mash-up

The semester's classes finished Friday, and since then (since taking my kids to the last Children's Materials Birth-7 years class - to watch short picture book films - including Doctor De Soto, Scaredy Squirrel, A Boy, a Dog, a Frog and more) I have been completely engrossed in The Goldfinch. I have 20-ish pages left to go, and I am so amazed at this work - how on earth did she write this? How long did it take? It is so well written, thought out - the characters are amazing... details amazing; if you haven't read it and you're in for a case of book elbow (at 760 pages, it weighs several pounds), join the wait list at your local library - or look for it at the uni! The wait list at LPL was 100+ a few months ago, but immediately available at school. Anyways, it's been on my to-read list for a while, and now that it's out of the way (almost), I can step out of New York City and back into my life of mom and student. School starts again today - or tomorrow; I should have started work on my next course this morning, but took Alana to gymnastics, went grocery shopping, and, after wearing running clothes for three days FINALLY went for a run. Hurrah - and tonight, I'll finish this book.

pre-breakfast, back-porch saturday

Hendrik received his first ever from-school birthday party invitation, and he was all over it - so focused on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles card and pleased as punch (though whether it was the envelope with his name on it that did it - or the fact that he was invited to a party, not sure!) - he held on to it for a good hour after we were home from school.

Weather has been better, so we've been outside digging in the backyard, washing windows at Liz's and biking and running up and down the sidewalk in front of the house. A few days ago Steve discovered that there were a good 25+ concrete slabs buried throughout one side of the backyard, and it sure has been a job digging them out. The house was up for sale last summer, and when we moved in it was done up nicely - wood chips covering areas that must've been mud and dirt for years; grass won't grow through concrete! So we've been digging and finding bricks (maybe 20) and concrete slabs and lots and lots of worms, which of course has been super fun for the kids.

Que mas? What can I say? My sisters (K & C) are coming to visit in June, I have the Ontario Master's Bball Championships in two weeks in Toronto (yay!), and apparently our Christmas in Vancouver visit will correspond with my best friend flying home from Australia. Will my parent's house always be "home"? Or is it Vancouver that does it? We're settled in here, but until we know we're staying (or not) for good, that feeling won't be there in that same solid and definite way. Anyways, since I'm likely to be spending the night on Alana's floor (again), I should go and get these last pages of The Goldfinch done and read. Until next time!

gardening, washing windows, art-from-school, rolling breadsticks (whilst making vegimal noises) and le backyard