A Word Or More...

Privacy

2010-04-01T19:49:00.002-04:00

I've hesitated doing this, because I'm sure I'll have no readers at all if I do. But, I think the time has come to make this blog private.

Although I'm finding it therapeutic to write about some stuff that's going on with me now, I still need to be aware that the internet can sometimes be a big, bad place. I enjoy using this blog as a forum, but for the protection of my family, I will be making it private.

So, if you are interested in following me on it, leave me a comment with your e-mail address and I'll include you on the list.

Thanks.

Trust

2010-03-30T14:23:00.003-04:00

I find it difficult to trust. Although that shouldn't come as a surprise based on recent events, it does sadden me and I hope it doesn't affect my life in the future.

Right now, I doubt everything. I keep being told "it's going to get better", and as much I want to believe that's true, right now, I can't even imagine it.

How do you get your brain to believe that things are what they appear to be, when your whole world has been turned upside down and when nothing is as you thought it was?

How do you even trust yourself when you forgive and try to move forward, only to be slammed by reality once again?

How do you forget that the person you trusted and loved the most, is the one who also let you down the most?

This Says It All...

2010-03-22T06:23:00.001-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjxwj7uD_Qs

Just For Me

2010-02-22T11:20:00.003-05:00

I didn't mean for it to be so long between posts, but life has a way of catching up to you, and that's very true for me, especially these days.

Counseling continues and it is a process. There are steps forward and then there are steps behind. I had honestly hoped and thought that by now there would be some sort of resolve one way or other, but we are still "a work in progress".

I've been reminded, numerous times, that patience isn't one my virtues, so the wait-and-see aspect of this all has not been easy for me. As sad and true as it is, I am a planner. I want to know what the future holds and I want to plan it to best benefit myself.

The only thing I can plan right now is how to take care of myself. Michael has to find contentment within himself and as much as I want to be there for him, ultimately he has to find happiness with himself, as I do in myself. When we both find that happiness, apart or together, we will also become better parents to our children.

So, I've got a couple of things I want to explore to take care of myself.

The first thing is massage therapy. I don't have any significant physical aches and pains, but I'm looking at it as more of a stress reliever. A couple of months ago when things were particularly difficult, I saw my family doctor. After a talk, he prescribed me an anti-depressant, which I reluctantly got filled. I researched it a bit and talked to countless people to garner their opinions. I ultimately decided not to take the anti-depressants. I want to make it clear that I am in no way passing judgement on those who choose to take and benefit from them. After weighing the pros and cons and doing a bit of self-analysis, I just didn't feel it was right for me at the time. So, I was interested in pursuing a non-medicinal way to stress relief. I've never had a professional massage, but I'm told it's WONDERFUL. But being the worry-wart I am, I have two concerns. One is that I'm EXTREMELY ticklish. Does it tickle? What if I squirm and wiggle myself right off the table? Will the massage therapist think I'm a complete idiot? (I had a pedicure a few months ago and that was pretty much a nightmare). The other thing is, I have trouble lying on my stomach. I always used to be a stomach sleeper, but had to have thoracic (chest) surgeries almost 20 years ago when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease, and it was impossible to sleep on my stomach after that. Yes, it healed, but even then I found it difficult to sleep on my stomach and have been a side or back sleeper ever since. I don't even lie on my stomach on the beach.

Another thing I want to try is bottling my own wine. (I said non-medicinal, not non-alcoholic!) My sister and parents do it and they say it's pretty easy. I enjoy a nice glass of wine and although it's a lot of money at once, it comes out much cheaper in the long run than buying individual bottles at the liquor store. I just wonder if I will drink more (thereby NOT making it cheaper in the long run) if it's more easily acesssible. Hmmm...I think I'll take the risk--you know, for the sake of my stress level and all. :)

The last thing I've looked into is a yoga class. There is one in the spring at my neighbourhood community centre that I'm thinking of joining. Again, I don't really know much about yoga. I have this vision of peace and serenity and chanting and stuff and that's all good, but I think the reality is that yoga is much more difficult physically than I am imagining. So, I'm still sort of toying with that idea. Registration doesn't start for another month, so I have time.

So, that's it. I have said to many people that, one way or other, I'm going to be a better person at the end of the counseling, no matter what the outcome is. That's my goal and I hope I'm making progress toward it.

Bullets

2010-01-19T12:04:00.002-05:00

Time to post some items of interest (or maybe not, but you're getting them anyways...) that aren't quite interesting enough to warrant their own post.

My house is still standing and my children are still alive. That's important to report because, as a follow up to my previous post, they have been left alone for two times for about an hour each time. Both times occured on weekends during the day to allow me time to run some errands. Now they're clamoring to be left alone during the evening or night. While they and I are not ready for that yet, I'm happy with my decision to put some trust in them and give them a shot.
I started a new course--English 1. A portion of the assignments are written reports. It would be nice if I could just hand in posts from this blog. Unfortunately, I can't--I had a look at the outline and the reports are very specific. A lot of it is grammar-based, which I don't anticipate a problem with, but I'm especially nervous about the oral presentation portion. Thankfully, it can be submitted electronically, so I don't have to look at any scowling faces--I just have to figure out how to use a microphone on my computer.
Christopher is growing up and I'm reluctant to let it happen. The other day, two girls knocked on the door looking for him! He wasn't home, but we saw them sort of skulking around the neighbourhood and eventually, they found out where he was. He was being stalked! And how bold is this? They actually went to THAT house and called on him. While I can get on board with the stalking thing (yes, I've done stupid things in my past that makes me not even think this is weird...), I certainly was never brave enough in grade 5 to ring a doorbell of a complete stranger looking for a boy who didn't even live there! When I talked to Chris about it (and of course, I HAD to!), he just shook his head and sighed. He's such a boy!
Michael and I have been to two counseling sessions. I'm not sure what to say about them. They've been difficult, interesting, nerve-wracking and a relief all at the same time. They're definitely not how I anticipated them to be, but at the same time, I know it was silly to think I could write the script for them before I went. Are they helping? Sometimes I think so, and sometimes I'm not sure. But, I'm doing OK. I can't predict our future with any certainty and it's a process we're going through.
I need to start laughing again--and more often. That's my short-term goal for now.

Home Alone

2010-01-04T19:13:00.003-05:00

Lately I have spoken to a few parents who have children in and around the same ages of mine who have started leaving them alone for short periods of time. I haven't had the courage or really, the opportunity to do it with my guys, but I'm starting to consider it.

Chris is 10 1/2 years old. I know that when I was in Grade 5, I would come home from school at lunchtime, make my own lunch and get myself back to school with no parental supervision because they were both at work. To the best of my recollection, there were never any issues (except when friends who stayed for lunch would come home with me and I don't think I ever quite told my parents--but nothing ever happened...). They stay at school for lunch, so it's not the same situation, but I wonder if they'd be OK for an hour or so if I had to go away on a weekend or something.

Chris is very responsible and I think he knows the right things to do. There are courses that are occasionally offered in staying alone and the next time one comes up, I intend to register him for it.

My hesitation comes in leaving them both alone together. What if they kill each other while I'm gone? What if Andrew goes outside and Chris is so wrapped up in something he's doing that he doesn't realize it?

I know I would have to instill rules and make sure they aware of how to handle emergency situations. And of course there's the always effective threat of "if you can't follow the rules while I'm gone, you will have to come with me to wherever I go--and that includes looking at ladies clothes!!!". Yup, that one ought to work. It always did for me (but the threat was more likely a fabric store or a bedding department...).

So, I'm interested in hearing from anyone who has children, no matter what their ages. When did you start leaving your kids alone? If your kids are around the same ages as mine (8 and 10), have you left them alone or are you considering doing so? Can you share any tips?

Would you leave these two alone in your home?

Unexpected

2009-12-31T06:48:00.003-05:00

So, my life has had an unexpected turn of events.

Michael and I have had some long, not-always-easy conversations over the past three evenings and have decided to seek counseling for our marriage. Timing is everything, isn't it?

I am feeling lots of emotions about this. I am still extremely guarded and we both have huge trust issues that will need to be addressed. I am nervous as hell to sit with him in front of a counselor, because I don't know how it will go or what his reactions will be. Communication hasn't been our strongest suit lately. And counseling can't work if you don't open up--so that will be an interesting process. I am also sort of excited at the prospect, because I really hope through this process we will be able to find our way back to each other and rediscover the qualities that attracted us to one another in the first place.

I know after everything that has happened, there are those who are skeptical that this will prove to be successful. And I don't think I am going into it with false hopes. While I am going into this with the best of intentions and will give it all I have, I will still be protecting myself to never have to go through the pain of the past two months. I can't help that.

If I there is a positive side to the past two months, it will be that I know I don't NEED him in order to live my life. I have my kids, family, friends, and a decent job and I have myself. What I hope comes out of this is that we choose to have each other because we want each other to be there...not because financially or "for the kids", staying together is the best option.

He isn't moving back in at this time. The kids are not being told that "daddy is coming home". I am not wearing my rings. We are taking things one hour, one day, one week at a time and seeing where things go.

I Wish I Had Said That...

2009-12-29T05:59:00.003-05:00

There comes a time when you must stand alone.

You must feel confident enough within yourself to follow your own dreams.

You must be willing to make sacrifices.

You must be capable of changing and rearranging your priorities so that your final goal can be achieved.

Sometimes, familiarity and comfort need to be challenged.

There are times when you must take a few extra chances and create your own realities.

Be strong enough to at least try to make your life better.

Be confident enough that you won't settle for a compromise just to get by.

Appreciate yourself by allowing yourself the opportunities to grow, develop, and find your true sense of purpose in this life.

Don't stand in someone else's shadow when it's your sunlight that should lead the way.

(I'm not sure I truly believe all this yet--but I'm trying... I really wanted to post this as a facebook status--but it was too long...)

Back At It...

2009-12-28T08:39:00.003-05:00

Well, I don't know if anybody is still reading, but it's time to get back at this thing.

There has been a reason for the absence, and there's probably a reason for starting to write again--I'm just not sure what that is, but hopefully it will turn out to be something positive.

Over the Christmas holidays, Michael and I separated. Things started going badly in November (or probably well before that) and as much as I hoped they would turn out differently, they haven't. We decided to wait until after Christmas to tell the kids or make any major decisions. I wish the timing could have been better, but things rapidly detiororated in the weeks preceding Christmas and we told the kids on Boxing Day. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, and I wonder how much I changed who my children are on that day.

I have been seeing a counselor and my family and friends have been solidly behind me.

I am a mess of emotion. At times I am terrified, at times I am furious, at times I am confident and at times I am very sad. These feelings often change from minute to minute and I can't predict anything anymore.

I don't intend on airing my marital dirty laundry via this blog because out of respect for the children and also for Michael, I don't think it's the appropriate thing to do.

My main goal in writing on this again is to hopefully look back on these posts one day and see how far I've come. Right now, that seems like a REALLY long way away.

I'm also intending for every post to not be a whining, crybaby session. Life goes on and the boys and I have one to live. I'd still like to share our everyday comings and goings and hopefully some of the old Susan is still in there and capable of sharing these things. (But the whining ones will still show up from time to time, I'm sure...)

So, I hope you'll join me for the ride as I work toward building a new life for myself and my kids. (see, in that sentence I'm feeling confident..that's good, right?)

