Today is family day and we have been pretty lazy today. Mel slept in until close to 10:45am, where she just lounged in bed. We have not had a weekend like this in a while where she can sleep in. I did not sleep in and was up at 3am. It is awesome with the Olympics because I just get up, eat something and then watch for a bit and then go back to sleep. This has allowed me to add in another meal in the day followed by no energy expenditure. Most people would not see this as a positive, but it works very well for me. I have made small simple quick snacks that I can eat quickly without any dishes. The kids love having a smoked whitefish dish in the fridge and I made some, but forgot to tell them. This allows me to eat some before they do. If I make a dip Mel and the kids will demolish it in half a day. It will last me 5 days. The difference in quantity between them and me is crazy. We bought 5 liters of chocolate milk from Summit Dairy and we still have some left. The exact amount I am not sure, but Xavier estimated that it would be done by today. We had 2 smaller 1 liter bottles that we have gone through already.
I know that I have spoken about the coffee maker, but the convenience of it is so amazing. It consistently makes great coffee and the longer we own it, the more coffee we seem to be drinking. We will make a really small portion sometimes in the afternoon or the evening. With the French press the about you had to make was much higher so we would only do it with the other was going to have some. I was thinking of small conveniences that make me easier. At 4am I purchased a portable monitor for when I am in Toronto for treatment. Ideally I would like 5 monitors but that might be hard to do. This way I have 2 monitors to do work with. I am thinking of what can I do to make things easier. Now most people will say I can stop working. Silly people, why stop when you can just work harder and more. Opposite world is more exciting. If the doctors say take time off I will work, if they tell me if will be difficult I will figure out a way to make it easier. I like to be difficult. The doctors like simple cases that they can solve and set up the patients for success. I like to throw a wrench into things to make things exciting. Why be boring when you can be complex. On the flipside though I outperform expectations and bring a calmness to things instead of stress when things do not go well. My attitude is we can figure it out.
We have an exhibition game tonight and Mel generally does not like to attend them. She barely tolerates going to games he is playing. If he was playing in the Stanley Cup finals she might miss out if she had to wash her hair. Priorities. The Stanley Cup finals happen every year. God forbid chores are not done because she slept all day. Mel works hard all of the time so she deserves a day of doing nothing. I told Mel that I can manage myself so she can go home and either do nothing or she can do chores. She will most likely go do chores because the weekend has been busy.
Today is Chinese New Year’s Eve and we went to my parents for dinner. This is the day where the kids get envelopes of money and in Asian culture it is far more lucrative than Christmas for the kids. We just give money to our kids as the rest are in the same generation as ours. If you have a big family you can get a lot of money but as our family is fairly small the kids only end up with a bit of money. I use to love this as my parents would make a ridiculous amount of delicious food. They made a lot of food but I can only eat 1 bite of everything and I need to be careful that I do not eat too much. Traditionally we would always have soft shell crab but we did not have enough. We had planned to bring Mel’s parents at the last moment and they did not have a chance to go shopping.I am struggling to eat sometimes it seems, so I need to be careful. There is a bit of burning sensation in my throat and stomach sometimes when I eat. It is a discomfort that normally signals stop eating. It is difficult because the amount of food is 1/4th of a cup but when you eat small bites it is a bit difficult to know how much you have eaten. That is why I try and stay away from the table when I am done eating. If I stay and i graze things do not turn out well.
Our neighbor is amazing and he has consistently cleared the snow at the end of our driveway all year long. Mel texted him to see if he would do it and he said yes he would this afternoon. We will get him something for all of the assistance he has provided. We got him some alcohol in the past and perhaps we will get him some more this year. A different kind this time perhaps. What I want the boys to learn is help others when you can and show appreciation. You can give a gift but give it with a hand written acknowledgement that is personal to them and not generic. It hits home more. We want to model the behaviour that we pass on to the kids. Have gratitude for those that help you. We want the boys to see that help should be acknowledged. Not with obligation, but with sincerity. Gratitude is not assumed. It is expressed.
QHM