Date night last night, and we saw The Barbarian Invasions ... I'm still mulling it over. Enjoyed it though ... it was sad but unsentimental. I like characters who are good conversationalists. For the sake of my mental health, I'm going to assume that they painted way too bleak a picture of the Canadian health system. I cling to the belief that some countries with good, free, health care still exist.

And speaking of mediocre, desperately expensive healthcare : we see the endocrinologist again tomorrow morning. I'm assuming that she'll have the results from the stim test we had done on March 31st. And I'm also assuming that she'll have some answers about what treatment is needed and when it'll start.

We are still waiting to hear if our visa will be renewed. It's now well past the outer time limit that they gave us. However, our lawyer got a letter from the INS the other day requesting proof that Bobby is still employed by his company, so hopefully now that they have that things will get moving. At least we know they haven't lost our application. We are starting to try to figure out which area we'd like to buy in, and it looks like this summer's project might be buying a house. But we won't start that process in earnest till the visa finally comes through. Meanwhile, we torment Stephen (who likes all things to be shiny, new, and impressive) by oohing and ahing over every rotting shack we pass (and, since they build houses out of wood here, I do actually mean rotting), and burbling about charm and character and how we've always wanted to learn to do-it-ourselves, and how chores like caring for goats build character in teens.

Tonight we are going to the open-house for the pre-IB magnet program that Emily starts next year. She's desperately hoping that she gets her schedule. She's such a Lisa Simpson.

Saturday the kids have a climbing competition a couple of hours away from here, in Gainesville. To be honest, I am tempted let Bobby take them on his own, while I stay here and give the house a really thorough clean. God knows it could do with it. However ... I have always felt that I don't want to be the "mom on the sidelines". The mom who stands by and holds the towels while everyone else swims, the mom who watches while dad goes sailing with the kids ... you know. And I feel this more so now that all three children are - well - children. That's why I often find myself doing things I wouldn't necessarily have chosen if left to my own devices - parasailing, or climbing mountains, or even canoeing when I really rather lie on the grass with a book. But inevitably, when I do those things - even if I didn't want to embark on them in the first place - I enjoy them. And the kids enjoy having me do them. So - I'm going to go to the competition, and the carpets will stay grubby.

And on Sunday the five of us are going to a production of Anthony and Cleopatra with the book group. I better run over the plot with the kids beforehand so they aren't hopelessly confused ...