Days Gone By

2009-10-03T11:45:00.005-04:00

You'd think my first post in a good, long time (that's not just pictures, I mean) would be about something like...ummm...our summer holidays...nope...changes at work and the on-line courses I'm working on...nope...the kids' first day of school and how grades three and five are going for them...nope ...(although, I will be posting pictures of their first days soon...).

Nope, none of the above...

This post is about....

wait for it.....

the Keith Urban concert I went to on Thursday night!!!!

Well, as you can probably tell by the big letters and multiple exclamation marks, I had a fabulous time.

A couple of weeks ago, my original companions for the show had to back out due to medical reasons. So, that was disappointing. But, thankfully, I snagged a couple of more friends who wanted to go, so off we went.

Lady Antebellum opened for him and they were really good. It's so nice going to see an opening act that you actually want to see (hence my paranoia about being late and being completely anal with all the parties who had to change their schedules around for me to get to the concert on time...) and whose songs you know. They played for about 45 minutes.

Then after what seemed like an eternity, out came Keith!

What I've always found attractive about Keith Urban (besides, the obvious gorgeous, perfect face and killer smile, that is --and yes, he is that attractive in real life!) is that he always seems to be having so much fun when he's performing. And that came through loud and clear (REALLY loud, actually...) at the concert.

He's quite the ball of energy. He ran from side to side of the stage, all the while playing a variety of guitars.

Then, he got off the stage and made his way (surrounded by his security dudes, naturally) to a mini-stage toward the back of the arena (not far from where our seats were!). It was pretty cool. My friend, Sue, and I got as close as we could (abandoning her poor husband who stayed behind and took the pictures I've posted here and on facebook). As he got on his mini-stage, he announced "Who's got the good seats now?" Then, one of his roadies was beside us with a guitar and passed it to another guy to give to Keith, but when he did it hit my friend! Not hard or anything...and we kind of gave it a cosmic spin by saying "It touched you...and he touched it...so it's sort of like he touched you!" haaaa! (I guess you could safely call us "immature" or maybe even "delusional"...) Before he sang "Memories Of Us" he dedicated it to his wife. And we heard after the show that she was there, but we never saw her. I really wondered how they were going to get him off that stage, through the crowd that had gathered and back on to the main stage--but they did it! (I read yesterday that he uses his guitar and speed to move without incident...)

He had another foray into the audience where he went up in the stands and they plunked a microphone stand down and he stood there and sang. Can you imagine being behind him??

So, it was a really great night and just what I needed.

He put on a great show and I would definitely go see him again.

Patrick

2009-09-15T06:13:00.003-04:00

So sad...

To Blog Or Not To Blog...

2009-08-24T23:49:00.003-04:00

I've been pondering for a while whether I want to keep this blog going. I've gotten so lax about it and wonder if I could have said all that there is to say (stop snickering those of you who think I always have something to say...)

I look back at posts I've written and if I do say so myself, some of them are really good. And funny. And I like them. And lately anything I even attempt to compose (when I bother to try and think of something to write, that is) just pales in comparison.

And it's all so boring. (and I don't even think I even know how to write any more--good lord, just look at all those sentences I started with the word "and"!)

I could post about my holidays--but big deal...we went camping...here are the pictures--whoopy do! (and besides, I posted them on my facebook, and since most of you are also my friends on facebook, do you really want to see them twice?)

I sometimes wish I had created a bit more anonymity for myself on this thing, so I could rant and rave without going back and editing myself or risk totally embarrassing myself in front of those who might actually know me "in the real world".

Lately I've also been sort of protective of my family's privacy. I don't know why--nothing's happened--but I've watched a few news stories on just this issue and it really gets you thinking.

I've thought about making it private, and this is something I'm still mulling over. I'm just unsure as to how many readers I actually have and whether it's worth it for the 5 or 6 people I think might actually read this drivel. (Can you tell I'm sort of having a bad night?)

The dumb thing is, while I criticize my own content, I really do enjoy reading about the day-to-day happenings on other people's blogs and I still stay as current on reading them as I ever have.

So, that's what's going on...not a heck of a lot. I think the only reason I'm doing this now is because I'm having trouble sleeping tonight because too many things are running through my head. So, it was either pull a Michael Jackson or play around on the computer.

Later.

Ten!

2009-07-27T19:58:00.002-04:00

Today I am the mother of a double-digit kid! How can that be??? More specifically--how did I manage to keep him alive for 10 years? Some days I really wonder.

Christopher is such a cool kid (well, what parent doesn't say that about their own child?)

He has loved nature-related things, specifically animals, his whole life. Having come back from camping, he is now changing his future career from paleontologist (which he decided he wanted to be when he was 2!) to naturalist. He has a huge collection of animal encyclopedias, books, etc. that I think would rival that section of the library and they have grown more in-depth and detailed as he's gotten older.

He continues to play hockey and although he likely won't ever be the top scorer of his team, his coaches have always held high regard for his positive attitude and good work ethic. I wouldn't trade that for all the goals in the world--although it is really cool when he gets them!

Christopher has lots of friends and next week he is going away with one of them for 4 whole nights. Yikes! I'm pretty certain in saying that I will miss him much more than he misses me. It's not that he doesn't love me, it's just that he's very secure and will have no problem with homesickness and I hope the family enjoys having him.

His brother thinks he is the greatest thing in the world--at the same time as being his biggest antagonist, causing Christopher to lose his cool more often than not. I guess that's just the plight of being the big brother.

He has grown from a temper-tantrummy 2 year old (say that three times fast!) to a mature young man who, most of the time, is a pleasure to be around.

As I look at him tonight, I can't believe that ten years ago right now I was holding a little red-headed bunchkin in my arms and wondering what his life would hold. He's made me so proud and happy to be his mom.

We love you, Christopher. Happy birthday!

July Bullets

2009-07-07T19:57:00.011-04:00

So, it's been awhile and there are a few updates to report, so it's time to do it bullet style.

I started an online Word course. I thought it was going to be a fairly basic course and my reason for taking this particular one was more to familiarize myself with the online part of it (receiving, sending assignments, tests, etc.) than the Word part of it. But, I just finished chapter 2 and I've already been exposed to some Word elements I've never used. I just might learn something after all and I'm thinking I'm not going to breeze through this quite as quickly as I had thought. I just submitted my first assignment tonight.

We had Christopher's kids' birthday party last week even though his birthday isn't until the end of the month. I'm going to risk being called a bad mom here when I say "I HATE HOSTING KIDS' BIRTHDAY PARTIES!!!!" The family ones are easy enough, but the kids' ones always stress me out. I've gotten better though and sort of enjoyed this one--maybe because the kids were 10 and not as insane as they are when they're 5 and 6 and 7. We had the party here and although they're not my favourite things to host, having it here is awesome. This is the third birthday party Christopher has had here and Andrew also had his here in May. (oops...I forgot to post about that one...). Here's a few pictures from both parties.

Corn snake around Andrew's neck

I had to post this picture of the cupcakes I made for Chris' party. I think--actually I'm sure--that this is the first time I've actually baked anything for my kids' parties. (see--I told you I'm a bad mom--totally a "buy it from the bakery" kind of mom...) Christopher asked for cupcakes and I figured I couldn't screw them up too badly. They were a hit and the kids loved the gummy snakes and spiders on top that went well with the theme of the party.

A couple of weeks ago we bought a fish tank at a garage sale. It was a pretty good deal--$15.00 for a 10-gallon tank including the pump, heater, decorative accessories, net and a bucket. But since then, we've been back and forth to the fish store about 10 times getting everything else we need (filters, bacteria, more gravel and a couple of plants). And yeah, FISH! We initially bought three little guppies (we were told not to buy our entire stock at once), but they lasted for about a week and sadly all died. We went back to the store to find out what we did wrong and it would appear that we overfed them. So, we bought three more fish and are taking another stab at it. I hope they last but I was told today that fish dying repeatedly in the first month of establishing a tank is normal and to be expected while the water is establishing itself to properly house a fish. Great. So, I told the kids not to get attached to any of the first fish we have. This deal of a tank is turning out to be a great big pain. I'm keeping my distance and making it more Mike's and the kids' project.

We went camping for the first time this season. Mike had taken the kids a couple of weeks ago, but this was our first outing as a family. The weather was beautiful and we had a good time...too bad it was only for one night. Here are pictures I took at the water. It's not really a beach because it's on shale deposits and you have to be very careful not to slip and hurt yourself. Of course, Andrew did...not too seriously though. Everyone had a really good time.

As those of you who are my "friends" on Facebook know, I had a bit of an accident on Saturday morning, prior to leaving for camping. I was taking a dish of hot cereal out of the microwave and it slipped and fell splashing on my left hand, left arm, left leg and right toe (who knew that oatmeal could jump!). It was pretty painful and I'm pretty blistered up. I went to the doctor yesterday and he prescribed antibiotic cream and also drained a bit from my pinky which was very swollen. For those who want to see, I snapped a picture of it at camping (before it was drained):

The blister is down now by about half of what it was in this picture. Everything else is healing as well, but I suspect I'll have some pretty nasty scars when this is all said and done.

That's all to report for now.

Bye!

1958-2009

2009-06-25T19:34:00.006-04:00

Let's remember him for his talent and when he was at his best...not what he became in later years:

Rest In Peace

Sand Cake

2009-06-14T09:47:00.009-04:00

We had a fairly ~~boring~~ relaxing weekend at home, so the kids and I got creative and made sand cake! I found the recipe in a magazine and decided to give it a whirl. I rarely make recipes from magazines because, well truth be known, I'm pretty lazy when it comes to whipping up kitchen magic. I like eating it, but making it is quite a different story.

So, without further adieu...

Presenting my sand cake!!!!!

And here's pictures of Andrew and I enjoying it. (Mike had some too--and poor Chris, wanted some but wasn't feeling well by the time it was ready, so we'll save him some...REALLY, he wasn't feeling well BEFORE he ate it!)

Here's the recipe in case anyone is interested in making it:

1 (5.25 oz.) package of sugar cookies (I couldn't find any so substituted vanilla wafers and sugar cones instead)

1 frozen butter pound cake, thawed

2 large packages of chocolate instant pudding mix

3 cups milk

1 large container of frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 chocolate covered toffee candy bars, finely crushed (I used coffee crisp--a household favourite)

Garnish: chocolate candy shells

1. Crumble cookies; process until finely crushed; set aside. (Cookies will resemble sand). Cut pound cake into 1-inch cubes; set aside.

2. Whisk together pudding mix and milk; add whipped topping and vanilla, whisking until smooth.

3. Place half of cookie crumbs into a 3-quart sand pail; top with one-third of pudding mixture, half of cake and half of chocolate bars; continue layering pudding, cake and chocolate bars, ending with a layer of pudding. Top with remaining cookie crumbs. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes. Garnish with candy shells if desired.

Let me know if you make it!

I Wish I Had Said That...

2009-06-13T13:52:00.005-04:00

Not sure which way I'm feeling this one today...but I like it...

Life is tough, it's tougher when you're stupid.

