School?

I was, initially, excited to finally have this year's school photos to post this week.  Look at those kids!  Linden's ridiculous "smile".  Juniper's "fancy" velour dress. The hard-won backgrounds (both kids had petitioned for the "Peggy's Cove" background, which would have featured a lighthouse sprouting out of their shoulders).

 As of this weekend, however, to have these photos front and centre is actually more of an exercise in irony than a celebration.  For those of you not following Nova Scotia politics, the provincial government announced on Saturday (as in, with less than 48 hours for frantic parents to make arrangements) that they would be locking the kids out of school starting today.  That's right, the KIDS.

I will not get into the nitty gritty details of the politics behind this bizarre (and in my opinion, unconscionable) decision, but the basics are as follows:
1. The McNeil government tells teachers that they will be offering them a new, crap contract.
2. The teachers vote almost unanimously to strike.  They will not be fully striking, however - they will be imposing a "work to rule" scenario, whereby they essentially fulfill only what is in their current contracts, but nothing extra. (No after school activities, no Christmas concerts, no working or monitoring of students prior to 20 minutes before the start of school or 20 minutes after the end of class etc etc). Paid before-and-after-school programs will go on as usual.  The school board gives parents a week's notice of this decision, which is to begin on Dec. 5th (today).
3.  On SATURDAY, the government announces that they believe this decision is "unsafe" for the students (ie, that teachers actually fulfilling their contract to the letter is not enough to keep our kids safe), and that kids will not be allowed to go to school on Monday.  The teachers are required to go to school, but the kids must not. Meanwhile, they have called a legislation meeting for this morning.

So.  Who knows what the government is actually trying to accomplish?  Bullying the teachers into accepting the contract, no doubt, but this whole scenario is just... weird. They can't legislate the teachers back to work, as they are currently working (only... with no students to teach).  Perhaps they are just trying to make parents mad and pressure the teachers.  But unless you are completely daft, your anger and confusion will surely be levelled at Stephen McNeil, rather than the teachers - so, that will no doubt backfire as well.  I really don't understand.

For now, it is, I suppose, a very early Christmas vacation.  This is not a huge deal for us, as I am not currently needing to be at a job, and therefore we are not in a childcare panic.  But I am also still (STILL) sick (I think the amoxicillin did not quite wipe out this bronchitis), and the kids are both coughing and sniffling, so it should be a... trying week.  Or month,  Or however long this lasts.

Decorating the first gingerbread cookies of the season

Finished products!

In the meantime, however, we are trying as hard as we can to still do fun holiday stuff (the Solstice Fairies and Starlight, our "gnome in the home", have been out in full force since Dec. 1st), and to sneak in some of our own educational activities in the meantime.  For instance, check out this battery-powered lego car that Linden and Clark constructed over the weekend (with some arduinos and coding and whatnot).  Pretty cool!

The beginning stages

Constructing the vehicle (Linden's particular specialty)

Hooking up the wires

The finished product

As it turns out, while it worked, the car and battery were too heavy for the little motor, meaning it became more of a drive assist than a fully functioning autonombile.  But it was a pretty successful first attempt! And of course, Linden produced a JuniperandLinden.org video about the whole process.  Enjoy!

Sleepovers and Snow

Christmas Parade firefighters

This weekend marked two grand events: our first ever attempt at a full-family sleepover chez the Koller/Martin household, and our very first snowfall of the season.

Hanging with a stoic, yellow fisherman

The sleepover was, in some ways, a test -- is it possible to successfully have a fun family day with everyone, followed by a just-adults hang-out in the evening, capped off by everyone actually sleeping, and then also being functional the next morning? A tricky feat, indeed!  We chose a particularly fun day for this experiment: the Lunenburg Christmas parade/tree lighting.  The parade not only featured all the floats and marching bands that you would expect, but also a rather ridiculous amount of swag: firefighter hats, clown noses, and, I swear, more candy than they got on Hallowe'en.

Everyone (even Eva's doll!) got into the spirit

Then, after a delicious meal and some more play time, we all went down for the after-dark festivities.  These included marching a donkey down to the gazebo while singing Christmas Carols, listening to some readings, more carols, and then - the grand finalé - the lighting of the trees.

