Ouch!

A large lump on my foot, a result of having a 150 lb rock roll on it while landscaping today, pales in comparison to a friend who's leg was fractured in a horse riding accident on Sunday. She will be in the hospital for about a week as they pin her leg and make sure it is setting properly. I pray it heals quickly and as painlessly as possible, though she did indeed need a rest. She is an incredibly busy mother who rarely takes time for herself.

However, I think I will take this lazy afternoon to focus on the future as I nurse my foot. Hmmm, I think I will plan for a possible training workshop in Chicago (unless I can persuade Common Knowledge Trust to allow me to host a workshop in Canada), writing my homeschool "syllabus" for the upcoming year and prepare for my postpartum doula training this weekend.

We have been finished our homeschool year for almost a month now. I am so glad because I enjoy summers too much to want to be stuck inside teaching... but this afternoon I will focus on just that. Besides, it is too windy to really enjoy the outdoors today.

Generousity

I am amazed at the generousity of the new friends I have made here in Spruce Grove. If you read my blog you will know of my vehicle troubles. Well it is because of these that I have needed to reach out and ask for help. The first time was when we were stranded yet again with a dead vehicle on the side of the road. A friend and fellow homeschool mother stopped in the middle of a major project she was working on (grouting the beautiful new tile in her bathroom they renovated) and came out to pick us up in her car, car seats and all. Not only that, she waited with my kids while I dealt with the tow truck driver and the mechanic at the dealership and then dropped us off at home with a, "anytime you need help, don't hesitate to call OK?"

With our vehicle still in the shop until tomorrow, my plan was to print the Parkland Home Educators (our homeschool group here) newsletter (yes I am the newsletter editor) and bring it down to the printers to be copied. This was to happen between when Allan came home from work (5:30 pm) and when the printer closes (6:00 pm). Well I had to nix that when my printer refused to print so I called another homeschool friend to ask if she could help out. She wasn't home but her husband offered to do it all, including delivering it to my door! I emailed it to him and at 5:30 he delivered it with a, "no problem, I was glad to help."

I love my new community!

Mondays

I usually look forward to Mondays because they are the day I am able to regain routine, for the most part. It is my sanity day where we clean up and organize after a busy weekend, a good thing for a type A personality like myself. Today, however, I was not looking forward to because sans vehicle means that normal errands turn into long bike rides.

This morning we had a language therapy session for Brendan which was important because it included a hearing screen, one of the factors we (his language therapist and myself) are ruling out in trying to understand his perplexing receptive and expressive language delays. That means a bike ride from Spruce Grove to Stony Plain, not a huge distance, but I was concerned about wind and whiny kids.

Praise God, the wind was a crosswind - horrible for flying planes but great for riding bikes because it doesn't cause drag one way... which is huge when you factor in a bike trailer with two heavy children inside. The boys were excited about this journey too, having never ridden their bikes outside of the city yet.

It was a great ride! We arrived in half the time I had anticipated (I always over estimate when it comes to how long it takes for a bike to get anywhere) though the hearing screen didn't go well as Brendan didn't cooperate. We have booked him for a formal hearing assessment in a couple of months to ensure a proper screen. Pray his next assessment goes well and we will know difinitively if hearing is a concern or not.

Now I am off to deal with paperwork and cleaning our BBQ.

Your Birthdate: July 1

Your birthday suggests that are executive ability and leadership qualities in your makeup. A birthday on day 1 of any month gives a measure of will power and self-confidence, and very often a rather original approach. This 1 energy may diminish your ability and desire to handle details, preferring instead to paint with a broad brush. You may be sensitive, but your feelings stay rather repressed.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Becoming an Accredited Lactation Counsellor Trainer

As part of my ongoing training work, I have decided to expand my services to include being an accredited lactation counsellor trainer. The Global Birth Institute (GBI) is very excited about my being able to offer trainings for all four certification programs they offer. I will be the first to offer all four beyond Charlotte Millington, GBI's Director.