-John Wayne

$25.00

2009-06-01T13:45:00.005-04:00

What can you buy for $25.00? Well, if you were with the kids and me on the weekend, you could have bought:

-4 forest green woven placemats
-Othello (the game, not the Shakespearean king)
-a light saber (not just any light saber--Darth Maul's light saber!)
-a remote controlled insect
-2 player mini-sticks
-1 goalie mini-stick
-an inflatable chair ("which would be really good for playing video games--puhhhleazzee, Mommy?")
-a framed Mark Messier/Wayne Gretzky picture (it's old...Mark has some hair...)
-a 3D castle puzzle (which was allowed under the condition that Mommy not be asked to help complete...)
-a box of 15 small star-shaped candles
-a Montreal Canadiens talking beer can holder (brand new from Avon, still in the package with a price tag of $11.00 that Christopher thought would be a good Father's Day gift--he was right!)
-an Emerson Drive CD
-6 tennis balls
-a wicker chair with pad (in great condition!)
-a chest protector for road hockey
-a Toronto Maple Leafs clock

We went garage saling and we bought it all! Garage sales are hit and miss and on Saturday we did really well...or not so well considering I'm always harping on Michael and the boys to declutter and get rid of junk. It doesn't help my case when I encourage this kind of behaviour. But, I like a good deal and we all came back happy. Well 3 out of the 4 of us did!

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

2009-05-31T18:45:00.010-04:00

We had the best time today.

On Friday, very spur of the moment, I went on-line and got tickets for the Toronto Blue Jays' game (agains the Boston Red Sox). But, they weren't just any tickets...no sireeee...they were these tickets!

Yup, all you can eat! Seriously... besides "You've won the lottery", are there four better words in the English language???

Anyone who's been to a Blue Jay game knows that they absolutely gouge you on food prices. Although the tickets were a bit more expensive, it was so nice to be able to tell the kids "yes" when they asked for treats and not have to haul my own stash in a backpack...much to Michael's embarrassment and horror. (It doesn't embarrass me in the least...)

It was Andrew's first Blue Jay game--Chris had been to one many years ago when he was in daycare. It was also the first time Michael and I have been to a Blue Jay game together.

We drove to Yorkdale mall and took the subway downtown (took about 20 minutes). Doing that saved us probably $10 - $20 in parking and an immeasurable level of stress finding a parking spot and dealing with the inevitable after-event traffic. It worked out really well and was also the first time the kids have ridden a subway.

We had so much fun. Besides the never-ending supply of food (well, almost "never-ending"--they did cut it off at the bottom of the 7th inning, but we more than had our fill by then), the atmosphere was wonderful.

In the final innings when it became apparent that the Jays were going to lose, we still had a blast by some guys in our section who probably had had more than their share of beer. They kept starting a wave, which eventually made its way around the entire stadium (30, 000 + people) and then they entertained everyone by just cheering out trivial things that seem stupid, but in the moment, were absolutely hilarious. Things like "Hey...let's count to 10!" and got everyone to do it and cheer at the end. And then, "Let's count to 14!". Again cheers and then the leader of the group stood up and said "Take that, 13!" The kids thought it was hilarious. When one of the guys in his row left, he stood up and said "Hey, this guy is leaving...everyone..." And everyone joined in for a rousing chorus of "Na na na...na na na....hey hey hey...goodbye!" And the guy bowed, waved and left. The security standing there was crying because she was laughing so hard. As we left, we saw the guy outside holding up a bag of peanuts (that was available to us for free) and saying "Peanuts...$3.00...get your peanuts here!" I wonder if he sold them. Oh well, you have to make your own fun, right?

I also had a lot of fun listening to one of the Jays' names. His name is Rod Barajas (pronounced ba-RA-has), but the announcer kept really overemphasizing the middle part of it and it cracked me up and I couldn't wait for him to be up to bat again so I could hear it again. Then the kids started saying "Rod Bara-ha-ha-has". (It clearly doesn't take much to amuse me, I know...)

So, it was a good day and I'm glad we made the trek to the big city.

Here's a few pictures:

First time on a subway

Ohhhh...very tallllll!!! (C.N. Tower)

Ba-RA-jas!!!

Psychedelic Symphony

2009-05-21T12:47:00.007-04:00

Last night, Michael and I went to the symphony.

Yes, you are reading that correctly...and no, I don't mean this kind of symphony...exactly:

There were cellos and violins, but no formal attire and stuffy attitudes.

There was one of these:

But he wasn't wearing a bow tie and tails. He was wearing jeans and a tie-dyed t-shirt.

This is where we went.

My sister has season's tickets for all the shows, but is on a trip this week, so couldn't use the tickets for last night's show and offered them to us.

The premise of these series of shows (called Jeans 'N Classics) is to pair our local symphony with rock-styled themes and singers to present a casual, fun show. The band members are casually dressed in jeans and there's a lot of fun interaction with the audience between songs.

I wasn't sure if Michael would want to go, but he did. We got a babysitter and off we went.

It was awesome and the best part is that Michael loved it! I think he had his doubts about what it would be like and, unlike me, doesn't get excited about things (unless a puck and hockey sticks are involved that is...), but he was tapping his feet and getting into it (definitely more so than I ever would have thought). He loved the guitar solos performed by Rik Emmett.

I thought I might not know a lot of the music (not having experienced 60's music first-hand--well 3 year's worth, I guess...but it didn't really make an impression...). But I knew and enjoyed most of it. But then again, how can you not love hearing "Somebody to Love" by Jefferson Airplane and "Piece of My Heart" by Janis Joplin.

Anything went as far as audience attire, and some people were even all decked out in hippy clothes complete with peace signs and headbands.

And the coolest part (well, maybe not the coolest part--but it WAS really cool...) was that they had a table set up in the lobby where you could make tie-dyed t-shirts for a small donation to a local school of arts. So, I made a red one and picked it up at the end of the show. It didn't come out with as much colour as I would have liked, but it's still kind of neat. (Christopher saw it this morning and said it looked like something from a murder scene...thanks for that!)

So, it was a great show and a great evening.

Thanks again for offering us the tickets, Frances. The show was greatly enjoyed.

Peace, man!

Eight!

2009-05-11T09:41:00.000-04:00

Andrew turns eight today.

It's hard to believe and at the same time, it's hard to remember a time when he wasn't running around the house wreaking havoc and charming me with his beautiful smile.

He's the typical little brother who takes great pleasure in irritating the crap out of his older brother (apparently, he comes by it honestly, straight from his mother--which is COMPLETE hogwash...smile...)

He still loves sports more than ever (to play and to watch) and has been known to sneak downstairs very early in the morning to watch TSN to find out the hockey scores, which he probably tried to stay up for the night before and inevitably fell asleep before the end.

He loves a good snuggle, but prefers hugs to kisses. Thankfully, I can still get "I love you's" from him without too much pressure.

Although he doesn't admit it, he enjoys school. Probably more so the social aspect of it, but he does well with social studies and writing coming out on top as his favourite subjects. Art usually results in a "C" on his report card, but again, he comes by that honestly as well. Surprisingly he doesn't enjoy gym in school as much as one would think--the too-many-rules games of dodgeball and folkdancing that seem to make up the majority of the physical education curriculum just don't cut it with this kid.

Andrew has lots of friends, some of which I wish he didn't...but our doorbell always seems to be ringing with neighbourhood kids asking him to come out and play.

He has an unlimited amount of enthusiasm for everything he does. He's loud--he's VERY loud. He plays hard and crashes hard. He has a huge heart and he's my little man...

Love you, Andrew!!

This Instead of That

2009-05-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

barefoot instead of slippers
onion rings instead of fries
arenas instead of dance studios
staples instead of paper clips
tuna instead of salmon
pop instead of rock
American Idol instead of Dancing With The Stars
necklaces instead of rings
nervous instead of confident
bare legs instead of pantyhose
short hair instead of long hair
half-empty instead of half-full
pedicure instead of manicure
Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise
perennials instead of annuals
photographs instead of videos
pencils instead of pens
DJ's instead of bands
pyjamas instead of lingerie
glasses instead of contacts

This is my second stab at a list like this one. The first one is here and it was hard coming up with items I hadn't already used!

September Excitement

2009-05-01T14:17:00.006-04:00

I think for the first time in my life, this year, I'm looking forward to the end of summer. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to summer too! Camping, cottaging, cold and colourful beverages, beaches--yup--those are all good things.

But at the end of summer this year I also have this to look forward to at the end of September:

Keith Urban, baby!!!!!! (yes, I will forever be the quintessential groupie--and guess what? I don't care!)

He's doing a concert about an hour away and I will be there! I got tickets this morning. And I think they're good ones too--centre floor.

I'm a happy girl right now.

Michael isn't coming to this one with me though. He says Keith Urban is a "chick concert". Whatever....at least I don't have to look for a babysitter then!

I wanna kiss a girl, I wanna hold her tight,

And maybe make a little magic in the moonlight.

Don't wanna go too far just to take it slow,

But I shouldn't be lonely in this big ol' world.

I wanna kiss a girl.

Uh huh...I'm there...

Here's another picture:

First Holy Communion, part deux

2009-04-24T20:57:00.004-04:00

It's hard to believe but two years have passed since Christopher's First Holy Communion and last Sunday, it was time to do it all again for Andrew.

He was very excited about his big day, even to the point of not being able to sleep the night before.

It was a beautiful day and although the service was a tad long, the party afterwards went really well. And for some reason, my house didn't seem as cramped as it did two years ago, which is weird because it's the same house and the same people.

So, here's a look at the day:

She's Back!

2009-04-18T08:47:00.004-04:00

No, I'm not referring to myself in the third person with that title!

My friend and blogging mentor, Judy, has rejoined us in the blogging world! And with a new revamped template to boot. (Judy: The next time I come visit you, remind me to make you help me change MINE!)

So not that I think my blog generates TONS of traffic (I can only wish...but I guess for that to happen, I'd actually have to write something in it!), but I'll try to generate some traffic to hers for inspiration to keep hers in forward motion.

You can go see Judy here.

Tell her I sent you.

I Wish I Had Said That...Hey! This Time, I Did!

2009-04-08T19:38:00.003-04:00

A friend and I were having a discussion the other day about one of our favourite topics--~~bashing~~ our husbands--and (forgive me if I'm bragging), I came up with a really good one that I just had to share!

Men! We're not better because of them...we're better in spite of them!

I really liked it and even googled it just to make sure I wasn't just quoting someone else. But, I think I can really take the credit on this one.

Your ~~compliments~~ thoughts, please?

Two Lists

2009-03-27T16:17:00.010-04:00

Things I Won't Miss:

1. Eating at 7:00 at night or later

2. The alarm going off at 5:15 a.m....on a Saturday

3. The moment of panic I feel when a neck guard is hiding in a jersey

4. The longer moment of annoyance I feel because said neck guard is SUPPOSED to be in the smaller side pocket so it's easier to find! (how MANY times have I told all three of them this???)

5. Helping feet in and out of skates several times because "something feels bunchy"...

6. The gut-wrenching stress and anxiety of the last few seconds of a really important game...

Things I Will Miss:

1. Watching them pile on their goalie at the end of the game

2. My hockey mom peeps--I'm going to miss a bunch of them next year because teams are shuffled every year--we had a good time this year!

3. Blowing the big air horn (only Andrew did a better job of blowing it than I did!)

4. Their hockey-gloved hands raised in joy after scoring a goal

5. Being amazed at how much they can improve in 6 short months

6. The gut-wrenching stress and anxiety of the last few seconds of a really important game...

Thanks for a great season, Canucks and Ice Dogs!!!

A Quickie

2009-03-19T19:34:00.002-04:00

No, I'm not writing about THAT kind of quickie...so get your minds out of the gutter. Although as I just typed that, it would be a wonderful excuse for the serious blog neglect I've been guilty of as of late.

