Freefallin’

Last week saw me wrapping up an accounting contract and I’m now in the midst of two weeks “off” before starting the next one. Off is in quotes, because I also have freelance work that occurs on a weekly basis and because if you’re a wife of one and the Mom of three, you don’t get days off. Ever. There are also a bunch of projects that I’ve put off until this magic two-week window, on top of the rest of life that needs to be dealt with. I have been making lists upon lists and I might as well continue on that theme because it makes me happy and I need to clear my head.

What I’ve done so far:

I took over as Secretary/Treasurer of the Food Bank and have spent about eight hours entering the manual ledgers into accounting software. Real time reports! Printed donation receipts! A reconciled bank! It makes my Type A/Accountant side of the brain very happy.

Speaking of the Food Bank, I worked an extra shift this past Tuesday due to a shortage of volunteers, and my kids came along. The younger two played with their cousins, but Graham wanted to know how it all worked and was excited to help. He handed out the vegetables and also manned the bread freezer. (My heart exploded, but that’s another story.) He’s really looking forward to helping again next Tuesday.

I’ve been training for this coming (Thanksgiving!) Sunday 10K race. I hiked up Giant’s Head mountain with Amanda on Sunday, had boot camp on Monday night, Jen and I ran 8.3K on Wednesday instead of Tuesday, because Tuesday was a busy Food Bank day. I then attended my boot camp class on Wednesday night because there will be no class on this holiday Monday, and hiked up Giant’s Head again with Jen yesterday. My body hates me right now, in case you were wondering.

All three kids are in piano lessons this year and in addition to their weekly half-hour lessons, there is daily practice. Matthew does the bulk of their practice lessons, as he too is taking lessons (Yay!), but I like to glean what I can so that I can maybe pick up the guitar I own but haven’t played in twelve years. (Related: He and I have been sitting on the couch with dueling iAccessories and playing the Piano Notes app.)

It’s parent-teacher interview week, which means both early dismissal and a chance to sit down with the teachers who spend six hours a day with our kids. All three are doing AMAZING. They are exceeding in their schoolwork, they are seen as ‘team players’ and ‘there are no concerns.’ See also: ‘A joy to be around’ and ‘Such a delight’ and ‘So full of life.’ We talk to our kids every day about school, and communicate frequently with their teachers both in person and via email, but those meetings were great in that we got to sit face-to-face, you know?

What I will be doing these next few days:

It’s Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, and there is a Pro-D day on Friday, which means it’s a four! Day! Weekend! A four-day weekend that is packed to the gills.

Friday: Matthew has rented a wood-splitter for all of the firewood that he’s chain sawed. I will be canning the last of our garden harvest, then taking the kids with me to (pick up my race package, and) buy all of the groceries I need for Thanksgiving dinner. I also need to squeeze in a short (3K) run.

Saturday: Start prepping dishes for Thanksgiving dinner (potatoes, casseroles, etc.) There’s a grand opening party/hot dog sale at the dollar store next to IGA, so I’m taking the kids there for lunch and to help out. (All proceeds are going to the Food Bank. Come say hi!) After that, I’ll be doing more Thanksgiving dinner prep.

Sunday: The 10K starts at 8:15 a.m., and it’s an hour away, so I’ll be waking up early (after probably having a HORRIBLE sleep). I’m hoping to beat my PR of 59:08, but I’ll be happy to finish. I’ll then head home to cook Thanksgiving dinner for fifteen people. I then plan to eat ALL THE THINGS. And drink wine.

Monday:

Sleep in. Because I’VE EARNED IT. We also want to do some exploring/hiking as a family in the mountains behind our house.

My last list, in light of the weekend. Things I am thankful for:

Matthew. He is tall, dark and handsome. He is an amazing father who is as hands-on as they come. He rocks his role as the ‘Children & Families’ guy at our church. He has a dry wit, a great BS radar, and makes me laugh all of the time. He also makes me feel like I am the prettiest in all of the land.

Our kids. Daily grind issues aside, I feel like I won the lottery. Three times over. I have no idea how I get to be their Mom, but I am so thankful every day that I am.

Family. I have eight (Yes, eight) siblings and we try to stay as connected as we can. We are all completely different, but also completely loyal. I am also thankful for Matthew’s brother and sister and their families. His sister lives four hours away, but we can pick up where we left off. She is married to a good friend of mine from college, which is kind of awesome. Matthew and his brother are quite close, and his brother’s wife Jennifer and I have become even closer lately. Twice-weekly runs, Food Bank stuff, helping out in the classroom that two of our kids share. Throw in the fact that the eight kids between Matthew and his siblings are all born within a four-year span and HAVE SO MUCH FUN TOGETHER and, yeah. Thankful.

Friends. I love our community so hard. I can make small talk with other parents as we wait for school to let out, I can catch up with friends over church pews, I can hike mountains with close friends and go deeper, I can host girls’ nights and get a few moments in which each of the women who impact me.

This “quick” post I sat down to bang out in five minutes went off the rails; let me sum it up.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends.

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