The Big Picture Philosophy Tested

The Big Picture... the philosophy behind this blog which dictates that our goal is that we are happy and healthy. If not, maybe we're doing something wrong and we should take a second look at the situation. 

Apparently this was a test week. I'd signed Matthew up for another session of swimming lessons and it was the first day. He'd been fussy for the last few weeks of the previous session but I hoped with the break that he'd be as enthusiastic as he once was. For the first 5 minutes that thought seemed to hold up... he enthusiastically sang along with the teacher, performing the skills wonderfully and blowing bubbles through his nose for the first time... then it went downhill from there (okay - truth told it simply crashed). The rest of the class was an exercise of futility. Talking to the teacher at the end of the class, she suggested perhaps he was bored and tired of the songs but that he obviously loved the water and swimming. He's already done two sessions at the Sea Turtle level and was advanced to the Sea Otter level, however he can't start the level until he's turning three.

Leaving feeling frustrated and tired, I wasn't sure what do. Do I continue the class hoping that things get better? Do I let him quit? Do I enrol him in something else? We'd found a gymnastics class just the day before that we thought he'd love, but would he really? What about the added expense? My husband and I talked through the options that evening. First off we decided to withdraw him from swimming... if he wasn't happy, what's the point? We'll register him in a more advanced classes when he's old enough and see how he is when he is being challenged in an unparented class. Then the pros and cons were debated for gymnastics. In the end we decided to take the chance with the gymnastics - we think he'll love it and, it being a Calgary winter, having an active inside class was a good idea.

The decision feels right. We're not quitting swimming but waiting for a more challenging program and we'll still go to open swim to swim and play. The pool was very understanding and only charged us for the one class we attended (crediting the rest of the fee to our account). We got the last spot in the time slot that we wanted for gymnastics and he's all set to start next week. Only time will see what happens but for today we're happy and that is "The Big Picture". 

Time Changes

This weekend was not easy... the clocks were turned back and everyone supposedly got an extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning. Someone forgot to tell my son! (And every other child)

Normally Matt wakes up around 6 am and can be persuaded to settle down for another 45 minutes or so of quiet time - he talks to himself, sings, reads a book, etc. This gives me (and on the weekends, my husband) time to wake up, have a cup of tea, basically get going before having to start running. Not on Sunday. 5:05 am. And there was no quiet time... he wanted up, he wanted breakfast, he wanted stories read to him. By 9 am he was starting to get tired and getting a bit cranky. Our plans to go hiking were nixed - he'd never make it (and unfortunately he won't nap in the car or child carrier at this point but that's another story).

So we decided to go to Chapter's. We'd be close enough to quickly get home when he was "done" and in the meantime the toys and books would distract him sufficiently to avoid a morning of continuous meltdowns. We got, there even before the doors were even open but fortunately the attached Starbucks was. Matt ran around telling everyone the book store wasn't open and that keys were needed to open the doors. We weren't alone - there were at least three other couples anxiously waiting for the doors to open to provide the distraction of their Kid's Zone. The doors opened and there was a sigh of relief as the children busied themselves with books, trains and animals. More families arrived, coffee in hand, kids in tow - it was a bit of a party. A couple of hours later we carried a very tired boy out - we had made it through the morning (and as a bonus I was able to cross a couple of things off the Christmas list). The hardest part was over. After nap time a trip to the park, a couple of errands, dinner and a bath took us almost to the regular bedtime.

This morning was better and I'm hoping by tomorrow the new time will be routine.

How did you and yours adjust to the time change?

Introduction/Bedtime Dilemmas

Introduction
I've had it in my mind for the last few months to create a blog to chronicle my adventures raising a spirited two year old boy, being a stay at home mother, wife, outdoor enthusiast and photographer all the while trying to remain sane. I just couldn't figure out the angle I wanted to approach it from. Then it came to me (at 6 o'clock in the morning when my son woke up) that I should do it from the philosophy I'm trying to live by. Remember the Big Picture.

What do I mean by this? The Big Picture for me is that we are happy and healthy. Period. It covers everything from what activities we're doing, what we're eating, community involvement, etc. It sounds simplistic but it's anything but... it's a fine juggling job of commitments, obligations, fun and games. It's stopping to ask why? Why are we doing this? Is it because it's an expectation (perceived or real) or is it because we want to? Is it something we should do, need to do or want to do? If we're not happy, what can we change? It means making the hard choices rather than the easy ones.

So here goes... A mother, a wife, an outdoor enthusiast, a photography and... Blogger living and juggling life in Calgary, Alberta. I hope that you enjoy my thoughts and share with me yours.

Bedtime Dilemmas
Yesterday evening I went out for the first time in a long time when I was not going to be home for bedtime. My husband was looking after our son and it's his thing to do bedtime so it shouldn't of been a big deal. Wrong. I get home an hour after bedtime and what do I hear? "Mommy's home". Needless to say I wasn't amused. Luckily for everyone involved, he went down really easily for me. A quick brush of the teeth and into the crib...nighty night. And he slept in so (phew) so I didn't have to deal with a cranky tot all day... if that had been the case, my hubby would still be begging for forgiveness. Big Picture - not a big thing once in a while and I'll try again next week. It'll do both my son and my hubby good to have to do it on their own. That said if I get a cranky kid as a result I won't be happy and then we'll look at possible changes.What do you do when bedtime is messed up?