!)
2. Robert Asprin… a punny favourite from long past suggested by a cousin as a reread. 
3. Kim Harrison… great paranormal element… I actual dove into hers first
4. Kelley Armstrong
5. Joanne Fluke
6. Donna Andrews
7. Christine Feehan.

I have books out from all these authors and will of course share some of my favourites as I read them. For now though CHECK THEM OUT!!

While I was perusing the shelves Ken and the kids had gone to the local cable company to talk to them about mom’s spotty internet. Thankfully the town is small enough and the problem house based so they were willing to come out without talking to my mom to check it out. They at first wanted to call us from the house but Ken solved that one by explaining we did not have a landline and not being from a local location do not have a cell number we could give out. (we have added cash to the phone though so we can call just no plan). Besides when the woman finally went to the back to talk to the people out of sight they were able to check remotely and verify that there WAS something wrong. 

Fixing the cable

So I was collected and we ran to the store to get groceries and then returned home to await the repair crew… which brought in an unexpected adventure for the kids! The chance to watch 3 people at work stringing an entirely new wire to the house from the pole. They got a lesson on ladder safety (always have a spotter), got to see how they do the repair and enjoy the excitement of strangers in the yard (which meant the dog was NOT… though she did not go after anyone I took her into the house to keep her out of inadvertent mischief). We also had a discussion about the usefulness of the Internet and what we need it for. All in all a terrific object and real life lesson.

Then there was the added excitement of UNCLE SEAN! He had a free weekend as he is in his last term of school right now so was able to come and spend the weekend. Something he has not been able to do since before this “lovely” extended move saga (adventure? chaotic frustration?) began. For Echo it was a moment of ecstasy… HER Sean was here! She tried to stick to him like glue from the moment he walked in the door.

Eating dinner with Uncle Sean

We ALL went out to the park with Gypsy and met up with the kids’ two friends who live across the street from the park. Sadly after 3+ days of rain the mosquitoes were out and we did not have our spray so it was relatively brief but everyone ran and climbed and played and had so much fun! Even with a little sprinkle on the way there. 

Fun at the park

With new friends

Petting puppy

Then it was back to the house for baths and bed… the kids had a day with Uncle Sean and Daddy ahead of them and Echo and I had a trip to make to Saskatchewan with Lauralee and Karyn. (for Karyn’s dad’s internment)… and that is where our adventures diverged. I think I will start with the kids and the guys. They saw us off around 10 am and then were left to their own devices. I am told the morning was mostly playing in the basement and watching the guys play their games… but in the afternoon Ken (while Sean was napping… he was a little under the weather) took them ALL to the splash park!! Talk about FUN! It is one of the best ones in Alberta. I look forward to taking Echo there this week as well. 

Splish

Splash (Gavin right)

Trinity held out until the last 10 min they were there but then she went all out splashing in the water and enjoying the other children there. I am told we HAVE TO take some sort of containers with us next time to move water around (we later bought some cups for super cheap at Walmart to take). 

Boys all wrapped up

Trinity at play

Then they had time on the computer! I am told much Minecraft was played (ewww) and then a LATE supper that occurred only after I got home around 9pm!! Lucky things! So they had fun AND crossed something off our to do list for the town. 

Now for Echo and MY adventure… it all started off with a late start from here to head out to Saskatchewan with Karyn and Lauralee collecting us, the stroller (not needed in the end), Echo’s seat and her day’s worth of stuff… the first stop was at the edge of the city and a Canadian favourite – TIM HORTONS! That is where the adventure aspect came into play. We got our treats (I got hot chocolate yum!) and returned to the vehicle. As we were getting settled in to drive an elderly gentleman tapped on Karyn’s window. He was so apologetic as he told us he did not want to ruin our day BUT he thought the back tire on the driver’s side should be ROUND! ACK! A flat! Thankfully when I looked up from Echo I noticed that we were exactly across the street from Fountain Tire! So no tow and now call to AMA. Karyn just had to walk across the street, have them come fill the tire and then drive over to the store. 

They had to check out what was up with the tire and the end decision was to put a used tire on and have her replace all 4 at a later date. So we managed… it took some time and almost some tears and Echo had to explore the seating area of the store… but we survived. AND were lucky, they are only open until noon on Saturdays!!!