There is a LOT of work to do in becoming an accredited trainer though, including certification in that modality. I have been supporting women informally with breastfeeding basics and worked alongside several IBCLC's... not to mention long-term breastfeeding four children myself. However the final exam is daunting to say the least, I have a lot of studying to do!

After that, my work is reduced having already been approved for the other programs as a trainer, but I still need to create my objectives and instructional plan for the LC program syllabus. Though that is something that should be done for all workshops, it does take a fair amount of time, which anyone who teaches can attest to.

Putting together a syllabus is a piece of cake. It is the synopsis with each topic outlined to include learner objectives, timeline, teaching strategies, media used and handouts that take a huge amount of time and energy to prepare. Despite that, it is an excellent way to focus on the workshop and prepare fully for it! Anyone who does any teaching (trainers, childbirth educators, even short presentations) should follow the same guideline to ensure your audience learns what you are teaching.

I have given myself until January to have everything completed and approved, far longer than I need. The reason is because my workshop schedule is full so I had to move my workshop until January which gives me some breathing room, if I need it, to have it all together. I am so excited to embark on this new learning journey!

Happy Birthday Ryan!

My precious son Ryan was born May 28, 1994 shortly after 9 am. It was with bittersweet tears running down my face that I saw his tiny, round chested body being extracted from an incision in my abdomen by a dear friend of mine who was a surgeon (until his retirment a few years ago) in Camrose for many years.

My surgeon friend told me after his birth that he was brow presenting, a very difficult presentation to correct, especially with ruptured membranes, and almost impossible to birth vaginally unless corrected. He also told me that I had a wonderful birthing pelvis and that there should be no reason for me to not consider a subsequent vaginal birth. Far different words than that my family practitioner had told me previously, that I had it easy now, I could simply schedule my next cesarean.

That was eleven years ago and that 9 lb 3 oz baby boy is now a tall, strong young man with a heart of gold and an artistic talent beyond his years. As a homeschool mother I watch him daily struggle with reading yet excel at problem solving (his determination and focus are incredible). We share other attributes too, he has my temper and he is left-handed, hence the reason for his mathmatical and artistic abilities (though somehow the math gene missed me).

My heart swells with pride and humbleness that God chose me to be his mother, may I continue to train him up in the way he should go.

Mentorship

I am fresh from teaching two wonderful and amazing workshops in the past few weeks and will be embarking on another 2 1/2 day training for postpartum doulas next weekend. My class sizes have been small, understandable for my being a recent transplant and working out the kinks of both venue and learning the best advertising avenue's here.

Regardless, each and every workshop and every student has been a delight. Beyond the actual workshop, I continue to mentor and work with students as they begin their businesses and supporting families. Equally as exciting, this week I had a potential student come and interview me. She is currently on maternity leave and is wanting a more flexible occupation to better care for and be with her new son. Accompanying her was her younger sister who is very exciting about the possibility of them embarking in a new business together in their community, one truly needing the education and support they are wanting to provide. They went away very excited and with several goals they need to complete regarding feasibility and business implementation that they will work on together in preparation for their training and subsequent business startup.

Mentorship is a vital link for successful doulas, something I have done since I saw the need. I have also offered to mentor the new doulas who have just joined DAE as well. I personally had two amazing mentors, though both long distance, who made my frustrations and fears managable when I was ready to quit as a new doula. I wish every doula had that same support, if they so wish, on starting out too.

Vehicles - Part II

Sadly this saga continues as despite my suburban being deemed fit after another successful fuel pump transplant (the first one during the bitter cold in January). It was shepherded home with Allan at the helm and my following closely behind in our grand prix this morning. It rested only briefly before we trekked out to Stony Plain for Brendan's language therapy session. On the way home it died again, the only evidence being another blown fuse - which again blew the second the key turned in the ignition... deja vu. Another long wait on the side of the road with little ones and another tow to a dealership we "enjoyed." Though this time it was accompanied by a wonderful visit with a homeschool friend who graciously rescued us from our roadside stopping place and brought us safely home.