Other excuses: being really busy at work (including working overtime), hockey playoffs and a husband who was in Dallas for three days last week for work.

When I abandoned my scrapbooking aspirations, one of the things to which I really wanted to devote more time was this blog. I wanted to stretch my creative thoughts and maybe come up with something somewhat meaningful or interesting to read.

Alas, I have failed on all counts.

So, I just wanted to check in to beg and plead with any readers I may have left to not forget about me. I will be back in the next few weeks, hopefully with some witty anecdotes spewing forth. Or maybe just a quote. Or maybe just some pictures.

But, I will be back...

The New Guy

2009-03-07T20:16:00.002-05:00

Want to see what illicits gales of raucous laughter from 3/4 of the population of my house?

They all watch it over and over and OVER again and laugh as hard every time as they did the first time they saw it. I think the biggest one laughs the hardest.

And then I laugh at them laughing at it.

I guess that makes it a good thing.

Off the Bandwagon

2009-02-28T11:32:00.006-05:00

I guess I'm just odd. Or to put a positive spin on it, I guess I march to the beat of a different drummer. Or, I'm my own person. Or, I'm just odd.

Way back when in 1987 (I think???), this album was all the rage:

It was the "must have" album of its time. Its songs were endlessly played on the radio and everyone was in awe of the album and you HAD to LOVE it. You just did. I didn't. I still don't. I just didn't get the appeal of U2. I kind of wished I did. I wished I could feel the passion that everyone else did. The music was just sort of, now how do I put this?...BORING!!!! (And yes, I am hearing that collective gasp from any U2 fans reading this...). But, it was! And I think what annoyed me the most was the high-pitched, whiny note that grated on my nerves through the entire song of "With Or Without You"...once you hear it you can't focus on anything else...well, I can't...I suppose people who like that song might actually know the lyrics, but I can't get by that shrill noise that just about drives me into a seizure.

Fast forward many years to the next craze that I just couldn't get on board with:

A boy wizard? Really? Haven't come close to cracking open one of these babies or seeing any of the movies. Wasn't sad when the final installment came out and didn't really care if Harry Potter dies at the end. Does he? I don't even know! Again, I sort of wish I was in on the excitement and anticipation of waiting for the next installment, but it just didn't appeal to me.

And now I find myself not really getting the hype of the next "you will LOVE it" item:

I'm about halfway through and I'm trying--I really am. I'm trying to love it and fall in love with Edward like everyone else is and again, I wish I were. But, I'm not neglecting my family and staying up late into the night because I'm finding it to be such a "page turner". I think I'll finish it eventually, but not really sure I'll get through the next three sequels. And I almost feel apologetic because my friend who lent me the book is SUCH an avid fan of this series and I feel like I've let her down by not being able to really sink my teeth into it. (ha! --get it???)

So, clearly I'm just not a jump-on-the-bandwagon type of gal. Or I'm unique. Or, I'm just odd...

Paisley Party

2009-02-20T20:12:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it's taken me a week to finally write a bit of review of the Brad Paisley concert we went to last week. (aka PAISLEY PARTY!!!!!!)

Well, despite a bumpy start to the evening, I'm happy to report that my excitement and anticipation for this event wasn't misplaced.

The bumpy start had to do with the traffic in which we found ourselves embroiled. I think because it was a long weekend, lots of people were heading out of town and we found ourselves smack dab in the middle of all of them. It was insane. A stretch that normally takes about 7 or 8 minutes took us an hour. I don't think I've ever been in such horrific traffic. I was so frustrated that I literally felt like I was going to burst at the seams. I felt like screaming until my head popped right off my neck. (that's a nice visual, isn't it...)

Anyways, because of the delay (I get antsy now thinking of it...) we missed the first opening act, Crystal Shawanda.

We found our seats (floor seats) and I'm sure the people behind us weren't thrilled when Michael (wide) and I (tall) plunked ourselves in front of them. When we weren't there for the first opening act, I'm sure they thought they had a nice clear view.

We went out and bought the t-shirts I insisted we had to have, (I don't usually allow myself to get gouged for the price of concert t's...but they said Paisley Party all over them... we HAD to have them!!!) just as the second opening act, Dierks Bentley, was coming on. He was really good, and probably worthy of headlining his own show. (And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that he's pretty cute too!--see I knew I'd end up leaving the show with a groupie crush on someone!)

It wasn't a very long wait--and then it was all Brad. He was fabulous! High energy and seemed genuinely humbled to be there. (I know, they probably all do that to appeal to the fans...but he mentioned the economy and how times are tough and that he's very appreciative and still can't seem to believe that people would spend their money to see him...) He sang all of his hits... my favourites being Ticks, and Letter to Me (which actually made me tear up a bit...it makes me tear up just hearing it on the radio, so why wouldn't I shed some tears hearing it live?)

He's more of an accomplished guitarist than I realized and played some very entertaining guitar solos. And of course, the paisley guitars were in full force--and there were many of them. He must have changed guitars about 20 times. My favourite one was the black and gold one. But, alas, he didn't seek me out to send me home with an awesome souvenir.

So, it was a great show and just what I needed to pull myself out of my February blahs for a couple of hours.

Thanks, Brad!

Bizarro Valentine's Day

2009-02-13T06:32:00.001-05:00

Well, we're on the heels of another "day of love" where we expect to receive flowers, candy and the unstoppable and well-deserved adoration of our significant others. It's quite ridiculous when you think about it...that doesn't mean I don't totally feel I'm entitled to these things, mind you...but it is quite ridiculous.

I thought I'd be creative and open up to you on this day-before-Valentine's (let's give a whoop whoop! for a Friday the 13th, shall we?) and invite you to do the same.

I thought it would be fun to share with you, and hope that you will reciprocate, a "stupid date" story from my past.

About a year before I met Michael, I was approached by a co-worker who inquired about my "relationship status". "D" (who I didn't really know that well) knew of a father-son duo, both single, and wanted to set me up with the son (whose name was Bob...god knows why I remember these things, but yes, that was his name...) and wanted to set the father up with another co-worker, "S" (who was older than me). I don't know if it was supposed to be a "double date" scenario or if we were supposed to go out separately with these men, or what anybody had in mind.

At that time, I wasn't seeing anybody and felt I had nothing to lose, so I gave her my phone number and permission to pass it on to this man. (Now, I'm just thinking back......my God it was great being single!! I had my own place and could do whatever I wanted and I certainly didn't appreciate how great it was! Not that I hate my life now or anything, but there were some pretty good times back then...) Anyways, she passed it on to him and one night my phone rang.

It was Bob.

He stammered out an introduction and I kind of felt flattered that he seemed nervous to be calling me. I remember trying to make him feel at ease by commenting that these things are so awkward. And, I waited for the pending invitation to meet and wondered what kind of date he would plan.

So, he started "Well, I really wanted to call you, but I'm just trying to do the right thing here and I'm kind of seeing someone, but I wanted to let you know and...... insert a bunch of words here that I'm not hearing because this conversation is too stupid to actually be happening.... and if it doesn't work out, I'll give you a call...."

Ummmm...OK....I'm actually getting dumped here by a guy I've never met. That's weird. And what's weirder is that a guy I've never met is keeping me as a backup in case his current relationship doesn't work out. I didn't know whether to be highly insulted or sort of flattered.

I don't remember what my response was (I'm sure after I got off the phone I thought of a million things better to say than what I did!)....but I'm thinking after that, there probably wasn't too much to say.

Buh-bye, Bob.

After I got off the phone (and even now as I'm telling this story with a puzzled, yet bemused look on my face) I wondered why in the heck did he even call? Why not be like every other guy in the world who you think is going to call and doesn't? Why didn't he just tell "D" he was no longer available and to pass the message on to me? Maybe there was a hint of integrity in him anyways.

Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? I picked my devastated self-esteem off the floor and plodded on. Actually, I didn't give it much more thought until I felt compelled to tell everyone my stupid story of the date that never was.

I sort of got the last laugh in this one though. About a year later, when I was firmly entrenched in a relationship with my future husband, "D" approached me again and told me that Bob was now single again and would like to call me. (I guess my bewildered response to his phone call was attractive to him...either that or he was desperate--I'll choose to believe it's the former...)

It was with great satisfaction and admitted smugness that I was able to respond "Sorry, I'm seeing someone else...he had his chance..."

And, so exited Bob from my life.

So, what about you? I would love to hear in your blog or in my comments about any stupid dating stories you have. They don't have to be devastating heartbreaking ones, or ones filled with regret about "the one that got away". You don't even have to remember their names! Let's have some fun!

Hope everyone has a great Valentine's weekend!

Over-The-Shoulder Jewellery?? Holder

2009-01-30T07:28:00.003-05:00

On the first Christmas that Michael and I were together (in 1996), he bought me a necklace. It was a gold chain with a floating heart pendant with a small diamond.

Of course, I loved it and although I do switch necklaces it is my favourite and the one that can be found most often around my neck.

If I happen to have it on at bedtime I will, usually, just go to bed with it on. Yesterday morning, I was getting ready for work and reached up to see if it was on me. It was, so off to work I went. I have a very bad habit of chewing on it, more with my lips than my teeth, when I am working or reading or watching TV. I must have gone to grab it and put it in my mouth, when I realized it wasn't around my neck. So, then I started thinking "I know I checked I had it on this morning. Did I change my mind and take it off to put another one on and leave it on my dresser and forget to put anything on?" "Is it at home?" "Please god, let it be at home..." I had a difficult time concentrating on anything else. And I felt naked, because I always have a necklace on. I checked around my desk. I checked in my coat. I retraced my route to my car and checked inside the car. Nothing.

I came home last night and flew up to my room and checked everywhere I thought it might be. Nowhere to be found. Damn! When Michael came home, I sadly told him that I had lost the necklace he had given to me. He felt bad because I felt bad, because for sentimental reasons, it obviously is irreplaceable to me.

He then looked at me and looked down to my, well how shall I say this politely? To my boobs! And he pointed and said "what's that?". I looked down and there was a strange little shape pointing out that wasn't part of me! I reached in (I guess he didn't offer quickly enough) and sure enough, the pendant part of the necklace was wedged into my bra! I kept searching, but unfortunately, the chain part wasn't there. There wasn't anything else in there either that shouldn't have been. heh....

So, I was VERY happy...because the chain part of it can be replaced.

And then I started thinking:

1. How did the heart fall INTO my bra? What are the odds of it actually landing and STAYING in there all day? So of course, I start thinking all kharmacally (probably not word...) and saying that there MUST be a reason why I didn't lose the heart and obviously Michael and I are soul mates and meant to be together and this was fate's way of confirming it. And of course, Michael shakes his head at me and thinks I'm a whack job.

and

2. Did anyone see it yesterday and wonder what the hell that hard pointy thing was sticking out of my boob and not in a location where any natural hard pointy thing would be?

Well, all's well that ends' well, I guess and I'm very happy I didn't lose the whole thing.

Scrapping The Scrapping

2009-01-28T15:59:00.003-05:00

I've posted before (in one of my very first posts, actually) about my frustration with myself in keeping up with my scrapbooking. Or should I say in my lack of keeping up with my scrapbooking.

I started scrapbooking about 5 years ago. When I started, it filled a need that I had at that time in my life. I felt like I needed to be productive and to be beyond "just a mother" to my kids...as important as I knew (and still know) that role is. Michael was (and still is) working long hours, so taking a class or pursuing an interest that took me out of the house in the evenings wasn't feasible (and still really isn't...jeez...doesn't anything EVER change?). So, scrapping seemed like a good hobby to have.

