It’s been a hot minute since I’ve done a life post. In some ways it feels like everything has changed and in other ways everything stays familiar and the same. The boys are very much growing up and the everyday dynamics of life with tempestuous moods and new responsibilities and privileges has been tricky to navigate at times.

This August we took our first family vacation in forever. The four of us packed into my new Mazda because – *surprise* – cars don’t last forever and the Journey I’ve been driving since Justin was in a baby seat finally called it quits. We headed to Hilton Head, SC for a blissful week on the beach and I only wished it was longer. This Christmas we’ll be using a part of the school break to head south and spend time with my in-laws.

In other news, Kaleb is now in grade 12 and driving with his G2. If you have a prospective male teen driver in your house, start saving for insurance now. It’s not pretty. Him having his license has been helpful in the shuffling and scheduling and he’s one less person that depends on me to get him where he needs to go. Excellent news because he’s working part time at a local grocery store and next semester he’ll be heading to Fleming College to start his apprenticeship program with OYAP. He’s not a kid anymore!

Justin is in 10th grade and still my uniquely wonderful kid. He’s the tallest in the family and a bit of a home body. He also works part-time at a local restaurant washing dishes. It’s a job he applied for on a whim and he’s been there almost a year. It’s hard gross work for my stringbean, but he shows up and does his job and smells strangely like grease, sweat, and soap at the end of every shift. His health continues to be unchanged – a good thing – following his surgery at SickKids a few years ago.

I’m trying to find balance still and always. Everyone being on different schedules has made family mealtimes a little more challenging but I so like having at least home cooked meals that pop easily into the oven or microwave for lunches and pre-shift dinners. I take a few hours here and there and use up what we have to come up with some ideas to keep the freezer full when there aren’t leftovers. Fast food gets old quickly and it costs a ridiculous amount to order Wendy’s everyday. It’s funny how the kids stop asking when they need to pay for their own meals.

Today, I’m feeling the cuddly nesting instincts of the changing season and prepped over 20 meals… entrees frozen in individual servings. We have pizza rolls, chicken pot pies, chicken enchiladas, Shepherds pie, and butternut squash soup. My pressure cooker usually cuts down on the time I spend doing this but, uh, someone who wasn’t me melted the Ninja on the stove the other day. Oops. Instead I cooked the old fashioned way and now I need someone to come clean the kitchen because it is a disaster. We’re not even going to think about the laundry piling up…

I’m still working part time at our church and Kevin is still with the family business. Both kids have started attending a youth program in Toronto once a week so we have built in date nights that we take advantage of. We celebrated our 18th anniversary this June and some days it feels like forever. Usually it just feels like it’s us. I’m still reading and Kev’s still pretending to watch Netflix but falling asleep on the couch instead.

We replaced our roof and made it through that crazy wind storm virtually unscathed. Unfortunately two days ago, one of our ancient maples decided to shed some branches on the back of the house. We are unscathed no more – if anyone has a good lead on lumber, a utility trailer, a garbage shed, and some replacement shingles that won’t require a second mortgage, hit me up. Some days adulthood feels like we have all our ducks in a row, but most days it feels like we have panicked chickens running around and tripping us every chance they get. Who signs up for this?!

All in all, life is good. Its normal with its ups and downs. And through it all… we have each other. (If you ever hear what a horrible house this is from my children though, please just ignore them… they’ll appreciate it all when they’re older!) I’m closing off with a paln to find a few mintues of quiet relaxation before the boys get home ridiculously early because our school schedule has changed again.