They won't even be able to look at it until Monday. I am thankful though that there are no pressing appointments between then and now. Another blessing, the forever-in-construction road they are widening that runs by our subdivision was just paved. As we mostly bike everywhere we go, we now have a huge two-lane bike path to use until they are finished the rest of the road. Much better than winding our way along mud paths, between construction equipment or worse, biking along the thin edge of the road as cars whiz by. Catch you on our bikes everyone!

Doula Association of Edmonton

Whizzing along in our Grand Prix last night on my way to the Doula Association of Edmonton (DAE) meeting I was anticipating seeing the many doulas I have lost contact with since our move to Lloydminster and my inability to attend DAE meetings since we moved here. How long had it been since I was at a meeting? Almost four years, though I had taught several workshops including the DAE sponsored Body Awareness advanced workshop two years ago, so it hadn't been too long.

I was not only blessed by the number of old friends who I saw again, there were so many more that have joined in the last few years, including eight from the last McEwan workshop in April! The newly trained doulas from my workshop could not attend last night, but it was so wonderful to see the enthusiasm each of those in attendance had.

The focus of the meeting was a visioning for the upcoming year and wow the ideas that came from that meeting were amazing! I also learned of the many wonderful things that DAE has been doing since I last attended, very inspiring. Ironically, despite my vow to not volunteer for anything, I found myself energized by this exciting group and offering to consider their webmaster position. Having produced and maintained several websites (www.mother-care.ca, www.canadiandoulas.com, www.lloyddoulas.com and others outside of birth work) I can do it, but my time constraints are really the issue here, not my abilities. I am still pondering this quandry and likely will right up until the next meeting two months from now.

Vehicles
I have been years without a vehicle while growing up and for a few years after Eric and Ryan were born because of the expense of two vehicles, gas, insurance... you know. Well my faithful suburban is now sitting comfortably in Leduc at a repair shop having died, not once but twice, on the way home from Camrose this weekend. I miss it... though I wonder if it is the anticipation of the expenses we are forseeing or the actual lack of wheels.

It all started after a wonderful day-long visit with Allan's parents and we decided to return home late so that the little ones could sleep, and once home, be carried to their beds undisturbed. Well that all ground to a halt just west of Miquelon Lake when the truck suddenly died for no apparent reason as we were passing another vehicle. We called Allan's Dad (Papa) to ask if he could come with his car to help shepherd our children to his house given that six people (our family sans Ryan who was staying over in Camrose + tow truck driver) and a tow truck bench seat don't work well together, especially if the tow truck driver wants to drive at all. Two hours later the tow truck finally showed up. As it was now 11 pm we took Papa's car and drove straight home and Papa went with the tow truck back home.

Sunday after church we drove back to Camrose to return Papa's car. I drove his car while Allan drove our car so we had our own wheels to return to Spruce Grove. We spent the time visiting again (don't want to miss another opportunity to spend time with family). Allan's friend, who lives close to us, just happened to be down visiting his parents too. They decided to drive over to where the truck was to check out a few ideas they had as to why it died... and lo and behold it was a blown fuse. Once replaced it worked perfectly. This time we drove up a bit earlier, just in case, with two vehicles as escourts, our car (me driving) and our friends car.

Sure enough, just out of New Norway it died again as we were accelerating on Highway 21. No fuse worked this time. After several fuses blew the second you turned the key we again called for a tow. This time I herded all the kids into our car and left Allan and his friend to wait for the tow truck, which only took a half hour this time. They towed it to Leduc and there it sits being looked at by experts in the field who charge more per hour than physicians for their diagnostic work. I hope it is a quick diagnosis!