And I rather enjoyed it. I liked planning out my pages and having a nice record of my life and my family's lives. I liked going to the scrapbooking store and browsing through the supplies. And I liked the finished product.

But, now I have decided to officially let myself off the hook and put an indefinite end to the scrapbooking. And do you know what? I don't even feel particularly bad about it. I guess I'm not struggling anymore in the need to have something to see to make me feel accomplished. I want to read, or watch TV, or lay in bed and do nothing without thinking "I really SHOULD be getting caught up on the scrapping". It was getting to be as if my supplies, and unfinished pages were just sitting there taunting me...and really, who needs that additional stress? So, I'm going to take my books, supplies, etc. out of the dining room and store them upstairs and I'm going to look at the books I've finished and be happy with what I accomplished when I did them. I have two very nice books of each of the boys' first year and I have about 5 books of just our day-to-day lives.

So, with all this said, I do have to mention that I am thinking about putting together a couple of mini-books. Just not now. I would like to do a hockey book of the boys (not sure if I will do a separate one for each, or just one together) and I would also like to start a camping book of our adventures, since it is a relatively new portion of our lives. Focusing on something seasonal or a yearly event is far less daunting and stressful than trying to keep up on every aspect of our lives.

Well, that's that. I'm off now to get on my pyjamas and hang with the kids and do, well, nothing at all. And that suits me just fine.

Still Keeping The Faith

2009-01-27T09:22:00.004-05:00

Does anyone remember this post that I wrote about Christopher's First Holy Communion?

Well, it's almost two years later (holy crap...where did THAT time go?), which means that I am once again about to venture into the wonderful world of Catholic sacraments. This time, it's Andrew's turn.

Well, what a difference two years makes!

There is a new priest on board at our church and the way the preparation for sacraments is handled is up to the priest.

Rather than be ~~forced~~ encouraged to ~~drag~~ bring our children to a bunch of Tuesday night meetings at the church, he is holding a retreat at the church for all the kids who will be receiving their communion during....get this....A SCHOOL DAY! They go to school as normal, get on a bus, do their thing at the church (which includes actually making the hosts that they will be receiving...which I think is really cool...) and come back to the school prior to dismissal.

I had to go to one meeting in October where he explained the procedure for their preparation and that's all I will need to do until April when the actual ceremony takes place. I did have to pay a fee of $20.00 for supplies (which includes a pizza lunch on the day of the retreat), but seriously, I probably would have cheerfully paid double that for the amount of stress and time it will save me.

Our priest explained that by doing a one-day retreat with the kids, he doesn't have to compete with swimming lessons, or hockey, or gymnastics, or any commitments that parents have in the evening and he feels it makes it a more positive experience for everyone. Can I just say I LOVE this priest? (Not "LOVE", love...but it's just so nice to be given a little consideration in these matters).

Andrew's big day is April 19 (mark it on your calendars!) and it will be one ceremony with all of his classmates. Another thing that makes me very happy.

My biggest hurdle in all of this will be getting Andrew into dress clothes. THAT will be interesting.

iPod Meme

2009-01-18T16:28:00.003-05:00

Well, now that I've leapt into a place about 5 years behind the majority of the world--and by that I mean by owning an iPod, I can finally do the iPod meme. So excited...

OK...

here goes...

Q: What does next year have in store for you?

A. Wrapped Around--Brad Paisley

Q: What does your love life look like next year?

A: Shut Up and Drive--Rihanna (yowzers...)

Q: What do you say when life gets hard?

A: Waitin On Me--Emerson Drive

Q: Song that reminds you of good times?
A: Like We Never Loved At All--Faith Hill and Tim McGraw
Q: What do you think when you get up in the morning?
A: Better Life--Keith Urban (probably depends what day it is!)
Q: What song will you dance to at your wedding?
A: Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves--Cher (nope...I could say something mean here, but I won't...)
Q: Song that reminds you of your first kiss?
A: Womanizer--Britney Spears (that didn't bode well for me, did it??)
Q: Your favorite saying?
A: You'll Think of Me--Keith Urban
Q: Favorite place?
A: Video Killed The Radio Star--Buggles
Q: Most Missed Memory?
A: Mississippi Girl--Faith Hill
Q: What song describes your best friend?
A: We Danced--Brad Paisley
Q: What song describes your ex?
A: Here Comes The Sun--The Beatles
Q: Where would you go on a first date?
A. Cry--Faith Hill
Q: Drug of choice?
A. Nobody's Fool--Avril Lavigne
Q: What song describes you?
A: Start A Band--Brad Paisley and Keith Urban (right on!!!)
Q: What is the thing you like doing most?
A: You've Got To Hide Your Love Away--The Beatles
Q: The song that best describes the president?
A: I Am...I Said--Neil Diamond
Q: Where will you be in 10 years?
A: Mud On The Tires--Brad Paisley (that doesn't sound good...)
Q: Your love life right now?
A: Alcohol--Brad Paisley (I swear...I did NOT cheat!!!!!)
Q: What is your state of mind like at the moment?
A: Shilo--Neil Diamond
Q: How will you die?
A: Who's Your Daddy--Toby Keith

The Sin Bin

2009-01-08T09:21:00.005-05:00

I can't believe I forgot to mention this little story in my last post.

During Andrew's Christmas tournament, he received his very first penalty. If that's not blog-worthy, I don't know what is! (well, it's blog-worthy to ME anyways...)

In the tyke division at the ripe old age of 7 years old, most penalties that are called seem to be more accidental than intentional. Kids fall and their stick goes up in the air, so they are called for "high sticking" or they fall and their stick goes low and they're called for "tripping". Some kids get really upset when they are taken to the penalty box and Mike has had to comfort a few who burst into tears. He just tells them it's part of the game and it's not a big deal. I think they think they will really get into trouble when they come out or something. The penalties don't last long, either. They only play minute and a half shifts, so a "two-minute" penalty can sometimes actually only be a few seconds until the end of the shift. I've jokingly told my kids that if they get a penalty, I think someone should be assigned to stand at the box and yell at them the whole time they are in there. You know, to make sure they know the error of their ways. (I think that might be a good job for me!)

Andrew's penalty went down like this. He was skating behind the net and tripped on the edge of it and went flying toward the boards. Well, as was his misfortune, there was a member of the opposing team right there and when Andrew fell he pinned the kid against the boards and took him down with him (which would be that kid's misfortune, I guess...Andrew is a big boy and I wouldn't want him falling on me!). So, it got called as-----drum roll, please-----BODY CHECKING! ha! (I know I shouldn't laugh, but I think it's really funny...) Nobody was hurt though.

So, off he went to the sin bin and there were no tears for my child. He was grinning from ear to ear and as he was sitting there (probably not feeling any remorse at all) I could see him scanning the stands to look for me. We made eye contact and I waved as if to say "Yes, Andrew I see you and I saw what happened."

They eventually lost the game 2-1, but the big news that came from it was that Andrew had received his first penalty.

His father and I are very proud.

January Bullets

2009-01-03T13:22:00.011-05:00

I'm not sure how to describe our time between Christmas and now. It's been really busy, but at the same time quite relaxing. The kids and Mike and I have spent a lot of time on the Wii and it's turned into more of a "family gift" than something just for them. My arm is sore and my housework is probably suffering (more than usual, I mean), but we've had a lot of fun. Here's some other stuff that has been going on with us:

Michael's birthday was January 1st. Happy 39th, dear. One more year until the big 4-0, and seriously, it can't come soon enough. I'm three years older than Mike and I don't generally think about it until the big birthdays come. Then, those three years seem to take forever until we're in the same decade again.

Both kids played in a Christmas hockey tournament, so it was a lot of running around, especially when it was during the week and Mike had to go back to work. I got it done though, and even survived the 7:30 a.m. games. Andrew's team tried really hard but fell short of the semi-finals. Christopher's team made it all the way to the finals, but lost in a stress-filled overtime game. He was pretty disappointed, but seems to have gotten over it now.

New Year's eve was spent skating at a free public skate with my cousin and her family. Her kids are a bit younger than mine and she didn't think they'd last very long, but everyone went for almost the whole two hours. We were home by about 9:30 p.m. and Andrew fell immediately asleep on the couch. We woke him two minutes before midnight, whooped in the New Year and went to bed. Yup, we're a bunch of party animals, I tell ya!

Michael and I decided to not exchange gifts this year, but each got something for the other from the kids. This is what they gave me:

A framed picture of Mark Messier! (we make a cute couple, don't you think?)

Every year, my grandmother gives me money and every year I spend it on something more for the house than for myself. But, this year I spent it all on me and bought this:

It took some seraching to find the one I wanted in purple and the lesson on this one kids is, ALWAYS CHECK WALMART FIRST! All the elecronics/specialty stores had them in boring black and silver colours. But, Walmart had them in purple! So, I've downloaded some songs from iTunes and I'm worried because it's far too easy to do and those 99 cent charges are going to start adding up. So, I'll have to start looking into some less-expensive options to get some tunes.

There has been a new addition to our family. The kids each received a Webkinz gift certificate and when we went to the store to redeem them, it was buy 2 get one free. There was no question who was getting the extra one...it was going to be me. So, I'd like you to meet:

BREWSTER, my chicken!!!! Andrew suggested the name from a story about a chicken named Brewster that he read at school and since I was at a loss for a name, I took him up on it. I wanted to name it "Mother Clucker"...but somehow that just seemed wrong. It was funny though.

So, that's it for now. I'm now starting to psych myself up for Monday when I have to return to work (blechhhh....) after two pretty good weeks off. Oh well, back to reality, I guess.

Oh, and here's a couple of pictures from our skating evening:

Year-End Recap

2008-12-22T12:09:00.004-05:00

As I did last year, for a quick and easy post, I went through 2008's posts and did a summary of the first sentence of the first post of each month.

January: I know I've been quite delinquent in updating my blog and it's nothing but sheer laziness on my part.

February: It's my Uncle Frank's birthday today!

March: Today, I had a taste of the royal life.

April: OK, screw the weather--I am ready for it to be summer...not spring (I guess I wouldn't cry to see buds sprouting on the trees and wearing a light jacket rather than bundling up in winter gear), but I am totally ready for shorts, crocs, beaches and long, cold drinks.

May: I'm still alive, just not posting anything.

June: My kids had a milestone in their lives yesterday.

July: HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!!

August: We are back from our camping adventure and had a blast.

September: Just little bits of this and that to report, so I'll do it bullet-style:

October: This is currently the favourite commercial in our household:

November: Well, I thought about it and then I stopped.

December: I sometimes wonder if I’m really dumb or if other people are dumber than I think I am.

Wishing everyone a very happy new year and here's to more adventures in 2009!!!

I'm Still Alive!

2008-12-21T10:27:00.003-05:00

I haven't written in a while, but I'm still alive.

Hockey, hockey and more hockey has pretty much filled my time. When I'm not shlepping the kids back and forth I'm taking in games for entertainment. And, it's all going well.

I'm off for two glorious weeks and it couldn't have come soon enough. Granted, my kids are bouncing off the walls in anticipation of "the big day"...but after Thursday, I don't suppose I'll see them much when they're in the basement playing Wii. Oh heck, who am I kidding, I'll see them lots...because I'll be down there with them!