Ohhhhh!  Ahhhhh!

So how did it all turn out, you ask?  Definitely a partial success.  The day and the evening were super fun, of course.  It was a real treat to have a whole evening of laughter and board games and chilling just like we would have done - oh, 15 years ago, when we were all living together in a dingy little apartment with very few cares in the world. And besides a few hiccoughs (for instance, Juniper apparently "slept-walked" from the top bunk to the bottom, meaning all three girls were sardine-packed in for the night, and Linden was up at 5:30 am), a mostly-acceptable sleep was had by all.  Not me.  But that was not for lack of comfort or having to tend to anything - that is just my own weirdness in such situations.  I have confidence, however, that I can push past that if we just do it a few more times!

SNOW!

The next day, we didn't tarry long, as Zsofi and Will and family had another party to go to in the late morning (and we'd all been up for quite some time at that point, anyway). As we drove back, it started to SNOW!  I know this is old news for most of the rest of the country, but this was our very first snowfall of the season.  It was large, very wet flakes: the kind you know will not last long, but are fun to watch come down.  Linden could not wait to get home: he practically bounded out of the car and into his snowsuit the minute we pulled into the driveway, and proceeded to happily spend the next couple of hours (often all by himself), playing and doing all the snow-related things he could think of.  The end result was one very wet child, and one super-funky snowman.

Check him out! 100% hand-crafted by Linden

Seeing as everyone was plum-tuckered out (especially me - my head was literally swimming), the afternoon involved Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (still good after all these years!), followed by ordering out for pizza.  A pretty decadent but satisfying way to end an epic weekend, I'd say. This week, of course, marks the beginning of December (and all the ridiculousness that has come to entail - especially in this household), so my guess is that things will only get more epic from this point forward.  I'll keep you updated!

Quiet

Our first time to the Maritime Museum

I'm not sure why I entitled this post "quiet".  It is certainly quiet at this very moment, as it always is after the flurry of getting everyone packed and out the door. It is also something I have been longing for lately, perhaps as a temporary antidote to the ridiculousness of the last few months. I'm sure it is what my body needs (along with fluids and puffers and antibiotics), to finally rid itself of what turned out to be a good healthy dose of bronchitis.

Linden's go-to activity when he wants a little peace and quiet

And believe it or not, the kids (yes, even Linden!) will often seek out quiet time in the hustle and bustle of the everyday.  In between rolling around in the dirt (the only explanation for what they do when they are outside, based on the state of their clothes), climbing the walls (I literally caught Linden doing this yesterday - he made it half way to the top), and dancing like crazy people, I will sometimes find them silently absorbed in their own world.  For Juniper this almost always involves her nose in a book.  For Linden, it is drawing.  For instance, when I unceremoniously threw him into his room the other day for one transgression or another, he emerged about 20 minutes later, calm and quiet, having produced a book about his "feelings".  How cool is that?

Building a new, bigger home for Linden's pets (vermicompost from his aunt Theresa)

Even this past weekend, which included a visit from my parents, was relatively quiet.  Play-dough, board games, piano practice, popcorn and movies: a nice blend of exciting and chill.  It is a good balance to aim for. Perhaps we can all just take the next few months to hunker down, rejuvenate and breathe for a bit.  Quietly. Unlikely, I realize. But with a little solid intent - who knows?  

See you next week!

Making dinosaurs with Bob

Practising piano with Mary

Bob helps finish the worm house

soul balm

the nature explorers are back!

This has been a tough week, for reasons that I'm sure no one particularly needs me to explain or expound upon.  The world lost one of its greatest poet/musicians, and gained a living embodiment of hate, fear, ignorance, and intolerance.   It is difficult to figure out how to process this sort of week -- how to push past it all with positivity.  We decided the best way to accomplish this was to just be outside as much as possible - exploring trails, planting bulbs, and taking advantage of some pretty glorious mid-November weather.  I might have also made and then consumed quite a few cookies.  And listened to our extensive Leonard Cohen library on repeat. And made some art. I hope you all found your own soul balm as well. Big breaths, friends, and love from our little family to yours.