Computer Viruses
I hate computer viruses, but not specifically for the reason most do - the maiming and crashing of computers. No, I wish it was that simple. Instead my frustrating stems from dealing with a popular anti-virus software that refuses to launch from the several icons I have (in my taskbar tray, startup menu and on my desktop) and the company that manufactures it. I will keep them anonymous for now, but after talking to FOUR online techs who could not help me, I moved onto their forums. Two weeks later of many gyrations through online scans, DOS fixes and uninstalling/reinstalling I have developed a facial tick that doesn't look like it is going away anytime soon. Not even one change in how the software is working and it is only by virtue of it keeping my computer clean despite my inability to actually access it that I have not moved on to X or Y anti-virus software. Well that and the extra $$ purchasing it would be.

Don't even get me started on my financial software which I have loved and used for my business since it's inception in 1997... which suddenly has decided it hates the new hard drive Allan installed for me. My love-hate relationship with my computer and all it holds continues.

You Just Gotta Laugh
I have been so very busy the last few weeks. This is nothing new of course, but it can be stressing. I was reading an article yesterday in our local paper written by a wonderful woman who finds humour in every situation. God does indeed have a sense of humour, let me tell you how my morning has gone thus far and it isn't even 8:30 am.

I woke up early, my mind filling with the things I wanted to accomplish today which pushed away the ability to return to sleep. I decided to get up and proceeded to make a to do list, breakfast for my family and Allan's lunch (a very rare occurrence as he usually gets ready, eats, makes his lunch and is gone to work before I am finished getting ready and puttering around upstairs).

Breanna and Brendan woke as Allan walked out the door so I set them down to eat and thought I would grab a quick shower before they were finished, Ryan was there to help them if they needed something. As I was getting ready, I spotted the waxing strips I had set out yesterday to do my legs with. I usually shave my legs over winter (easy and MUCH less painful) but like to wax during the summer and I had some left over from last fall. They are soo easy to use, just warm them up between your hands, apply and rip them off. Slap on some waxing oil and you are set...

Right. On went the strip, off went the strip WITHOUT the wax. I had a thick layer of wax covering the back of my leg (of course I do the most sensitive part first, right behind the ankle). I started to freak because I can suddenly hear the clock ticking before Breanna comes up to "collect" me after she is done eating, and here I am not even in the shower yet.

I tried to scrape it off with first the edge of the plastic waxing strip (yeah, that so didn't work) and then my fingernails, which worked much better. But now my leg had streaks of wax and my fingers were all gummy. I grabbed the tiny bottle of waxing oil - which until this point I had always thought of as huge and wasteful because I hardly used any of it and they sent one with each package. I slathered it on my leg and it started to detach, though it was becoming more of a mud than simply sloughing off as I had hoped.

I thought it would be best to jump in the shower and work on it there, the warm water might help, right? I carefully cleaned my hands off so that I could wash my hair before I worked on the wax and jumped in. Shampoo in and I am getting my facial wash and realized I still had a large sticky part on my thumb... I freaked and touched my hair. Yup, right behind my right ear I found a sticky part. Waxing oil in my hair and my face washed, I started to tackle the wax.

Did you know that wax + waxing oil + water = sticky white wax? Yup, and it took a lot of scrubbing, judicious use of waxing oil and avoiding water to reduce the bulk of it, but now I am eyeing my waxing oil and knowing I am going to conserve it even more or I will run out completely. I carefully oiled my hands again, double-checking to ensure no sticky parts. I then washed the waxing oil out of my hair, shaved my legs (doing the waxed part last). I had hoped that shaving would take the rest of the wax off... and I really needed to change the blade anyway right? A gummy blade later, it did shave off some more of the wax... we are getting there.

Breanna is at the door so I let her in and try one more time with the waxing oil. We are down to a slightly sticky sheen and the full bottle of waxing oil is almost empty so I decide to cut my losses and get out of the shower. I dried off, the wax is in only two small spots and almost gone... and I could get a comb through my hair (though it did slow down in two spots, one I didn't notice before on the top of my head).

I chose to make the best of it and decided on shorts today (my legs are freshly shaved anyway!), avoiding the potential of my pants stuck to the back of my leg. My hair is fine and lacks body so maybe the sticky parts will give it some body too. I hope your day goes better and know that humour does indeed make things go much smoother... er, less sticky anyway.