We moved the furniture around in the basement to accommodate the game and last week (after they were in bed, of course), we even hooked it up...you know...just to make sure it was working. OK, OK, so we bowled a few games too! It's only so we know what to do on Christmas day when ~~Mike and I~~ the kids are anxious to play.

So, that's the scoop. All is well here. And if I don't write again before Christmas, I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

February Excitement

2008-12-08T10:55:00.005-05:00

I am always longing for something to be excited about. It doesn't have to be anything huge-- I wouldn't scoff at winning the lottery or anything, but it really doesn't take much to get me giddy with excitement. I always like having something to look forward to--be it a wedding, or an evening out, or even a TV show I'm dying to see.

I especially feel I need this in the winter months because to say I'm not a fan is an understatement. The last few years seem to have been particularly difficult and seeing the snow and ice outsides makes me want to cry or just crawl back in between my flannel sheets. It seems to hit me the worst in February. The kids' Christmas excitement is long gone, and spring seems still too far away to be a reality. I get serious "winter blues".

Hopefully 2009 will be different. Because we got tickets to see:

BRAD PAISLEY!!

He's appearing about an hour away from us on February 13, 2009 and Michael and I have always said that if he came close we'd really like to see him. So, on Saturday morning I left Andrew's hockey game early and took my place in front of the computer to get tickets. I'm very excited. I think he will put on a great show and although he's not really on my "hot list"--as are so many others, I suspect after seeing him live he just might be! ha!

And how cool is it that he has paisley guitars?

I want one...I don't play guitar...but I want one...

Dumb and Dumber

2008-12-04T10:48:00.003-05:00

I sometimes wonder if I’m really dumb or if other people are dumber than I think I am. I hate to sound arrogant…but usually, it’s the latter.

Here’s my story…

In a couple of weeks Andrew’s hockey team has the opportunity to go to a K*itchener R*angers’ hockey game and in between periods will get to put their equipment on and play a mini-game (actually a mini-period) against another team in his division. This is a pretty big deal to a bunch of 7-year olds and their ever-proud parents because they will be playing in an auditorium in front of potentially 6,000 people. (Michael was quick to point out that it won’t be that many because that will be the time when people leave to hit the concession booths or washrooms—God, he can be SUCH a wet blanket sometimes!)

Anyways as the coach’s wife and self-appointed manager of the team, I was given the duty of finding out how many tickets everyone wanted, distributing the tickets and collecting the money.
Each player on the team is given one free ticket as are the coaches. So, I sent a mass e-mail to everyone to get their ticket requirements(for themselves, grandparents, etc.) and filled in all the data on an Excel spreadsheet. And of course, when all was said and done, three people never responded, so we had to call them (grrr….) One family said they couldn’t make it at all. One family said they had season’s tickets that they would be using. And one family wasn’t home, so Michael left them a message and we never heard back from them.

So, last night Andrew had a practice and I went fully prepared with the tickets all divided up into envelopes based on what people said they wanted. And surprisingly, it all went very smoothly and only one person still owes me money because they weren’t there last night.

Here comes the stupid:

One of the mothers approached me (this is the one who we left a message for and never called back) and asked for her free ticket for her child and apologized for not getting back to us. So, I gave it to her. Then another parent (who had the season’s tickets) approached me in the dressing room and asked for his child’s free ticket. So, I gave it to him.

My question is this: Are these parents just going to send their 7-year old child into an auditorium that seats 6,000 people, tell them to find their own seats and then just pick them up three hours later after the game is over? And who is going to help them get ready to go out on the ice? (I guess I have more than one question!) Are they just expecting that we will be supervising their children? Because I have news for them—we’re not! In fact, our seats aren’t anywhere near the seats that they received. Wouldn’t you confirm this with someone? It seriously blows my mind that either a.) they just think they can dump their kids off and someone they don’t even know that well will watch out for them without even asking them if they will do it or b.) they haven’t realized children will be unattended in such a large venue.

Am I missing something here? Did I really need to clarify that if you want your child to do this, it’s probably a good idea to buy a ticket for yourself too?

I guess, in hindsight, I should have said something when I gave out the free children’s tickets to these parents, but at that point, there would be nothing they could do anyways because the tickets are assigned seating and had already been issued based on the information we received from the parents.

So, I’ve been kind of obsessing about this since last night. Michael says to just let it go, but it’s hard when there’s going to be children that, best as I can figure, will be pretty much on their own because their parents are dumb.

I just don’t get it.

My Favourite Christmas Song

2008-11-29T13:49:00.003-05:00

So, I haven't written in a couple of weeks because it's been a bit insane in my house. Work, hockey, getting kids to birthday parties, commitments...jeesh...I could use a break.

Today, Michael is at a coach's clinic all day. So, it's just me and the kids. I'm not brave enough to venture out to do any kind of shopping--grocery or Christmas with them in tow...so we're home. And what am I doing? Cleaning... Oh yeah, my life is just a wild party, I'm telling you.

So, I thought I would cheer myself up by listening to my favourite Christmas song and sharing it with you.

Here you go:

It worked! Now, I'm laughing...

It was good to see Mr. Hooper again...

What's your favourite Christmas song? Cynical...or serious....I want to know...

Hockey Ha Ha!

2008-11-16T12:09:00.003-05:00

Disclaimer: If you're highly religious, and easily offended, please do not read any further.

Yesterday when we got to Christopher's hockey game, it was raining. Not a torrential downpour or anything, but a steady stream that left drop marks on your jacket and made your hair wet.

There is a kid on his team whose last name is "Jesus". (The jokes pretty much write themselves with that last name, don't they?) Rather than parking in the parking lot and walking the short distance to the front door in the rain, his mother had pulled right up to the door and was hauling his hockey bag out of the back of the van as we approached.

My ever-witty husband didn't miss the opportunity to mutter under his breath to me:

"What's the matter, Jesus? Can't you walk on water?"

I Touched The Moose and I Liked It!

2008-11-09T19:13:00.009-05:00

Warning: Extreme groupie psychosis to follow:

Does anyone recall this post I wrote almost two years ago?

Go back and read it now...I'll wait for you...

OK...well holy crap--cross one of them off the list!!! OK, no, I didn't actually do everything in my imagination that I would like to--but realistically speaking, I got as close as I'm going to!

Let me backtrack...

Michael's company sponsored the annual Hockey Hall of Fame Legends game held at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. He was given tickets to hand out to his customers and was able to keep 4 for us. So, we went today.

(I'm thinking by this time you know which of my coveted suitors I had an encounter with today...)

I'd checked the website in the middle of the week to check out the players and relay them to Michael, since he knew more of the names than I did. This morning, I went on the website again to show Andrew and lo and behold, whose name was on the roster? None other than my sexy, savage Mark Messier. A whoop of joy escaped my lips and suddenly the fact that this would be a nice outing with our children was secondary to my own lust and fantasy. Mark Messier! I would be seeing him play. yayyy me!!!! (and oh yeah, Mike and the kids too....)

Off to Toronto we went and were quite happy with the general admission seats which we are able to get. We were seated in the gold section. I waited patiently as the players began taking the ice and all of a sudden, there he was in his rugged baldness. And hot damn, he looked every bit as dangerous as I had imagined!

Out came the camera and a million shots were snapped (thank god for digital!).

It was different than a regular hockey game in that there were only two periods of 30 minutes each. It was also strictly for entertainment and entertaining it was! At one point, the Canadiens were losing and the ref called for some "real" Canadiens to take the ice. Out came about 20 7-year old kids suited up in Canadiens jerseys. They looked awesome and scored and defended a few goals agains the Legends team. It was great to watch.

At half-time, Mike's boss called him on his cell phone and asked where he was sitting. We were sitting about 15 rows back from him. So, he came up to us and gave us tickets for where he was in the platinum section, 4 rows back from the ice. (why he didn't give them to us sooner is a mystery to me...but I'm trying to be non-judgmental here...)

The halftime show was Kim Mitchell who was great to watch. I've never seen him perform before and it was fun hearing a few of the hits.

Then, back to the game. The players' walkway from the dressing room to the ice was right beside us and had I been a few seats over, I could have touched them. Well, didn't another whoop of delight escape my lips, when Mark Messier walked right past us. (I'm sure Michael's co-workers think I'm bananas now...but I don't care!). Then he skated a few steps and turned around and looked at the crowed. With the goofiest grin ever, I'm sure, I waved to him and he waved back! Eye contact too! AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! (You think I'm bananas now too, don't you?)

The kids were in awe of the awesome seats and we had a great second half. The game ended in a tie.

And here comes the best part...

After hands were shaken and some pictures taken, the players started heading back to their dressing room in the same aisle where they had come out. But by this time, people had started leaving, so there was room to move. And move, we did. The kids moved over and started shaking hands with the players (as best as they could) as they walked by. And I went up a row and as Mark Messier was coming by, I reached down as far as I could (because it was pretty far down) and he reached up and I touched his wrist! Yes, I did!!! I think I almost dislocated my shoulder but there was definite skin-on-skin contact.

Oh my....

OK, I'm back....

When I regained my composure...oh, who am I kidding? It's 3 hours later and I still haven't regained my composure, I was happy to see Chris looking at me with the brightest eyes and the happiest face holding the game puck! The goalie from the Legends team had reached up as he passed and handed it to Chris.

Afterward, we had passes to get into the company lounge and snacked on some pizza and fries.

So, tell me, does it get any better than this?

Here's some pictures:

That's HIM in the red pants!

Kim Mitchell, the half-time show:

He's so cute!

Mr. President

2008-11-05T10:01:00.005-05:00

I know it's really bad that I actually stayed up late last night to watch election results when I didn't do it for my own country's election, but I think Barack Obama is just the cutest thing and I'm so glad he won. (I'm so politically charged, aren't I?)

And I may as well share this picture too! It's taken in June when Michael went to Washington.
Congratulations, Mr. President!

No "NOBLOPOMO" For Me!

2008-11-01T21:30:00.002-04:00

Well, I thought about it and then I stopped. And then I thought about it some more. And then I stopped again. And yesterday, I was all set to do it. And then I finally decided.

I'm not participating in NOBLOPOMO this year.

For those who don't know what it is, it's a website where you can go and register and commit yourself to writing a post a day for the month of November. (November Blog Posting Month--or NOBLOPOMO for short).

I did it last year and although I did complete it and it did feel quite accomplishing to stretch my mind and my writing skills to come up with a post a day, I just don't think I can do it this year.

New job stresses, conflicting kids' hockey schedules, and a busier-than-usual November schedule (which ironically enough may have provided some posts for topics) seem to have added to my stress level this year and forcing a witty, meaningful post every day for a month out of my brain may well be the thing that renders me psychotic. And, I really don't want that.

So, in the effort of trying to remain somewhat sane, I am hopping off the NOBLOPOMO bandwagon.

Maybe next year...

The Stabilizer

2008-10-18T16:06:00.003-04:00

Since the kids have been little and still now they have idolized their father. Michael is, at times, a big kid himself and has always made it a priority to spend time with them. He has coached them in sports, spent countless hours wrestling with them on the basement floor, let them crawl into our bed in the middle of the night, and built snow forts with them. He is, in their eyes, "the best daddy in the whole world".

I wouldn't have it any other way. I fully recognize that we are parenting them as a team and don't feel as if I have to compete for their affections and know that I do my part to benefit them as well, even though they may not know it.