Linden plants his birthday garlic from his aunt Theresa 

Juniper waters her newly sown tulip, daffodil and iris bulbs

golden sun through the trees along Frog Pond

Luckily no tree inhabitants objected to Linden's exploration

More gorgeous light over the boulders and trunks

Linden watches the ducks

Close-up examination of dark, slimy slug

A rather glorious fungus (which looked, at first glance, to be devouring a bird.  Not so, I promise)

Bring only the essentials for woods exploration (especially of the truck variety)

Pausing in Shubie Park

We can appreciate and get along with squirrels and chipmunks in their natural habitat!

Hallowe'en photo shoot

The fairy and Dino-Man in their natural habitat

I know, I know.  Hallowe'en was SO last week.  But seeing as this is a Monday-morning blog post, sometimes things just need to be a week late.  Hopefully this cutting-edge photo shoot will make up for it.  I bring you this year's costumed wonders: Dino-Man and Fairy.

 Dino-Man:
When you are 5, how do you choose between being dinosaur, or a super hero? No need to compromise, friends - simply combine the two! Dino-Man is Linden's patented solution to the problem of too many good options.  A dinosaur body, plus a superhero cape and mask, means that this Dino-Man is ready for any situation.

Dino-Man!

With the flick of a hood, the caped avenger transforms! 

Check out those claws we added to his feet!

Rawr!! 

Fairy:
Strikingly similar to Juniper's thematic costume choice last year, I bring you: FAIRY! The costume itself is, of course, new and improved, with some homemade "ethereal head piece and cape"-action. My vision when making the cape was added warmth, and gauzy outer-layer that could double as wings if necessary.  It was a hit! Beautiful, magical and fancy: a winning Hallowe'en trio.

She even got to don her fanciest shoes for trick-or-treating

 And how about those pumpkins that everyone was working on so diligently last week? The seed-roaster outdid himself this year, if I do say so myself, with a batch of seeds that lasted a sadly short amount of time.  And the designers/carvers were both pleased with their respective creations:

Juniper's "scary-funny" pumpkin 

Linden's one-toothed wonder

This densely-populated neighbourhood led to a surprisingly large amount of loot in a short amount of time.  Each kid god to choose 10 pieces(!), and the rest went to the Hallowe'en Fairy (or switch witch), who delivered some highly-anticipated art supplies yet again this year.

I swear that sorting the candy was as much fun for Juniper as all the rest of the festivities.  She might have a little of her mother in her.

 And finally, in non-Hallowe'en news, we got to spend the day in Lunenburg yesterday, celebrating Will's birthday! Delicious brunch, lots of great play and catch-up time with Will's extended family, and some ridiculously delicious birthday cake.  What could be better?

The talented hostess/cake-maker, the birthday boy, and three eager girls ogle the chocolate masterpiece. The rest of us were waiting expectantly in the background

That's it for this week!

The perks of being sick?

One VERY happy missing-toothed lady

Let's start this morning off with the MOST important news item of the week: Juniper finally, FINALLY lost her first tooth.  Finally.  This was obviously a very long time coming (she turned 7 in July, remember), and it was a rite of passage that she was very conscious of having not yet achieved.  But one wiggly tooth + one very determined little tooth wiggler = one lost tooth. The tooth fairy, conscious of how long Juniper had been waiting for this event, left her a 5$ bill, and a little kit to plant her own forget-me-nots (so as to not forget to brush and floss her teeth, of course). She spent the next few days telling everyone she saw (including people she had only just met for the first time, such as Clark's boss's boss), her big news, and proudly showing of her gap-toothed smile.  

Waiting for piano lessons to begin

The other exciting news, of course, is that it is Hallowe'en!  Happy Hallowe'en!! Seeing as the actual event is taking place tonight, I do not yet have official costume or pumpkin pictures - only a taste of preparation and lead-up:

Preparing the pumpkins for carving (and extraction of roasting seeds)

Festive decorations

And finally, we come around to the title of the post: the perks of being sick (?). So, if you'll recall, last week I spoke of Linden's strange, seemingly non-contagious puke-fest .  Turns out it was not as non-contagious as we had thought.  I picked Juniper up from school on Tuesday morning, after she had vomited all over herself, and her book bag. Poor thing.  However, this particular bug ran its course over the span of the day (just like Linden), leaving both children to have a good sleep, and be perky and raring to go the next day (a necessary day at home, just in case).  So it was as though they both had this lovely, bonus day off to do with as they pleased.  And as the sickness was staggered, they each had their OWN day off.  For Linden, this involved a lot of outdoor fun, and helping with projects:

"sick"-day digging

Power-sanding Clark's old dresser in preparation for a Linden-inspired make-over

Priming said dresser

Juniper, of course, made a list:

We accomplished a fair number of items!

