Finding My Way

Spring Break has finally arrived.  I have been looking forward to this week so much...no work, no lunches to make, no homework to worry about...but, most of all it means time to slow down and enjoy my kids again.  I do feel like a drill sargent at times...get dressed, brush your teeth, get your backpack ready, get out to the bus, eat your lunch, do your homework, pick up your laundry, blah, blah, blah....some days feel like a bit of a marathon.  It is nice to put that aside for a few days at least and just breath.
Today we took Grace to the doctor because of a cough that doesn't seem to want to go away.  We were at the clinic for an hour.  The wait was worth it though because she didn't have broncitis and didn't need antibiotics.  He gave her some cough medicine to help her sleep and said she should be good in a couple of days.  The clinic we went to is in the local mall in my hometown of Selkirk. 
When I was growing up we were so excited to get a new mall built on Main Street in Selkirk.  It was cool to have so many stores in one place and I remember walking the mall with my parents thinking it was the best place in town!  I got my first bank account in that mall; I worked through High School as a waitress in that mall, and through University in a grocery store in that mall; I represented the mall in the local Miss Steeler pagent (to support our local hockey team); and I spent hours hanging out with my friends in that mall.  I told Abby and Tyler they could explore the mall while I waited with Grace for the doctor.  They were excited because we don't spend a lot of time shopping in Selkirk with the exception of Wal-Mart and Marketplace for groceries and neither of those stores are in 'the mall'.  It took them 10 minutes to explore the mall!!  My adult eyes now see that the mall is really a long hallway with a few stores....not too much going on!  Some of the stores are empty and those that are there didn't have much to offer my kids.  They prefer the bigger malls with stores like Apple and Ardenes.  With a food court to eat at and some sort of water feature.  Their world is different.  They will never know my excitement as a child walking through Blaine's Record and Tapes Store or getting my hair cut at Cloud 9 Hair Fashions or having my Mom buy me the brown gouchos at The Met that I wanted so badly or watching my Dad cut meat at Locomart Groceries (or when he took me into the back to see the big meat freezer).  They have their own memories.  Watching how bored they got so quickly with 'the mall' showed me how much things have changed.
We rounded out our day with a movie (at the fancy theatre in Winnipeg!).  Diary of a Wimpy Kid...so funny!  I was laughing out loud.  Tyler has read all the books and told us all the gross parts so we could look away from the screen!  It was a great afternoon.
Life is good....and tomorrow is another day!
Cheers.....