But, sometimes, I wish they would know it.

I wish they knew that after he has spun them dizzy on the huge innertube in the summer, that when I have to hound them to reapply their sunscreen, there is a reason for it.

I wish they knew that after he has taken them to the sports store to buy new hockey equipment, I have had to do a reevaluation of our bank accounts to figure out how to best pay for it.

I wish they knew that although the gifts at Christmas and their birthdays say "from Mommy and Daddy", that Mommy is the one who went to the store to pick something out and had to do the wrapping after they had gone to bed when she really wanted to flop on the couch with a glass of wine and a TV remote.

Last week, it happened. I got a small morsel (actually to me it was a HUGE morsel) of validation.

I can't remember how the conversation started, but we were sitting at the dining room table and discussing their hockey schedules.

Christopher's hockey schedule is less than ideal. His practices start at 5:00 p.m. on most Fridays. Since Michael works out of town and doesn't get home until about 6:30 p.m, his part in getting him to practices is non-existent. I also have a difficult time, since I work until 4:30 and have to travel 20 minutes in the direction of home to pick them up and then another 20 minutes back to the arena. So far, I've been lucky, and have been able to leave early using hours I've accumulated in overtime. I'm not on formal flex time at work, so can only leave early if departmental requirements can accommodate it.

The situation doesn't come without a level of stress. I feel guilty leaving work early every week (although my supervisor and co-workers have been awesome--but I guess it's just the "mom" in me). I'm trying to get past this, but every week as I'm leaving I almost feel like I should be apologizing on the way out. I also know Michael feels bad that he can't be there and is putting all of the responsibility on me. And I know that if the situations were reversed, he wouldn't bat an eye at doing it...he just would. More guilt for me there as well. (God, what a wretched emotion "guilt" is!)

So, it was a welcome statement to hear when Chris declared me "the stabilizer" and went on to explain himself. He said "Mommy always gets us to where we need to go and takes time off to get us to hockey. Daddy, you signed us up for hockey (I didn't tell him he was wrong on that point...I actually did that too!), but Mommy is the one who gets us there. She's "the stabilizer".

I think I should be wearing this on my chest, don't you?

It helped...a lot...

I Wish I Had Said That...

2008-10-12T14:36:00.002-04:00

The older I get,

the better I was...

--unknown

(but thanks to Rick for sharing it with me...)

Whoops!

2008-10-08T21:20:00.002-04:00

Parenting Mistake of the Day:

Sending Andrew to school in a shirt that had a skull and crossbones on it and says "Bad, Born and Bred" on the same day he has a Thanksgiving mass.

Whoops!

(OK, in my defence you can't really read the lettering that clearly...a teacher asked him if he had a jacket, so he wore his hoodie overtop of it and him being too hot during the mass was the worst of it...)

The Red Pants

2008-10-04T19:10:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, Michael took the boys shopping for the new hockey equipment they needed for the upcoming season. Thankfully, it wasn't much!

On the list was a pair of new hockey pants for Christopher. Because the cost of new equipment can be astronomical, and because we're not this guy , we will usually check out used equipment before resorting to buy new. (quick aside: last year, Michael bought Andrew a pair of used skates for $40.00 and was able to trade them in this year and get $22.50 for them towards another pair of $40.00 used ones...I'll take that kind of deal anytime...). I wasn't with them on their foray into "mantown" (a.k.a. the hockey store) and was a little surprised when they came home with a pair of red hockey pants for Christopher.

Of course being the fashion diva that I am (OK, I'm not really...but this was the first thought that popped into my head...), my immediate thought was "what if the red pants don't match his jersey?" Can you imagine if he had a green or purple jersey--that would look absolutely hideous. Obviously, it was more than just a thought that popped into my head, because Christopher and Michael (being the male of the species) thought I was insane to even have this trival concern. Michael told me that these pants were of the highest quality and expressed how lucky they were to have found a used pair as good as these ones that fit him. OK, fine.

He had his first practice on Thursday and was given his jersey and socks. His team is the Ice Dogs and the jersey and sock colours are red, black and white. (So, we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief...) I noticed that a couple of the other kids were also wearing red pants, so he wasn't as unique as I thought he'd be.

His first game was today and we all went (to an 8:00 a.m. game...ugh...). As they were warming up, I mentioned to Michael (who hadn't been at the practice) that a couple of other kids had red pants on as well. Michael watched the other red-panted players and noticed that they were really, really good. He surmised that because they were so good and had red pants, they probably had been either single A or triple A players the year previously (which requires that they have red pants as part of their uniform). Now, just to backtrack here, Christopher tries really hard and has fun playing in house league, but his skill level will probably never be at a single A or triple A player. This is fine with Michael and me, because I didn't think the kid would ever skate, let alone play hockey.

So, it gave me a chuckle, when the game started and the coaches sent out their opening lineup. Right winger: a kid in red pants. Centre: a kid in red pants. Left winger: a kid in red pants...and oh yeah, he's MINE! I looked at Michael and said with my mother's pride and just the right amount of smugness "Oh...first line!" to which he, in his deadpan way, gave his explanation "Red pants". 'Nuff said...

Oh, and they won the game 3-0. Shutout!

Boom De Yada

2008-10-01T05:00:00.003-04:00

This is currently the favourite commercial in our household:

Isn't it great?

Oh, and you can thank me for now having the "boom de yada, boom de yada" part of this song stuck in your head for the rest of the day...

hint: Once the song starts, if you place your cursor on the little box to the right (above the YouTube logo), the words will come up.

First Day of School Pictures

2008-09-29T21:26:00.007-04:00

I'd be remiss if I didn't post the kids' first day of school pictures. I know they're almost a month late, so without further adieu...

My grade-two boy, Andrew

My grade-four boy, Christopher

Holy cow! They're huge--how did THAT happen?

Brotherly Love (sometimes...)

The obligatory goofy shot!

Happy Blogiversary To Me!

2008-09-29T13:48:00.002-04:00

HAPPY 2ND BLOGIVERSARY TO ME!!!

Well, it's hard to believe it's been two years since I jumped on the blogging bandwagon, and I know I've been a lazy blogger of late.

It is my sincere intention to stimulate my creative juices and post on a more regular basis.

I would like to thank everyone (I feel like I'm at an awards show here...) who stopped by and gave my little blog a read and to everyone who took the time to comment.

Here's to more future blogging....

Seven Years

2008-09-11T09:50:00.006-04:00

Seven years ago today the sun was shining. I was on maternity leave and it was Andrew's four-month birthday. I distinctly remember wishing him a happy birthday. Christopher was just over two.

My mother came over that morning to help me clean the basement up because we were getting carpeting installed in a few days' time.

We watched the television and she told me to call my father who, she was pretty sure, wasn't watching TV, but should be.

I called Michael who had been listening to the Howard Stern show and wasn't sure if he was hearing a joke or the truth.

I left later in the morning to take Christopher to a gym class we went to regularly. On the way home, I listened to the radio and couldn't wrap my head around the enormity of the idea that no planes were flying anywhere in North America.

I watched TV all that afternoon while the kids napped and when Christopher saw it he kept repeating "That's hot".

When Michael got home, we went outside and milled about with neighbours.

I tried calling my cousin, Linda, who lived in Queens, NY. I couldn't get through to her. (She and her family were all fine)

I had to go to a meeting at the church that night because Andrew's baptism was the following Sunday. I didn't want to go, but I did. The church was very full with people that night and our meeting had to be moved into the basement. I offered to do a reading for the ceremony, even though I didn't want to, because nobody else was volunteering and I just wanted to go back home.

We watched TV, then located in our bedroom, late into the night.

I won't ever forget that day.

What were you doing?

Bullets

2008-09-03T12:48:00.003-04:00

Just little bits of this and that to report, so I'll do it bullet-style:

Our union struck a tentative deal and a strike was averted. We are voting on our new contract next week, and by all accounts, it should be accepted. So, I won't be Norma for another three years.
Our computer is pooched. We're trying to get it fixed, but may need a new one. I have most of my pictures backed up on disk, but haven't backed up anything up since May, so I might lose any pictures I have there for the summer...which would REALLY piss me off. I KNOW I should have bought a hard drive just for pictures, but of course, we didn't. We'll see...I'm still hopeful they can be retrieved if the rest of it is unfixable.
The kids started grades 2 and 4 yesterday. Yikes! How did THAT happen. Of course, I have pictures, but can't post them--see above. In spite of their protests to the contrary, they were excited to go back and I hope we all have another good year.
I'm really sad that summer is pretty much over (although the weather we've been having this week would suggest otherwise). I just know how miserable I get in the long winter months and feel like it's just out there looming and trying to taunt me and there's nothing I can do about it.
I almost choked to death last night. Seriously...and it was pretty scary. I swallowed too big of a chunk of roast beef and it just stopped in my throat. I still felt like I could breathe, so I took a drink and (sorry if I get gross here), the water just came back up and then I felt like I couldn't breathe or talk or anything. Eventually I was able to catch my breath and talk so I knew I wasn't going to die, but it just sat there. It was a pretty frightening couple of minutes (and yes, it was minutes) until it worked itself down with small sips of water and I felt normal again. Needless to say, the rest of my dinner went untouched.
I started a new job at work and have been very busy because I'm also training someone in my old job. It's only temporary for a year covering a leave of absence. But, I think the change will be good once I can let go of the old job.
Another hockey season is about to be upon us. Michael is coaching one team again this year and has a meeting next week to start arranging the evaluations. We have to haul the equipment out and get the boys to try everything on to figure out what new equipment they will need. I think they will both need new skates, but hopefully we won't have to buy too much else new. I'm excited that they get to play in a spanking brand new arena and I won't have to freeze to death again the old, wretched arena where they played last year.

That's it for now...until next time...

Strike!

2008-08-29T06:10:00.004-04:00

Hey, I might be going on strike.

And no, I'm not talking about the kind where I refuse to clean bathrooms, pick up dirty clothes from the floor and do the laundry because I live in a house full of men and they're all pigs who can't do it themselves. Although, I gotta be honest here...that possibility is never entirely off the table. Seriously, if anything ever happened to me Michael would be in a perpetual state of sporting his red adidas shorts and Andrew would be wearing his "I didn't do it" t-shirt until the fibres literally crumbled off their bodies.

Ooops--got a little off-topic there.

Anyways, as of Sunday at midnight, I am in a real "hell no, we won't go", sign-carrying legal strike position and the rumours are running rampant that this time it might actually happen. I have been there almost 20 years and have never been on strike. We came close with our last bargaining round, but at the last minute they settled. It will be interesting to see what happens. It's not just my college either--it's all of the support staff at all 24 colleges in Ontario.

The sucky part is, our first official day of the strike will be on Labour Day Monday. And there's a meeting which is mandatory at 3:00 p.m. that day, which pretty much screws up long weekend plans. We are going to the cottage and unless something is settled before tomorrow morning, will likely be taking two vehicles so that I can leave on Monday morning to come home for the meeting and Mike and the kids can have a few extra hours of beach time.

So, we'll see what happens...I may have a few interesting stories to share from the picket line!

Just call me Norma....

Back Again!

2008-08-17T15:59:00.011-04:00

You spin me right round baby,

Right round,

Like a record, baby
Round, round, round, round
--Dead or Alive

Well, I've made it back from another week of holidays (hence the lack of posting). We had another great week.

