Good Riddance

Another week is over and I am so happy it is!! This has not been a very good week. I have been so tired - my tiredness has returned and has not let up one bit. The only time I don't feel like I could fall asleep is around 2 in the morning. And even then I wish I was sleeping. Last night, it was raining and while I usually enjoy the sound of rain hitting the window, I'm not so thrilled when it is 4 am and I'm listening to the rain. And the birds!! For crying out loud!! Rain pouring all around and dark as night (duh, it's the middle of the night) and the stupid things just wouldn't shut up! Funny thing is, at work, I actually felt better than I had all week.

Mark has had a difficult week too. On Wednesday, the teachers walked around town amid honks of support and middle fingers of no-so-much-support. They ended up at the MLA's office but she wasn't there. I guess they just left a message. Yesterday, he and some other teachers drove to Regina for a rally at the Legislature. The Premier hid in his office. Mark was encouraged by the strong sense of community among the teachers. That's so good to hear. At least they are supportive. There are many people around who are supportive too but it's tough to hear the not so supportive comments being hurled around. At work today, a couple people started talking about it. Not in any aggressive way, but still discussing it and wondering if teachers should be an essential service or not. It took everything in me to stay in my office and not go over there and tell them that teachers aren't an essential service and cannot be legislated back to work simply because teachers are not in a union but rather a professional federation and thereby not governed by regular union and other labour standards. Two of my co-workers have kids graduating this year. I can only imagine their frustration and I really sympathize with this uncertainty. However, if you are upset, and you have every right to be, then go phone up your MLA or the Premier and tell them about it. If it was my child whose graduation was being threatened, I'd be calling up Mr. Wall and demanding that he get his bum in gear and get to work. The other thing that bugged me was one of the ladies was saying how the teachers shouldn't compare themselves to nurses and demand to get a contract like that. Well, they aren't. There's a big difference between 38% and 16% (over three years). Big. If teachers were comparing themselves to nurses, we'd be here forever! And I'm tired of it now! Ugg, rant over.

Abby had a good week. We went for a walk everyday except today - I had a doctor's appointment this morning so I took her to the sitter's early. And even then, we walked to the sitter's house. My doctor was good. Nice, listened and all that. I was warned that she had lost interest in her patients and didn't care but she seemed alright to me. But then, I didn't have anything major for her to think about. I was out of there quickly and didn't wait too long - not like the guy who waited three hours at a different clinic (Gasp!)

I was thinking today that I might be one of those annoying mothers who does nothing but show pictures of her children to anybody and everybody whether they want to see them or not. Then I realized, I don't care. Abby is too cute and I like showing her off. Let the bragging resume!!

Abby loves going down the slides. She can pretty much go down all of them (except this one) by herself. It's still just a little too fast!

She also likes the swings. This one was close enough to the ground that she could get in it herself. Mark tried to show her how to pump her legs but she hasn't mastered it just yet!

These are the Adirondack/Muskoka chairs that Mark built. He just has to fill in the screw holes and stain them. Them everyone can some over and have a sit (two at a time).