June 2011 - Forever In Mom Genes

Two Teachers

Jun 30 2011

When Avery was diagnosed near the end of my maternity leave, I gave up teaching in order to stay home with her. It was the right choice, but some days when I walk down the school corridor, as a parent, no longer a teacher, I feel a twinge of regret. I miss my grade two classroom with its brightly coloured bulletin boards and pet Hermit Crabs. Wait, scratch that. I don’t miss the crabs. They were smelly. But I do miss my students and the funny things they’d say. Like the girl who went home after the first day of school and excitedly announced to her parents, “Mrs. Thornbury is nice and she has crabs.” In retrospect, fish probably would have made a better class pet. When my son entered grade two last fall, I felt oddly possessive. This was MY grade. What if I didn’t like the teacher? What if she wasn’t doing it right?? I feared I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from making comparisons. I imagined myself going all “Incredible Hulk”, turning green and shredding my pants out of anger and frustration, until I morphed into “that parent.” The know-it-all-in-your-face-pain-in-the-ass-parent. For the first few weeks of[…]

Jun 27 2011

Many of my friends and family who read this blog have asked how Heather, Zack’s mom, is doing. I can’t assume to know how she copes on a day to day basis, but the Heather I see is courageous and kind. She is an amazing mother and friend and one fiercely determined lady. She is moving forward one day at a time, but she never forgets to look back. Heather was on the CBC speaking eloquently and thoughtfully about the loss of a child and she continues to share Zack with us through her writing. This weekend our family attended “Zack’s Family Dream Day” at Lionel’s Farm. This is one of the many fundraising events spearheaded by Heather. This day was intended not only to raise money for Zack’s Dream Room, but to honour Zack’s memory by spending time with friends and loved ones at a place that meant so much to Zack and his family. Heather took a few minutes away from her “farm duties” and spoke. She expressed her gratitude to those who helped make the incredibly successful day a reality. She also shared her thoughts about the day, and about Zack. She said the[…]

Jun 24 2011

My son and his best friend both have June birthdays. This year they gave each other passes for Canada’s Wonderland, an aptly named theme park just north of Toronto. Life is too short for long line-ups, hence springing the boys from school yesterday to avoid the crowds. I’m all truant like that. As a teacher, I happen to know the last days of school are fluff. Besides, I made the boys answer math questions in the car ride on the way up. We arrived at the park at 10am and stayed until closing. We definitely got our money’s worth. The kids’ energy was endless. My energy had an end, but as corny as it sounds, the joy on their faces kept me going. I welled up twice watching their excitement. I’m getting sappier in my old age or possibly, I had heat stroke. Ten Tips For Making Your Trip to Wonderland Extra Wonderful. 1. Do NOT buy your tickets at the park. If you plan on going more than once, get a season’s pass when they are offered in the spring at the lowest rate. Otherwise, buy tickets online and print or purchase at Shopper’s Drugmart for a reduced rate.[…]

Jun 21 2011

PANCAKE POACHER..CAUGHT IN THE ACT! Some mornings it takes a good hour for me to fully regain consciousness. In the meantime, I slog through the a.m. routine in autopilot; Get up…get dressed…wash face…feed dog…rouse kids…and stumble toward the kitchen, with one eye on the coffee pot and the other on the clock, trying to determine how late we actually are. (Depending on how far apart the coffee maker and clock are, this can be relatively painful). As I check my email, a morning ritual which takes no more than a few minutes (I’m not that popular) I contemplate breakfast. Ah breakfast that sweet, welcome break to the nightly fast. When my brain and body are a little more sluggish than usual, cereal with bananas and yogurt and a teaspoon of Salba is the best I can muster. But, if I’ve been on the ball the week before, I can reach into my freezer to retrieve some freshly frozen blueberry pancakes, thus earning respect and adoration from my breakfast lovin’ children. If you’re making pancakes or waffles for the family on the weekend, triple the recipe. Flash freeze extras on a cookie sheet (so they don’t stick together), then[…]

Jun 10 2011

We’ve been down the ear tube road (or should I say canal?) before. I wrote about it here. It was a success and Avery’s hearing and speech improved immediately and dramatically. Now two years later, the initial tubes long since gone, Avery’s speech has taken a nose dive. We had her hearing re-tested and she failed, but not by much. We decided to put the tubes in again and the ENT doctor suggested her adenoids be removed as well. Adenoids may obstruct the Eustachian tubes, so removing them may prevent “Glue Ear” from reoccurring. Under normal circumstances the patient is sent home the day of the procedure, but I asked if we could CHOOSE to stay the night? Sleep apnea, seizures and potential heart issues made coming home immediately afterward a scary prospect. The doctor thankfully agreed that having her monitored for the night would be wise. So last week we checked into Sick Kids hospital. Some of us were more excited than others. Clearly Avery has NO fear of hospitals. Perhaps her brother has played a part in her feeling safe and secure around the medical profession? Avery was taken to the[…]

Archive - June 2011

Two Teachers

Bubbles For Zack

Words About Wonderland

PANCAKEZzzzzzzz

Glue Ear Can Be A Sticky Situation