Digging through Aunty Karyn's purse

Checking out the tv

Snuggling Alaskan Sock Monkey on the road

So that mountain climbed it was time to head out. It meant no dinner in Lloydminster before the ceremony but that was ok. We had our breakfast and there was a lunch AFTER the time at the cemetery. The rest of the drive was uneventful… rocks.. trees.. water.. cows.. and we made EXCELLENT time. There was some concern that we would have to have everyone wait on us but we made it to the gathering right at 2pm. 

It was the perfect day to remember and celebrate Karyn’s Dad’s life… the sun was shining, the birds singing and friends and family gathered together. He was put to rest near his parents and family. During the hugging and general graveside chatting Echo got to play in the grass… though every little gust of wind on the uneven ground almost blew her over. 

Then it was time for the luncheon of sandwiches, pickles and desert. Very yummy… with real CREAM PUFFS! I think Karyn’s Dad would have approved. I know Echo did! After we visited there for a bit and let Echo wander around in the grass by the parking lot it was time to head over to a family friend’s to visit briefly. Echo was the center of attention and LOVED IT. She even warmed up to Karyn’s brother Ian by the end of our brief visit. 

Myself, Lauralee, Alaskan Sock Monkey and the largest rape seed???

Back into the car we went, this time Lauralee drove instead of Karyn and we were off on our way back home. With a car full of left overs from the dinner we were on the look out for a suitable picnic spot but first… the much needed SLURPEE!!! NOMS! Echo was equally excited to share a Pepsi slurpee with her Mommy. We did find a wonderful picnic spot, it had lawn, a bridge, a gazebo and a… TANK???

Walking across the bridge

Luncheon in clean clothes

TANK... Echo thought Alaskan Sock Monkey was NOT making the right statement over there on his own

After the picnic and tank pictures it was time to finish our journey and head back to mom’s. The other kids were still up playing on the computer so they got some quality time with two of their aunties… add to that the continued presence of Uncle Sean and the kids were more than content. Our version of family is so much more than blood relation and I LOVE it! 

Thanks to mom for the loan of the outfit

We begin our own journey as we wait for the electrical repair to be done on our new rental. Ken has signed the paperwork we just have to sit and wait… well visit and wait really. For the next little while we are at Chris and Chris’ while we await the van repair (I do believe I mentioned that last blog post). They have been so lovely to offer us what space they have to spare for a while. With Easter fast approaching we are REALLY hoping the van will be fixed and RELIABLE to get to my mom’s to celebrate. 

Yesterday was the wakthrough on our old place. Apparently the tenants previous to us were there 2 years (with kids) and trashed the place and the owners were SURPRISED we had not done damage and wondered how we had managed it… I really don’t know what to say. Yes, we have 5 kids and yes we are a busy family but rental or not, we do NOT destroy our living space. You clean, you put away… you don’t let the kids be destructive… isn’t that just the way it goes? Anyway, all of our stuff from INSIDE the house is in Kristen and Fydo’s garage… the stuff from our shed and outside in their backyard. I cannot say thank you enough to them for allowing us the space to keep our things. Everything feels so in control right now (well, except the van but that is “in the works”).

Well let me correct that… getting RID of the van is in the works. We did finally get a call from Canadian Tire this morning, well the coolant is fixed BUT (and it is a BIG but) they think there is more wrong and you have to fix the next thing to determine what is wrong… so do we throw more money in on a 96 Quest? Well stay tuned… Ken is THINKING about it. 

Gavin had a completion today with his reading book… poor kid was so excited he wanted the next level book… guess where that it? Right in one, in the friend’s garage. So… well I think we will try and find something else fun to do. Maybe some working with words, some reading of a story together… although there was a bit of a wrench thrown in that plan too (seriously this was NOT my Monday, everything I tried to do FAILED)…

All finished!

I went to the nearby library here with Karyn who is finally back from Saskatchewan and came to visit and catch up and get some baby snuggles. I was going to get my TAL card activated for this library… well they need ID… with your address on it… ummm I don’t have an address right this minute and  my ID has the WRONG address on it for our place we are now out of (we knew we were moving and since mine is a learners we decided not to pay to change it until after this move), so no go! ARGH… though we did check the library out and read some books.

