by Heather Plett | Jul 26, 2006 | Uncategorized
Well, our fabulous childcare plan is unraveling at the seams. Kari is still very willing to take Maddie in the afternoons, but the plan hinged on getting her into the preschool program that Kari’s daughter is going to in the mornings. Turns out this preschool program, which is offered by the local school division free of charge to people like Kari who live in the neighbourhood, will cost us $4000. Yes, FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS!!! That’s $20/day for a half day program. That’s almost as much as Marcel’s university tuition! And this is the public school system, not a posh private school.
What doesn’t make sense is that in our school division, there is no free preschool program offered, as far as I know. The only option we have is the preschool program through the local community centres. And you have to pay for that. So here we are, living in the same city, with the same provincial education system, and she gets a free program in her neighbourhood, and we get nothing. Zippo. Nada.
For that kind of money, we might as well rent a cheap apartment in the school’s neighbourhood, use that as our address, and give the space away to a homeless person. At least we’d be doing a good deed in the process!
The kicker is that there are spaces available in the preschool program. Spaces that probably won’t be filled. But rather than let our kid in for free like the other kids in the neighbourhood, they’ll leave the spaces open. Sheesh.
Anyone have any ideas how to challenge the system?
by Heather Plett | Jul 26, 2006 | Uncategorized
It’s been so long since it rained around here that the girls and I couldn’t resist running outside and dancing in it! 
by Heather Plett | Jul 25, 2006 | Uncategorized
First of all, just let me say thank you for making a great product. My husband is thoroughly enjoying his new toy. He’s already downloaded hundreds of songs, and because there’s so much room, he even downloads a few for our daughters to enjoy. His great enjoyment of his iPod is obvious when we see him wandering around the house and yard singing at the top of his lungs to the music that’s only in his head. Last night, he was lying on the couch chuckling, and though it looked like he’d misplaced his marbles, it was simply because he’d added some Monty Python to his iPod. So trust me when I say that your product is much enjoyed in our household.
There’s just one tiny niggling thing I’d like you to address though. I’m wondering, with your access to vast numbers of brilliant electronics engineers, if you could possibly consider adding a new feature to your iPods. What I’d like to suggest is this… do you think you could install an automatic “wife speaking” shutdown mode? Here’s how it works – in all other respects, the iPod works like normal, but the minute the wife (or spouse, perhaps) begins to speak, the sound is turned off instantly and the wearer of the iPod is left with only the lovely sounds of his wife’s voice in his ear.
You see, I’m a little tired of talking to myself when I THINK my husband’s in the room attentively listening to me. I’ve said some brilliant, thought-provoking things, only to discover that he never heard a word of it and I might as well be talking to the drapery. I’m also getting a little tired of waving my arms in front of his face when I need his attention, and I’m SURE he’s a little tired of me tugging the earphones out of his ears and shouting “Hey iPod boy!”
I’m sure you wouldn’t regret adding this new feature to your product. Think of all the parents who would be thrilled to be able to use a “parent speaking” mode and actually get the attention of their engrossed teens. I know a few parents, and at least one wife, who will be forever in your gratitude. You may even sell a few extra to those parents who have been reluctant in the past.
So what do you think – can you do it?
by Heather Plett | Jul 24, 2006 | Uncategorized
So many times, we hear negative things about teenagers – how much trouble they are, how much trouble they cause, how hard they are to raise. Having a couple of pre-teens, Marcel and I are often warned about the teen years and so we’ve assumed it was a time to dread. We’ve heard all the horror stories of teen angst, troubles in school, hormones, drug and alcohol abuse, etc., and it doesn’t look pretty. “Just you wait” is a commonly-heard phrase.
Lately, however, I’ve been struck by the number of really decent likeable teenagers around us, and I have been hugely encouraged. Last night was a good example. We were at a barbecue at our friends’ Yvonne and George’s along with a few other families. Our kids were the youngest ones there. After supper, while the adults relaxed on the deck, watching the sun set over the trees (aaahhhh :-), the kids played a rousing game of soccer in their large backyard.
Nikki and Julie played with the group of mostly teen boys, and it was a delight to watch. Either they were just exceptional teens and they would have turned out well regardless, or our friends are doing a bang-up job of raising decent teens. They were so great to our girls. And not just in a patronizing “we have to be nice to the young kids because the adults are watching” kind of way, but in a respectful, generous, “we like hanging out with these kids” way. I was really touched by it, and I know that my girls felt genuinely valued as members of the soccer teams.
I guess that’s part of the beauty of raising kids in a meaningful community, where people of all ages respect and like each other. I really like my friends’ teenage kids. They’re decent and respectful, and I’m glad my daughters have good role models. I guess we’ll just have to keep surrounding ourselves with great teens and maybe we’ll get lucky when our girls reach that stage.
by Heather Plett | Jul 23, 2006 | Uncategorized
When something crappy happens in your life that you don’t understand and don’t appreciate, chances are someone will say to you “everything happens for a reason”. When they say it, you’re usually in the middle of wallowing in self-pity and you don’t necessarily want to hear it. But usually, there seems to be a grain of truth to it, and when time finally separates you from the crappy thing, and you can look back with some measure of objectivity, you discover that the crappy thing was somehow redeemed and there was reason or at least some value to it.
Last month I told you that Marcel didn’t get into university for this coming year. Then, after we appealed to the University (and prayed about it), they changed their mind and let him in. So clearly it looked like it was meant to be. But then last week he went for his orientation session and discovered that his short daytime schedule and options for evening classes were over and he would now have to commit himself to full days EVERY day. This caused us some stress, because suddenly his time as a stay-at-home Dad with Maddie would be over and we’d have to find (and pay for) full time child care. With just over a month until he returns to school, we really didn’t know how we’d manage to work it all out.
In the meantime, my old friend Kari responded to my attempts to track her down. She phoned last week, and I invited her and her kids for an afternoon of swimming, topped off with a barbecue in the back yard. She showed up today with her two little girls, and within moments, Maddie had fallen in love with her new friend (it doesn’t take her long to fall in love, but this one was a record).
Turns out Kari is on maternity leave this year, having just given birth to her second child. And guess what – she’s offered to care for Maddie in the afternoons for the upcoming year. She thinks it would be great for her daughter to have a friend around. Wow! Feels a little serendipitous. Now we just have to try to get Maddie into the preschool close to Kari’s house, and the whole plan might fall into place.
The timing for the reunion with Kari seems almost eery. And in case you’re wondering, yes, the years did fall away, and it was just like old times. It wasn’t hard to remember why we were such good friends.
I leave you with a picture of true love. Hope they still feel this way when they spend every day together!
