Happy Easter!

The good but grumpy husband let me sleep late-ish after a hellish night.
We let Son#3 sleep on, while we had an Easter breakfast.
The husband had coloured eggs with Son#1 and #2.

 
Later on we are going to my in-laws for free food and company.

Hope that your Easter will be one that heralds a period of growth and wellbeing,
wherever you might be!

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Paint, Interrupted

 

But they're being ultra sweet, so it's okay!

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It was a Good Friday after all (despite the snow)

Yesterday was good.
Really good.

Despite freaking out once with Son#1 (I just wanted to be alone in a space, he didn't do anything wrong, poor dear), the day was actually quite calm and fun.
We went to the hairdresser's, where Son#1 and Son#2 were chopped and coiffured.
We had lunch in the city park.

The boys played for a while (Son#2, again, in Superman-attire).

We bought a helluvalotofwine on sale and Easter-goodies.
We went home and Son#3 had a short nap.

I cleaned the kitchen, cooked dinner, drank wine and chatted with the husband.

And after dinner, I had the most amazing time painting again for the first time in 7 years.
7 looooooong years.
I'll post a pic when I'm done.

Then I sat in front of the fire with the husband, reading.
Missing my parents terribly.
I love you Mom, I love you Dad.
Dearly.


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C'est Le Weekend: Easter Surprise

It's been somewhat of an eye-opening week.
Literally and figuratively.

Let's start with the figurative part and slide into the literal, shall we?
Son#2 has a problem with anger management.
He got so angry with us for insisting that he eat his dinner (I mean, really, what kind of parents are we???) that he threw down his brand-new-two-week-old-pair-of-glasses, breaking them.
I have never been so happy with an insurance policy.
This proves it:  Yo has foresight.
An important feature.

While I was at the optometrist, asking for another pair of glasses for Satan, I asked them to check my eyesight as well, because I noticed that the husband could see things far off that I couldn't. 
(And he's had a cyst in his eye, for crying out loud!!!)
Well well.
It turns out I am as blind as a bat, so I got new contact lenses and ordered glasses.
Cool glasses.
Hipsters.
Of the cheapest variety.
Because surely, Hipsters are thrifty?

But eyesight is like a miracle.
I can discern each and every leaf, branch, blade of grass.
Driving around the countryside yesterday, I noticed houses and whole worlds beyond my previous field of vision.
Amazing.

And now it's Good Friday and Easter weekend.

 
Meanwhile back at the ranch, the boys have no school today (which I didn't know about until late yesterday), but the good husband left us his bank card to buy Easter groceries with.
And go for lunch (although he didn't say we could, but if he reads this, he will know now).
I wish I had a quiet morning with Son#3, but I can't hide from the kids anywhere anyway (except the cat's litter box, but I have my standards, you know).  

And I'm donating money to the casualties in Syria, because if that ever happened here, I would want someone to help us too. 

Wouldn't you?


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Right on, Bruce

Never get set in one form.
Adapt it. Make it your own. Let it grow.
Be like water.

  - Bruce Lee

Seems clear to me.

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Toil and the need for balance

Had an interesting conversation with another mom at the boys' school yesterday.
She currently also has a burnout, her second burnout to be precise, and is therefore more experienced in my eyes (even though she laughs every time I speak English and says that I sound like Dora).

During her first burnout, she received psychotherapy, which didn't help much.

This time around, she's taking a more pragmatic approach.
She explained how exertion must be balanced with relaxation, an endless cycle of exertion-relaxation-exertion, and I just know that you will think DUH, but only in this conversation did the thought finally come home.
Bit slow on the uptake, Yo.

Anyway, the rest of my day was spent in this vein, and  I balanced coffee breaks with bouts of studying and then prepping a canvas for painting.
I actually got a helluvalot of things done yesterday.

And you must know, in the 11 years during which I've been teaching at the university, I have only taken ONE lunch break in the canteen.
ONE!!!
Pathetic!!
So much for balance.
Things have to change.


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Words to Live By

 

We all start at the beginning.

Beginning of life, beginning of death.

Beginning school, a career, a relationship and parenthood.

We're all experts in the end.

A comforting thought.

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Advice to the Young

Even if you're nearing 40 and beyond, then you should not grow up.
And not growing up, also means having and retaining the ability to change one's way of thinking.
Not getting stuck in a mental rut.
Free thinking.
Because we don't even need a bloody box to think in.

This week I have to fetch the boys for lunch and then return them to school.
Son#1 got a Yellow Card from the Break Gestapo for quarelling with another boy.
Our neighbours, with whom we had (too many) drinks on Saturday, told us that they have complained to the headmaster about the Break Gestapo, and that basically all the kids are unhappy there.
Methinks we've been too harsh on Son#1.

When we spoke about it this weekend (which was an unusually calm and loving weekend), he used words like 'prison' and 'boot camp', and told me that they are not allowed to play on the play equipment (what the hell???)
Son#1 has one Gestapo Member assigned to him and him alone, to make sure that he won't fly the coup again during the long break. 
That would make me rebellious as well.

Today I plan on studying in between school runs, perhaps even turning the heating up in my studio and painting a bit.
One has to live, you know.


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Aim For The Day

Amen, sista!

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Uh-huh

The husband went to a friend's last night, he'll return later, I'm sure.
This afternoon we're having drinks with nice neighbours down the street.

Meanwhile, Son#3 was up at 5 and woke Thing#1 and Thing#2 who have been wrestling and laughing ever since.
Thing#2 finally forced me out of bed when he came into the room with blood all over his face.
A minor scuffle.
I just hope he didn't get blood on my blooming carpet.

Now I'm making breakfast and cleaning the kitchen and trying to read and drink coffee at the same time.
Sigh.

It's minus 10 degrees outside and the temperature won't even reach 3 degrees this entire week.
I've had it with cold and responsibilities and life without a permanent maid at my disposal.
I want to point, and it must be done.
Forgive my eternal laziness.
Sigh.