Storytime

While on the topic of screwed up list… I tried to call FisherPrice today to see if I could get a replacement magnet for the kids’ drawing board… NOPE, they no longer make that model (ARGH). So hopefully it is either somewhere in a box from the move OR in Chris and Chris’ upstairs and just temporarily out of sight. Figures…

OH and #3 – well I found out that according to our schoolboard website we CAN use Payment Order (PO) numbers for the second half of our funding starting April 1st…  so Ken called to check, well the office is closed for the whole week for EASTER! ARGH… so not until the 10th can we get a hold of anyone, Ken DID send off an email with the hope that MAYBE someone is checking them but I am not holding out hope. BUT that is still sooner than I thought I could get one (May) and I called around to both Staples in the city and the one near mom’s so when we DO get our PO number… well I will RUN to the store to get one!!

We did venture out while Echo was napping. It is a pretty direct route from Chris and Chris’ to the nearest Macs. So of course we had to walk to get treats. It wasn’t too bad until we had to walk BACK and I was the lucky person to get to hold the slurpee… with NO gloves. 

Getting some fresh air

So not the best start to the week though I did try my best. Tomorrow we are going to get around to making our thank you card for everyone at the hospital who was involved in Echo’s surgery. Mom got our call for her follow up. April 25th. So that means that the blacksmith fieldtrip I had signed the kids up for is out (same day), thankfully it was a free one. I also have to decide if we are taking ALL of the kids or going to try and find a sitter… bah never simple! 

The whole barest minimum school supplies thing is driving us all a little mad BUT we are making do. I am hoping to get a stop off at Dollarama tomorrow to AT LEAST get some Easter stickers… Easter is up in the air with the van situation but I will make the best of where ever we are! Next year we are going to do a REAL focus on Easter for our schooling… 

Tonight I need to finish stitching on a ribbon sash on one of Echo’s dresses and sort through the last bag of stuff I brought here and kept out of the storage pile. Tomorrow I hope to start in on the ribbon bows… I am supposed to do a craft table in June which means I need A LOT of owls and bows… I am thinking of doing up the bows in advance as I am about out of clips and need to hunt down all the lonely socks I can! 

Making do with the things we have

Hmm the month end teaser that I have been holding up for everyone … well, we are moving. And it has been one heck of a ride. Last month Ken did a check of the rental situation here in the city we live in, seeing how many that would suit our family are available (way more than when we moved here in June of last year. There was ONE we could apply for and we lucked out on that one, so the intent was to move before June to have an easier time of it) and if we could get out of our year lease early.

Remember the leak in the ceiling in the basement? Well it took FIVE DAYS for them to even come see it, they said they couldn’t find a plumber (well we were told by local friends that is ridiculous, that it had to be they couldn’t find a CHEAP ENOUGH plumber). And then when they DID come and see it they cut a hole in our basement ceiling, in the dry wall… without drop cloths or a container to hold the pieces… so you can imagine the mess that was left behind. And the hole in the ceiling that remained! 

Add to that the layout of the place simply not working, the storage being lacking and our need to be in a place with owners who are a little bit more organized and cohesive and we simply needed to hunt down a new place.

So we collected our best references and started the hunt. I think Ken had seen over 2 dozen places by the end of this month, all sorts and all over the city. There WERE a few we had to discount right away, they were in bad condition or smaller than the place we already had. We were on short lists for tons, and had one ask for WAY too much personal information before even deciding on us (that one we had to pass on as it felt a lot like the beginnings of identity theft). What has amazed me is how many places strung us along, not making a decision until the very end of the month… nerve wracking I am telling you!

I am sure over the past few weeks those with eagle eyes have seen the chaos that is moving. That is one of the reasons that going to Cousin Veronika’s was such a godsend. That way Echo had freedom of movement and quiet while healing and I had a much needed break from the mess. It was especially important as by this time I was starting to crack from the stress of the rental hunt.

Had to share one more of Miss Dinah from that visit

Ken was looking at places right up until Friday which was really NOT how we had planned things. I am so thankful for the friends and family who kept me grounded, reminding me that this could have been the same result if we had waited to move until the end of our lease time (actually more likely as there is less available in the summer as everyone wants to move then). It really is just too bad that we cannot afford the “perfect” renting scenario – the ability to cover the new damage deposit, rent at the new place for a month AND rent at the old place for a month all at the same time!

