She's Moving On

Our sweet Jean is almost done her kindergarten career.  Where did the time go?  I swear it was only yesterday that we sent her off to junior kindergarten.  It was a bittersweet time because she was so excited to head off to school with her older sister and brother and I would finally have some real time to myself to explore what I wanted and needed to do.  I had a very hard time with it actually.  I missed her like crazy when I went out running errands and I really missed our play date visits with others and going to the library with her.  For those precious years I spent with my babies, I always had someone to chat with, someone to cuddle and hold and look after... their world revolved around our little family and once we sent them off into the world to school, their own world would open up.
Time keeps moving and so do we... eventually I found myself as a mom of school-age kids.  I thoroughly enjoy helping at our school and I have cherished those special days when Jean stayed home from school.  I have a great group of friends in similar situations and we spend time together during the day when our kids are at school.  I feel so lucky to be able to do that.
All three of our children really enjoy school.  We don't struggle daily with any of them not wanting to go to school.  We are thankful for that.  Jean has had the best classroom environment.  Her teachers are amazing and we feel so lucky to have had Miss Ray teach all three of our children.  I will miss her.  Mrs. Campbell and Miss Ray have taught both Alex and Jean and we feel that this has made their start in school life the very best.  They are an extraordinary team!

Tomorrow morning we get to celebrate kindergarten and celebrate Jean's start in school.  Grade one will come very quickly, no doubt, but she is ready.

Jean:  almost 4 years old at the beginning of junior kindergarten; Jean: 5 1/2 years old at the end of senior kindergarten

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the "dads" in my life. 

The dad to my kids is one of the best... He works hard and plays hard and loves playing with the kids. Always drops what he is doing to shoot some hoops, play badminton, take Alex to hockey or soccer, take the girls to dance...the list goes on. One of my favourite things to see is Ian playing at home with the kids. These are precious moments. 

What Fills My Soul?

I have been thinking about this a lot recently. What fills my soul?  Deep, isn't it?  I am not normally so deep and inspirational but when life gets even more hectic than usual, I tend to lose my balance. Over the years I have learned that I need to be filled up with what takes me to my happy places.  I can't function well unless I have taken care of that side of me then I can move forward and fast. 

To be truthful, I enjoy being busy. I like a full calendar but every so often I need a blank day and at this time of year, a half-day will do the trick. As a mom of three young kids and wife of a farmer, it isn't hard to get swept up in housework, yard work, and business work but I know that I have to take time for myself to be content. 

I have always been creative. I love the arts and have immersed myself in various hobbies over the years. For the past 8 years (since I was 8 months pregnant with my middle child) I have been quilting and of all of my artistic hobbies, this has been my favourite. There are times when I am sewing almost every day and other times I go weeks without being in my sewing area of the house but I now know that I need to make time for it, no matter how much and I will feel content. I also enjoy painting and remodelling pieces of furniture is a lot of fun. I want to make more time for that in the fall when I have more time to myself.  I love to make things. 

Working on a creative project fills my soul. 

I also need to make time for friends. I don't need a lot of time but spending time with girlfriends is very important to me. It helps me feel connected and ensures me that I am not alone. I now know that not everyone feels this way. My husband can go quite a long time without connecting with friends but once he does, he enjoys it and then gets back to spending most of his time with family. We are all different and it takes different things to make us happy and feel content. 

Have you ever thought what fills you up?  What makes you feel balanced and happy?  I think it has been good to assess this about myself and being aware of what I need gives me the confidence to take care of myself. It isn't always easy "wearing so many hats" and taking time for ourselves, as moms, is hard. It is hard not to feel guilty but I am striving to take more control over my life and use what time I have to take care of myself. 

Off to bed and hoping for a good nights sleep. 

On the Way Home From Walmart

My sister-in-law had her third child this week so I looked after her middle child for the day yesterday. I kept our youngest home from kindergarten so they could play together, which they do so well. The girls and I took a drive to Walmart and wandered around the store in search of new markers, bubble wands and groceries. On the way home we noticed a helicopter in the sky and that's when the conversation took a turn. Jean (my daughter) explained to Allie (my niece) that she had a ride in a helicopter once. Allie wanted to know when and that's when Jean explained to her that after she was born she was sick and a helicopter had to take her away. Allie was quite interested and asked if I was able to go with her. I said that I was much too sick myself to go... My mind was racing because her own mommy had just given birth. Would she put it together and wonder if her own little sister is sick and if her mommy was also sick?  She asked a few more questions but the conversation moved on to something else. Phew. 

That conversation had me choked up while driving home. I don't think I will ever forget how scared we were that night, how sick she was and how so many people saved her life. I will never, ever forget some of the words those CHEO "helicopter" nurses said. How they swiftly and confidently took her away to a place where she could be looked after in such a serious condition. They were so calm and I found myself being calm as well. It's absurd to think about those moments now. I still feel the tears come when I remember how she almost left us right after she arrived. It was so scary. 

