What a week

By about 11:00 p.m. everyone in our house was tucked into warm beds, Brent and I had thrown on a down duvet and the kids were under coverlets. Everyone was happy to tuck in. Just as we were going to sleep two cats started fighting. Brent laughed out loud and said "You go for it cats- you've got nothing on Grenadian dogs!" and with that we fell fast asleep.

At 5:00 a.m. I woke up with a burning sore throat. I figured it must be the dryness of the plane and house so got up to get a glass of water. However the water only exacerbated the pain, and I crawled back into bed praying for a miracle, I couldn't be sick just 8 hours into being home. However by 5:30 it was obvious I was not feeling well and I was not going to get back to sleep. I got up knowing all my friends in Grenada would also be up and getting ready for their day; so while my house slept I started to unpack our bags.

Aiden was up by 6:30 and I put coffee on for Brent while sipping my first cup of tea from a tea pot in ten months. My sister and mom (with assistance from my mother-in-law) had stocked our fridge with strawberries, cherries, blueberries, mushrooms, sausages, cream and many other yummy foods. I cooked up some breakfast sausages and Aiden scarfed them down while getting dressed so he could run over to Ama's. Owen didn't even bother to eat he just threw on clothes and chased Aiden out the door.

By 9:00 a.m. my mom, sister and brother-in-law (Ken) had come over, but I was feeling progressively worse. My mom had bought me flannel pyjamas with feet and a hood as a joke, but by 9:30 I was snuggled into it. In Grenada I would have been able to grate some ginger and turmeric and make a soothing tea but here I had no turmeric and only powdered ginger- it just isn't the same!

Ken and Brent got our van running and the pool cover off. The pool was (and sadly still is) a very unpleasant colour of green. With those tasks done, Ceilidh and Ken headed away and I headed back to bed.

After being so excited to be home for Canada Day I spent most of it in bed.

That doesn't mean a lot didn't happen. Mckayla and Mackenzie brought over jam and fresh rhubarb from their mom and dad. Max sent an urgent note via Facebook for Aiden to come over and play and Ceilidh dropped Aiden off at the Tobey household on her way out of town. Owen went looking all over town for his friends, brothers Braden and Carter. Aiden ran into his friend Yana and neighbours came out and over to welcome us back. I had my bedroom window open and got to hear all the well wishes and it made me feel as warm in my heart as the duvet was keeping my feet.

I had really hoped the cold would just be a 24 hour thing, but as the days progressed it became clear
that being up a few hours and then going back to bed was what was needed. Anyone who knows me knows I love being busy, so I think this was natures way of slowing me down. I would however like Mother Nature to know I got the point but I need to get better because napping at work is not an option!

Slowly everyone in the house (and my sister and mom) have come down with cold like symptoms. No doubt our family has little immunity to colds viruses that are here in Ontario. Happily kids don't let sniffles stop them and they have been biking and hiking around the neighbourhood.

I had to start work on Monday and even though I was feeling miserable the warm welcome I got from Brigitte, Amy, Arlene and Erin, as well as countless emails wishing me well helped me get through the day. However when I got home I went straight to bed.

So with one  week under our belt in Canada we are slowly getting back to normal. Well except for the missing $9,000 and tearing the ceiling out of our foyer... more on that in a later post!