The boy with the missing teeth!

As it got down to the line the kids and myself were simply in the way. Combine that with the death of a family member for Chris and Chris in Saskatchewan and their need for a pet sitter and we were up and out of the house Thursday before noon. I packed clothing, some of the pertinent school stuff, white paper and toiletries and we headed out to sit the pets. 

I bunked the kids down a little creatively. Echo and her playpen ended up in the computer room, Trinity and I sharing the spare and the boys all in the tv room in the basement. They all were a little bored… but that is sort of the theme for most of March with Echo’s surgery and the chaos of packing to move!  

We worked on a special pet sitting project with the twins. We made a mini book for each of them with pictures of the pets, their names, what animal they are and some of the interesting things we learned about them. Gavin’s favourite animal is Duke (the white dog) which happens to be Zander’s as well. He and Trinity ended up in love with each other.

Duke and his girls

There was some excitement meeting the ferrets as well. The kids got to help feed them, give them water and even pet them before Chris and Chris left for the funeral. 

Meeting one of the ferrets up close

We had a few issues with the older cat. She is not friendly and 3 of the kids got scratched, thankfully nothing severe. BUT the other kitty – Tigger, she is a suck! So that more than made up for it. Poor Echo was confused as Dinah at Veronika’s and Echo are the best of friends. So going from that to Dria’s attitude meant she got that one step too close. 

THE Dria

Tigger

Everyone is a little keyed up from the upset, the surgery, the time away from home… and the confusion as to where home will be after the 1st has not helped. I have done my best to make adventures out of ALL the possibilities but having been in charge of Echo solely for a couple weeks has meant long days and short nights. She is a handful when you are the sole boss when she is up which leaves the evening to get things done and then she gets up so early… all in all I am EXHAUSTED!

Sharing her popcorn

The great rental hunt actually went right to the deadline! Poor Ken was checking out places right up to Friday afternoon! The man was a powerhouse, he worked his full time contracting job AND rental hunted. Add to that the surgery (which took one day longer) and my time with Veronika and he was one busy individual. I am glad to say his health has NOT suffered, though the man could use a more intimate relationship with his hairdresser and a good razor. 

The final result is less than optimum. We are the proud renters of a house… on the 15th or so of April. They have a repair to do before we can take possession. Not the best of scenarios but a relief all the same. Now to juggle the time until we get to the new place. That is one of the definite downfalls to having such a LARGE family – we take up A LOT of space! The challenge for us now is to create an adventure for the kids that will make this less than ideal situation into something exciting and new. The pet sitting book was my first go at that. The end result for each of the twins was rather nice actually, though it has reinforced that I need to work even harder on Zander with his writing skills.

Gavin working on his book

We have found yet ANOTHER of Fat Sheep’s relatives… this one lives in Ontario and is on Facebook named Sheba Sheep. Once the Fat Sheep blog is up and running again we will have to do a whole post on her adventures! The family just keeps growing!

There was some sad news to share from Monday – Karyn’s father, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a little more than a year ago passed away in his sleep. His funeral was the same day and time as the one Chris and Chris had to go Saskatchewan for – Friday afternoon. She is supposed to get home tomorrow night. I am hoping that we can meet in person before we head to mom’s for a bit of our exile and to celebrate Easter as we always do. Gotta wait on that van repair (of course… seriously while the Quest HAS been good to us for the most part, it has been a whole lot of hurry up and wait on its usefulness outside of city limits). 

Now that some dear and wonderful friends have helped us move OUT of the old rental (thank you Sean, He Chris, Kristen, Fydo and Lauralee we owe you so much!) and it has been cleaned it is time for us to move on. Well try to, Ken went to call the landlord to come and walk-through and he was indisposed so that has been postponed for tomorrow. The kids are asleep, the animals resting and yours truly feeling like the future is a much brighter place. We are going to have an interesting April but it will lead to an AMAZING May! And for now, for now I try and figure out how to make life amazing for the kids with less than their usual school supplies. Wish me luck!

And one more of the cat for good measure