Let's see - a full-time (contract) job. Two kids. Husband. House that still needs unpacking. Possible basement renovations. A client who wants a 'world-class' program designed and delivered by end of Sept. Another client who wants a "day or two" of Appreciative Inquiry instruction in Sept and Oct. Helping to form and run the Canadian Positive Psychology Association (interested? learn more here: http://www.positivepsychologycanada.com/membership.html). Oh - and I am running the upcoming CPPA conference next summer... Um - I'm sure I have a few other projects on the go: a book (which I will be intensively writing in November as a sort of NaNoWriMo that some of us MAPP people are doing... Did I mention that my kids missed a year of French while we were in Boston and I will need to work extra hard with them on school this year?
Yeah - I may be over-committed, again.
Excuse me please - I have to go reinstall my printer now...
At least we don't have any pets - though Kid#1 keeps asking for one. Which is better than Kid#2 who keeps asking for another kid in the family...
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
One of these days...
One of these days... the house will be unpacked. Everything will be in its place and there will be a place for everything.
That day, however, is not today - 4 weeks since we moved back from Boston.
I share this tidbit of information with people who don't have kids and I typically get this response: "Oh I could never let the unpacking go on so long! I'm one of those people who have to get everything unpacked the first day - I just stay up really late and it all gets done."
Can you hear the implied superiority? The implied nuance that I'm doing something wrong?
Argh.
Yes, I used to be one of those people. I also used to be single without kids.
Here's the problem with moving with kids:
- you have more stuff - way more in proportion to, say, four adults. Two adults and two kids have way more stuff.
- and you have fewer helpers. Kids help way less than the amount of stuff they generate. Way less.
So with more stuff (most of which is going in the garage sale that we'll have in a couple of weeks) and fewer helpers (who are not going in the garage sale - but if they help staff it, they will get a cut of the proceeds...), then you have unpacking that takes over 4 weeks.
Mathematically, it's a disaster, no matter how you slice it.
On the other hand, Hubby has the two Kids at the cottage this week and I'm 'stuck' in town working. More time to unpack - and fidget around on the computer, I admit it. But I have unpacked a bunch of boxes and filed a bunch of papers, and that's all good. The house won't be all bright and shiny and organized by the time school starts, but I'll have made a valiant effort.
Stay tuned...
That day, however, is not today - 4 weeks since we moved back from Boston.
I share this tidbit of information with people who don't have kids and I typically get this response: "Oh I could never let the unpacking go on so long! I'm one of those people who have to get everything unpacked the first day - I just stay up really late and it all gets done."
Can you hear the implied superiority? The implied nuance that I'm doing something wrong?
Argh.
Yes, I used to be one of those people. I also used to be single without kids.
Here's the problem with moving with kids:
- you have more stuff - way more in proportion to, say, four adults. Two adults and two kids have way more stuff.
- and you have fewer helpers. Kids help way less than the amount of stuff they generate. Way less.
So with more stuff (most of which is going in the garage sale that we'll have in a couple of weeks) and fewer helpers (who are not going in the garage sale - but if they help staff it, they will get a cut of the proceeds...), then you have unpacking that takes over 4 weeks.
Mathematically, it's a disaster, no matter how you slice it.
On the other hand, Hubby has the two Kids at the cottage this week and I'm 'stuck' in town working. More time to unpack - and fidget around on the computer, I admit it. But I have unpacked a bunch of boxes and filed a bunch of papers, and that's all good. The house won't be all bright and shiny and organized by the time school starts, but I'll have made a valiant effort.
Stay tuned...
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Well it got busy
Could you tell it got a bit busy for us? We are back in Ontario now - and my house is still (2 weeks later) filled with boxes. Any sane person would have taken a week off and tended to these things, but clearly I am not sane.
So, in order...
We packed up the Somerville place, got the u-haul, packed up all the stuff from our storage and apt into the u-haul and set out. We spent about 6 hrs driving into NY and then spent a day at Water Safari park (near Old Forge, or something like that) and then drove the next day to the border, where the very nice guard was clearly impressed with our typed list of our worldly possessions and waved us through. So we got to our Kingston home around 10:30am on August 1.
We (meaning, mostly my husband and the hired help) unloaded the truck, and did two trips to unload everything from our Kingston storage location. We spent Monday unpacking (meaning, mostly me and hubby - the kids just hid from the chaos...) and then Tues, the adults went to work and the kids went to camp.
We're still unpacking.
As for work, I thought I was coming back to a full-time permanent position and a seat at the decision-making table, but I'm coming back to more contract hours (though an actual office that's not in my basement) and a new reporting structure so I'm cut off from all those upper-level discussions and decisions. Oh, and more students and more complex situations than I knew of. Deciding if I should a) quit, b) have a nervous breakdown or c) just deal with it, which is what I typically do. And I wonder why no one gets to see me at my best...
Currently, as I type this, I'm on the train to Toronto for a series of promising meetings on Monday. If they work out, maybe (a) will be more of an option.
In other news, hubby is in a potential strike position and the boys have two more weeks of summer camp left. The last week of August, hubby is taking vacation (assuming he has a job to take vacation from) and will be at the cottage with the boys. I will stay in the city working. And you know, that just might be enough of a vacation for me... I suspect I will do a lot of unpacking...
So, in order...
We packed up the Somerville place, got the u-haul, packed up all the stuff from our storage and apt into the u-haul and set out. We spent about 6 hrs driving into NY and then spent a day at Water Safari park (near Old Forge, or something like that) and then drove the next day to the border, where the very nice guard was clearly impressed with our typed list of our worldly possessions and waved us through. So we got to our Kingston home around 10:30am on August 1.
We (meaning, mostly my husband and the hired help) unloaded the truck, and did two trips to unload everything from our Kingston storage location. We spent Monday unpacking (meaning, mostly me and hubby - the kids just hid from the chaos...) and then Tues, the adults went to work and the kids went to camp.
We're still unpacking.
As for work, I thought I was coming back to a full-time permanent position and a seat at the decision-making table, but I'm coming back to more contract hours (though an actual office that's not in my basement) and a new reporting structure so I'm cut off from all those upper-level discussions and decisions. Oh, and more students and more complex situations than I knew of. Deciding if I should a) quit, b) have a nervous breakdown or c) just deal with it, which is what I typically do. And I wonder why no one gets to see me at my best...
Currently, as I type this, I'm on the train to Toronto for a series of promising meetings on Monday. If they work out, maybe (a) will be more of an option.
In other news, hubby is in a potential strike position and the boys have two more weeks of summer camp left. The last week of August, hubby is taking vacation (assuming he has a job to take vacation from) and will be at the cottage with the boys. I will stay in the city working. And you know, that just might be enough of a vacation for me... I suspect I will do a lot of unpacking...
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