Storytime on Saturday didn't go very well. I had a overly excited two year old who quickly turned into a very tired, cranky two year old who's mother had to carry her to the bus stop... not fun! Luckily she had a four hour nap when she got home.

My new job is going well, a bit slow but good. I don't mind work being slow at first because it gives me a chance to orientate myself. Hopefully it will pick up in about a week or two, otherwise, I will have to bring a book to work with me! :(

My husband has the MONTH he is coming back, now if only we knew the week or the day. Unfortunately I won't most likely find out until a day or two prior, which makes it tough to take a few days off work in advance. Luckily my work is pretty good about time off and I'm fairly certain there won't be any issues with some last minute days off, especially considering the circumstances.

Respite tomorrow evening, joy oh joy! I have a meeting to attend and have a few errands to run, so it will be nice to not have a toddler in tow for a few hours.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010 is going to be a very exciting year for my family and I. We will be going on a special trip soon to reunite for a few weeks, then my husband will return from his deployment this spring/early summer, and it looks like I will be starting a new one year job covering a maternity leave in a department that is awesome to work for!

I didn't do much last night, the plans were for my daughter and I to go to a family dance at a local community centre, but it was so cold out and the buses were not convenient and the thought of trying to get a cab was scary enough! So we stayed home, watched tv and ate junk food! :)

Yesterday I rented our spare room out to a fellow who's from Chile. He's here studying french at the local french university. He seems very nice and I'm sure it will work out well for everyone.

Wednesday night I went to my second knitting meet up at a local pub. It was great, I met some lovely women and I can go another three Wednesday nights because I have respite. And, best thing is it's really close to my house, a short, direct bus ride almost from doorstep to doorstep!

This week has been a lot of bitchiness, starting with a few goofy coworkers who are seriously grinchy and in turn put me and my coworker whom I share an office with in a Bah Humbug sort of mood! I'm hoping it will shake off.... I don't like being crabby over Christmas!

I went to weight watchers today, gained 2.1 lbs and I'm not overly worried about it! There, I said it! I'd rather have lost weight but I have decided to forgive myself for my indiscretions over the holidays and just enjoy as much of everything I can, including food.

My daughter has been amazingly well mannered lately - not perfect but she is learning to listen to her mom and her mom is learning to negotiate to get what she wants (ie the television WILL be turned off if said daughter does not lie down to get her diaper changed!).

Tonight I have respite, all I'm doing is picking up an item at a friends house that I've bought off her, and spending my Safeway gift cards I received in the military Christmas hamper. Fun fun fun!

Today was the first day where it really hit me hard how much I miss my husband. Until now it was more that I missed he wasn't here to take care of my daughter to give me the occasional break most mothers of two year olds need. It may be the holidays are fast approaching, making me realize how lonely it is to be a military spouse - no family around, no close friends because I have no time to socialize and meet new ones whenever we move... it's a sad, lonely world sometimes.

My coworkers have been wonderful and very understanding. My lovely boss took our team out for an incredible lunch on Friday, followed by prezzies for everyone... including presents for any young children of team members! I can't imagine a better boss, and I will be sad to leave this department when the time comes. (Wiping another tear away from my eye as I write this...)

I had respite today, the worker was over a half hour late because she got lost on the bus. I forgave her, at least somewhat, because I take the bus as well and it can be easy at first to get confused where you're to get off, switch buses, etc. It turns out she wasn't that great a worker, she was friendly to my daughter which is most important, but she didn't cook lunch as I asked (microwaved some left over grain salad that I said to serve with lunch, and to not warm up). I'll give her one more chance and see how it goes. She wasn't horrible by any means, just maybe not as good as the others who have come.

Tomorrow is Sunday and I'm debating on going to church; it gives me a bit of a break but I'm not too thrilled about Christianity (I grew up with an extended Christian family) so it makes it difficult. Maybe I'll visit the Unitarian Church, they are all welcoming and don't push you or assume you believe. It's a welcome break from what I'm used to.

Overwhelmed

I'm noticing a pattern with my post titles - they tend to reflect how I'm feeling at the moment I post.

Yesterday I took a family sick day as my daughter had a bad cough and horrible snot nose; luckily it got better throughout the day so hopefully it keeps up. This morning taking her to daycare was hell though, she screamed and cried as soon as we started walking. At first I thought she was cold (-25 today!) but I don't think that was it. I'm still not sure what it was all about, but she calmed down on the bus and the walk to daycare, but once in the door she was pouty and clingy like crazy. I had to peel the poor girl off my leg so I could get to work! The daycare workers are wonderful and one took her away while I quickly ran out the door. Hopefully I won't have many mornings like that again!

I have an exam coming up for my University course, so I have been studying when I get the chance, but I don't get that chance often enough. I am sure I'll pass the course but realistically my final mark will be less than impressive I'm sure!

Work is semi-busy, I have things to do but not everything is rush rush which is so nice. I can take a few minutes here and there to reflect which is a treat.

Respite is going well for the most part, although I did request a non-smoker and of course one of the ladies is a smoker, but she felt bad and said she usually makes an effort to not smoke before coming over, and she changes her clothes before she comes to my house... and seeing as she is such a nice lady I'm okay with that.

My Canadian World Youth girls left this morning - I was sad to see them go, but at the same time it will be nice to have the house to ourselves over the holidays. I do have ads posted to rent the room out again, so hopefully someone will be interested for January.

Sunday morning sleep-in!

My daughter let me sleep in until 8:30 - what a treat!! We had french toast for breakfast and now she's watching "Super Why" (CBC show that teaches spelling), so mommy and daughter are both happy this morning.

I assume as a result of me telling the military how desperate I was for respite, I had CFS come knock on my door last night. It was all good however and I didn't mind them checking up on us. In fact I appreciated it. Since working in police services as a comm op for 10 years and having a lot of dealings with CFS, I know that they were truly just checking up to make sure everyone was okay.

This evening I have respite again from 6 pm to 10 pm. I plan to go to a quiet coffee shop and get caught up on my reading for school - I am at least three weeks behind and have an exam December 18th so I better get cracking!

I almost forgot to mention, I've joined weight watchers and as a result, met up with three wonderful ladies at a local restaurant yesterday afternoon. My daughter kept me hopping as usual, but it was still a great visit. Hopefully WW will help me get back on track and keep my eating in check.

Seemingly never ending roller coaster

It's the respite roller coaster - and it's over three years long! Long story short, my local family support centre refuses to help me because we live off base, I do not drive, and the city transit does not go to the base so I can't access the deployment respite they offer. They say they don't have the budget to hire a sitter for me, or for pay for a cab ride to the base and back... and they don't want to give me a ride either. So, it seems I am SOL because I have a S family centre here!

I even approached the FSS (Family Support Section) in Edmonton asking if they could help (we live in Winnipeg) and another long story short, they can't because we're in Winnipeg and must receive service from Winnipeg. Too bad service in Winnipeg means f-you.

So, another long deployment (14 months) without support from the military. Sometimes I wonder why I haven't gone insane yet, or if I am insane and simply am too insane to realize that I'm insane. Or perhaps I must be insane to have stuck with this crap for this long!?