This weekend is the annual CHEO telethon. We haven't had a lot of experiences there and are thankful for that but no matter what, we feel that what CHEO was able to do for us that night was invaluable. Immeasurable. Priceless. All families that have had any experience at CHEO will tell you that and those that have been blessed to not have crossed paths with CHEO...well I am certain they would feel the same. 

We have been part of CHEO's monthly club for quite some time and will continue to do so...forever. We are very, very fortunate to have world-class care so close to home. 

Every time we see or hear a helicopter we look up and I always think of that night. She was so lucky to have that ride. 

Planting Season

It happens once a year for an extended period of time. 

Planting season. 

Corn, soybeans, sweet corn, strawberry plants, tomatoes, beans...the list can go on. It is a very important time of year when some of the most important work is done. We wait all winter and then this spring was cold and wintery so we waited even longer for the fields to be dry enough to plant and once the time came Ian became very busy. Gone. Out. Noncommittal. Preoccupied. It is 11:02pm and he isn't home yet. 

I wish planting season could be just a little more relaxed. He goes hard and doesn't want to stop except to sleep. Nights are short and the days are long. Strawberry season is right around the corner which is the next busy time when he works nonstop every day. 

This is the farming life. I am proud to be married to a farmer. This is the life I wanted but that doesn't mean there are not difficult days. I have so much to be thankful for such as great kids, a husband that would do anything to provide for his family and a home sweet home. We have our good health and each other. I am looking forward to some family time together soon. 

As for planting season, I am wishing for a nice, long rain so Ian can have a break (and me to). 

A Tribute to My Grandma Rimmelzwaan

I find myself thinking about my grandma a lot these days.  She was an avid gardener.  Her farm home and the home my grandparents built when they retired from farming were always surrounded by beautiful flower gardens.  When I was a child, she would take me to greenhouses shopping for flowers to plant and then other times when I visited, we would just go for a drive, find a garden centre and just wander around.  Every single time I visited her home she would want to take me on a tour of her gardens and talk about new and old plants, names of them and when they would be at their best.  She worked hard to maintain her gardens and my grandfather would help her when they grew older.  In the last few years of her life the gardens were much smaller but no doubt there were still flowers to look at and enjoy.

Once I had a home of my own, she would give me shrubs and flowers for my own gardens.  I have a beautiful garden rock with "Welcome" painted on it near my front door which was a gift from her.  My love of plants comes from many influences in my life but the influence of my grandma has been strong.  I will forever have those memories in my heart and it makes me happy... and sad at the same time.  I wish she could come for a visit and I could take her on a tour of our farm and then maybe she could give me advice on what I could do with my own gardens.  She knew so much about what different plants needed to grow to their potential and she wouldn't hesitate (in her younger years) to just get down on her knees and get rid of a few weeds.

I have a vivid memory of her long row of peonies along their farm's front lawn.  My brother and sister and I played a lot in that front yard... it has beautiful, tall trees and a lush lawn... perfect for running and playing.  When her peonies were in blossom, it was a beautiful sight; something I will remember forever.

My grandma passed away last August (2013).  As a tribute to her, I am planting a row of peonies on my own front lawn.  I planted one peony plant a few years ago and it is strong and tall but I have added a few more and hope that someday it will be a tall, beautiful row of peonies and I will tell my children and grandchildren about why I planted them and tell them about my own grandma.  She was very special to me and I hope that I can pass on at least some of her wisdom to my own children and grandchildren.

It is just a start but I planted 5 plants along this side of this building.

Our May 2-4 Weekend

Spring is a very busy time of year for us. I think it is actually the busiest time of year because so much has to get done in a short period of time; planting, taking straw off the berry plants, staffing, planning for our sales outlets, picking asparagus and then we start selling at our farmers markets. Our lists are long but our energy is high. We do not take time off unless it is raining or too wet in the fields to do anything useful. 

This is the first May 2-4 weekend we have had "off" in a very long time. Back in university Ian and I would go camping with friends and spend time relaxing. Not anymore. 

We have had an abundance of rain in recent weeks so this weekend Ian did not spend time in the fields. This has been a challenging spring due to the late start to the growing season so actually having time off this weekend is bittersweet... I have faith things will turn out just fine but Ian is a wee bit anxious. That being said, we all worked yesterday by starting our farmers market season and I just learned this afternoon that Ian is going to try working in the fields tomorrow but overall, we had the weekend off.  It is all perception, right?

Tonight we are hosting a small dinner party with other farmer friends. It may never happen again that we can celebrate May 2-4 weekend!  Cheers to a beautiful summer and a plentiful harvest!