 And for me?  Well, I got to spend my week hanging out with the kids.  During the sick portions, I got to work on my fear of vomit (I'm getting better, I think!), and during the non-sick sick-day portions, I got to have some quality one-on-one time, which doesn't happen very often.  Thursday was the only day they were actually both at school (Friday was a PD day), and I mostly just spent the day trying to pick up the pieces of a crazy week.  Ditto for today, wherein I am fighting off a chest cold, whilst preparing for the "big" night.  I think there will be some last-minute costume fixes and candy-buying ahead of me... we are now in a neighbourhood where we will actually most likely have a large number of spooky visitors.

Official Hallowe'en pictures coming your way next week - stay tuned!

A strange and contradictory week

Park hilarity

As I sat down to write this post, I realized that this past week was, in many respects, a study in juxtaposition.  It was lonely and solitary (with Clark gone doing fieldwork for the week), then suddenly BURSTING with people once the weekend hit. It was stunning, calm, gorgeous, sunny weather, followed by crazy torrential rain and wind.  It was momentous (as I officially graduated from my PhD program on Thursday), and completely mundane, as I spent that day by myself, doing chores at home.  It contained both huge amounts of play and partying, and strange, intermittent bouts of sickness (on the part of Linden).  It was a relatively bizarre week.  But also pretty awesome, in the end. Here are a few pictures from the goings on:

1. The yard.  Seeing as the weather was so delightful, and that we are starting to close in on the end of October, I jumped at the chance to spend much of the week finally tending to our brand new yard -- both getting to know it, and figuring out how best to prepare it for the winter.  This mostly involved pulling out copious amounts of raspberry canes (and the resulting roots) from the garden plot (a multi day, aching-body process, let me assure you), and raking/cleaning up the grass.  Of course, when the kids got home from school, they were both quick to jump in and "help":

A serious raker (complete with gloves)

and another!

2. Guests: As I mentioned earlier, the fall convocation at MUN happened last Thursday, and as it turns out, I was included in the the group of Folklore PhDs receiving their degree that day.  This had not been a given - due to the timeline of my defence date, and the very close cut-off for needing to have everything in, I was not sure whether I would indeed be graduating this fall, or have to wait until spring.  Seeing as nobody from MUN whispered a word to me, I assumed it would be spring.  Then, after some sleuthing, I found out that - surprise! - I was going to be graduating after all. My parents had really wanted to go to this graduation.  They had even offered to pay my way.  But since I wasn't even sure I WAS graduating until a few days before the event was to take place, I just decided against it.

So instead, my parents came down to visit. Then Theresa also decided to come visit.  Then Linden started puking.  Then he was fine.  Then Clark threw a big surprise brunch in celebration of my graduation.  Then Linden puked again.  Then he was fine.  It was all very strange.  And fun, and frenetic, and calm.  And for the record, Linden is home today, seemingly fit as a fiddle, gleefully putting together a lego fire truck as I type.  Bacterial infection? Food allergy?  Who knows. At least it seemed completely non-contagious, and didn't actually keep Linden from enjoying all the festivities, so all's well that ends well (I hope).

There were a lot of cards and board games played.  Here, mom teaches Juniper the nuances of backgammon. 

We apparently promised Linden that when he turned 5, we'd let him cut his own bread.  He did not forget this promise.  All fingers are still intact.

Juniper, Eva and Sylvie, quick to get the dolls out.  In this shot, they are caring for their babies en route to Hawaii. Pretty luxurious plane trip, if you ask me. 

The celebratory gang!

 And now I must go help put together that fire truck.  See you next week!