Fri 4 Sep: Beginning of long weekend. After school we head out on a camping trip to a provincial park a couple hours drive away. Chuckles will be staying with Lovely & the puppies again – now at a month old their eyes are open and they are getting mobile. Cute as all get out!
Fri 11 Sep: Ethiopian New Year. Don’t do anything particularly special. Meant to go to our fave Ethio resto, but no go.
Sat 12 Sep: Mustang starts the fall session of art lessons.
Sun 13 Sep: Button has a soccer tournament – last of the season. We miss the first game owing to church, but get there in time for the second. Lovely warm day.
Mon 14 Sep: Button starts Music for Young Children. We’ve talked about it and he’s been fine with it, but when the time comes to go he is insistent: he doesn’t want to. Refuses to come to the car. Goes into my office room and cries. (At least he hasn’t “run away,” like he is wont to do.) No amount of coaxing, bribery, threats, works. Finally I get Laoye to pick him up & put him in the car. He cries all the way over. At the studio he refuses to exit the car. I go up and explain to the teachers, one comes down and manages to coax him out and up to the lesson. He seems to enjoy it and by the time we head home he’s, if not happy, at least not crying or sulking. I’ve told him he has to go at least 3 times and then if he hates it he can stop.
1-11 Sep: Scrambling to find childcare/Nanny. I want someone to come to our home, in large part because of Lovely (& puppies) but also I just prefer that to out-care or institutional type daycare. Tried using an agency to find a live-in-caregiver already in Canada. The only available ones weren’t interested. Got onto a couple of nanny-matching websites. Found several local young people with relevant training & experience. A bit challenging because I’m only offering part-time (after-school plus some dog/puppy care and housework, meal prep). But find and interview two likely candidates. Offer job to one, who accepts. Yay! Just in time. It's been kind of stressing me - taking up a lot of head space - but it's worked out okay. The Lord provides.
Mon/Tue 14-15 Sep: New Nanny comes for “training” with Laolao & to have some time with kids before LL/LY leave. Seems like a good match.
Wed 16 Sep: Laolao & Laoye fly back out west. As they have doctor’s appts tomorrow and we holidaying until the 7th, they didn’t relish having to hurry back in the bus (slow and noisy) but decided to store it over winter, come back next spring and spend the summer travelling first east to the coast and then all the way west, taking their time and making it an enjoyable holiday.
Sat 19 Sep: Button starts six-week soccer lessons. We take two puppies to the practice; they run around the big field next to the soccer practice. Too cute! After soccer, we head to church to attend the wedding of a good friend. Put puppies in their crate in the basement. Following the service, puppies join us going through the receiving line. We don’t stay for the reception because… well, just because.
Tue 22 Sep: Kids start gymnastics.
Mon 28 Sep: The third Music for Young Children lesson. I don’t remind Button that it’s the third time; he doesn’t bring it up. Seems to be enjoying himself. Doesn’t even complain too much about practicing. I think we’re good.
1-30 Sep: Busy placing internet ads for puppies and responding to a million people who want to buy a dog for next to nothing and a handful of potentially serious purchasers. Find a home for Opal. One down, two to go! (Peridot will go to Lovely’s breeder as stud fee.) Now that the Nanny issue is solved, I can put a bit more energy/attention into this.
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