For the first few days we went to my parents' cottage where my friend, Natalie and her two kids joined us for a couple of days. Most of the time was spent at the beach and we were lucky to have great weather the whole time. We also had some fun "happy houring" (wink wink...) Let's just say, I don't know who laughed harder while we were turning the rope as the kids attempted skipping--them or us!

We came home for one night and then headed to New York to camp at Darien Lake. I wasn't sure what to expect or how the kids would like it, but both the park and their reaction far surpassed my expectations.

The campground is right beside the park and you can come and go as often as you want between your campsite and the park. I thought the spots would be one on top of one another, but they were fairly spacious--we certainly weren't in the wilderness or anything, but you definitely had enough breathing room. And if you camp in the park, you use a different entrance--with no lineups--than the day users.

I used to be a big fan of roller coasters and even had a season's pass to Canada's Wonderland for quite a few years. However that was about 15 years ago, well before I had children, and I wondered if I would still be a fan, or whether I'd end up tossing my cookies or crying like a baby after the first loop-de-loop. Well, I'm proud to say (maybe I shouldn't be so proud to say this) that I screamed and laughed my head off and LOVED being on them again. I screamed louder than the kids did for crying out loud!

The kids didn't know what to expect and I didn't know what to expect from them. They've never been on a huge coaster before, but were willing to try. On the first one, the only way I can describe their reaction is one of shell-shock. Even Andrew, who is generally told to quiet down about a gazillion times a day, was at a loss for words or expression. Ultimately, Christopher decided that he wasn't crazy about coasters that went upside down, but loved The Predator, which is the largest wooden roller coaster in New York State. Andrew was a bit more adventurous and accompanied me on The Mind Eraser, in which you sit in a seat, but your legs are dangling out the bottom. We took our crocs off for that one and actually rode it barefoot.

We spent most of our time, and no surprise here, in the water park. The kids spent a lot of time in the kids' area which had a huge bucket that fills and dumps water on your head and a pirate ship full of different water activities. Their favourite part was a Survivor-type challenge where you have to try to balance on large disks and a log that are secured on the bottom of a pool and try to make your way across it. It seemed like they did it a hundred times, and made it across maybe two. Andrew kept wiping out on the very first one!

We also did the thrill rides in the water park. The Big Kahuna was a huge water slide where we all sat together on a raft and went flying down. Horrendously long line up for this one (probably the longest line we encountered), but a lot of fun. We also went on The Tornado on which we also went on a raft together. It starts out going down a steep tube and then you shoot into a huge funnel on its side and go whipping back in forth on that until you are expelled at the end. A woman in line behind us aptly described it as feeling as if you're being flushed out of a toilet. This is the one I was most nervous about. As we were waiting in line, we watched several people get flushed into the funnel and it looked terrifying. Well, once we went down the tube (I admit, I closed my eyes) and got shot into the funnel it was so disorienting and a very bizarre feeling not knowing where you were. Then I realized we were in the funnel and after a quick check to make sure everyone was on the raft (they were), I laughed my head off once again.

We went back to the site for dinner and then headed back into the park. We did a few more rides, including The Predator at night, which was very weird. I've never been on a roller coaster when it's dark. We also rode The Ferris Wheel (which was huge) and got an awesome view of the whole park lit up at night.

After the park closes, they have a laser light show. It was a lot of fun and very well done, but I don't suppose I took the mother-of-the-year award when Andrew curled up on the pavement we were sitting on and fell asleep and I just sat there beside him and watched the show. I did cover him up with my jacket though.

The next day, we collapsed the trailer and headed back into the park but, unluckily for us, The Jonas Brothers were set to perform a concert that night. Well, the place was packed, mostly with teenybopper girls who were obviously attending the concert that night and the lines were incredibly long. Christopher and I had an idea to go to a long line and say really loudly "Oh my God, I just saw Joe at the Predator..." and hope that everyone would get out of line and run to the Predator which would allow us to move up in line. We never did it though, but it still is a good idea, don't you think?

We did a few rides and headed into the water park and were planning to spend the remainder of our time there before driving home, but then it rained and we had to leave the waterpark. We headed to the truck and waited to see if there was an end in sight to the rain. Well, it continued to rain and as we had already been in the park for about 5 hours that day and about 11 hours the day before, we decided to head home.

Oh yeah, before we went to the park on our first day, we stopped at a grocery store because we were told not to bring meat or dairy products across the border. So we went to get a few things...yeah, right. Grocery stores in the States are just so interesting. They have stuff there that you can't get in Canada. Like beer and wine! haha! There they are, bottles of wine and alcohol beside the bread. How convenient. Other interesting finds were Chex mix in dark chocolate flavour. And Easy Cheese--it tastes like Cheez Whiz, but you squeeze it out of can. It's not cheap...but I love it!!! We bought a can for ourselves and I bought a can for my friend, Natalie, who also gets a kick out of it. In retrospect we should have bought another one for ourselves, because ours is just about gone. (How big of a geek am I that cheese in a can gives me such a thrill?)

So, we had a really good time and returning to Darien Lake next year is definitely on our list of places to go.

Here's a few pictures--not many, though--because I was too busy screaming and laughing my head off to deal with the camera!

My friend Natalie and the kids in our giant inner tube at the cottage

Our campsite at Darien Lake

Andrew's favourite part of the water park

The scary funnel ride in the water park (a.k.a. being flushed down a toilet!)

Back From The Bush

2008-08-01T14:45:00.004-04:00

We are back from our camping adventure and had a blast. We camped at Marten River Provincial Park, which is north of North Bay.

The weather wasn't the greatest--drizzly and grey skies, but we made the best of it and still managed to have fun.

Here are some of the highlights.

SWIMMING

We were able to get into the river swimming every day that we were there. The water was cool, but refreshing and Andrew of course, never wanted to get out. I started making up Survivor type challenges for them to do and they thought that was a riot. They had to count all the buoys by touching them and swim back and give me the answer. Or they had to race along the beach and then swim out and touch the buoys. Mike even had them doing a challenge in the canoe together, but Andrew freaked when it went past the buoys and he knew the water was over his head. I think he thought the boat would just keep going and nobody would save them.

On the last morning while Michael was collapsing the trailer, I took the boys down for one last swim. A father and his two boys also came down while they were taking a bikeride. They were warm and desperately wanted to go into the water to cool off except they didn't have their bathing suits on. (You know where this is going, don't you?) Imagine our surprise when the boys stripped down to nothing and proceeded to skinny dip right in front of us. Imagine my bigger surprise when the father stripped down to his tighty whities and joined them! (at least, he didn't take everything off...) Thankfully, we were heading to the washroom to get changed, so we missed their exit from the water. Obviously, modesty wasn't an issue for them!

HIKING

There was a hiking trail at the park that we decided to try on our second day there. We checked the map before entering and were faced with one of three options-- a 0.8 km route, a 3.5 km route, and a 5 km route--which would have been cool because it took you past a marsh where sometimes moose can be seen. We thought that was probably too long for the boys, and for me too--ha!, so we decided to try the 3.5 km route. It all started out well enough, but somewhere we took a wrong turn and got completely discombobulated. The path was easy enough to follow but there were very few routemarkers and no directional signage. We found what we thought to be a map pointing us out and after walking and walking and walking some more found ourselves at the very marsh we thought was too long to get to. Except by now, the mosquitoes were eating us alive, it was muggy, and three out of the four us were very unhappy campers. (Hey, how often do you get to use that phrase and get to mean it literally?) And of course, there was no moose in sight. Onward we plugged on and found ourselves at the very same map we had already passed. Somehow we had done a complete loop without finding the exit. We again tried to figure out which path to take and while we were deliberating, Christopher got fed up and said "I'm taking this one.." and left. So, we followed him. Eventually, it led us out of the forest and right to the truck. So, now he is taking full credit for saving our lives and getting us out of the forest. We were in the bush for two hours, and I have no idea how far we would have hiked. I wish I had had my pedometer on. I think I would have made my 10,000 steps easily in there.

OTHER STUFF WE DID:

Canoeing: I never went canoeing myself, but Mike took the boys out a few times and they found some beaver chews, lily pads (which they brought back for a table centrepiece) and a beaver dam.

Logging Camp: They have tours of a replica logging camp, but we were there on the wrong days. So, we toured it ourselves and learned all about how logging was done.

The Thunder Storm: On Wednesday night, there was a huge thunderstorm complete with lightening. We relaxed in the camper and being the fan of thunderstorms that I am, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was so cozy in there and we were nice and happy in our beds.

Rollerblading: Because Marten River has paved roads through it, and we didn't have enough room for bikes, we brought the kids' rollerblades. They had fun touring around our section of the park, and Andrew even went out again the next day.

Slide Show: Every Tuesday evening, they show nature slideshows at the logging camp theatre, so we decided to check it out. We saw three shows: one about moose, one about reptiles and amphibians, and one about blue herons. It was a nice evening, except for the stupid kids beside us (who were probably about 10 or 12 years old) who kept running to the back of the room to get snacks from their parents and every time they stood up they blocked the screen and we couldn't see anything. It was so annoying!

Trading Post: I had forgotten about this place, but my sister reminded me that we thought it was really cool when we were kids. And all these years later, it's still cool and the kids thought so too. My mom had given them each money for their birthdays to spend on their camping trip, so they each bought a necklace. Christopher also bought a statue of an eagle and Andrew bought a totem pole statue.

I was very happy how quickly the kids assimilated to camping life and Michael absolutely loved it. Nobody wanted to come home.

While we were there, Michael and I made the decision to buy a trailer. His dealer who leant him the one we used offered him a slightly different model at an excellent price and we think this is something we can do with the kids that everyone will enjoy. At first, I was a little nervous about making an investment like this, but I don't want to look back on these years in the kids' lives and regret not having done this.

So, here's to more camping adventures!

Nine!

2008-07-27T10:23:00.000-04:00

Christopher is nine years old today! It's hard to believe I have an "almost double-digit" kid. I'm sure next year as I'm writing his birthday post, I will also be having a slight nervous breakdown.

What can I say about Christopher? Lately the maturity I have seen in him has been staggering. Gone is the kid who drove me nuts with his stubborness and tantrums and I now have a calm and, dare I say it, often times reasonable young man. Oh the stubborness is still there bubbling under the surface (it's that damn red hair, you know!), but seems to have been replaced by more of a perseverance and a desire to get things done.

He enjoys reading novels and is a huge Star Wars fan. He loves fishing and is a strong swimmer and a fast runner.

He likes school (even though he doesn't admit he does) with his favourite subject being math. He has lots of friends.

Christopher has become very independent in the last year and he's always had a reasonable degree of caution that allows me to trust him. It's a very good feeling for a mother to have.

Happy Birthday Christopher! You are the light of our lives and we love you very much!

Hair Hair

2008-07-16T09:28:00.007-04:00

For the past couple of years, I have found myself in an occasional struggle with my kids over their hair.

They want to grow it, or they want mohawks, or they want to dye it blue...the list goes on and on.

I know eventually the day will come where I can no longer control what they do with their hair, and I also know that hair is a pretty minor issue in the grand scheme of their lives. But, I am still of the opinion that they are young enough for me to call the shots.

I prefer them to have short hair because it's easier to manage and it's cooler for them and I want my boys to look like boys.

Yesterday, I took a small detour from my "Hair Nazi ways". This is what the back of their heads look like now:

This is Christopher.

This is Andrew.

The hairdresser asked me if he could cut in "graphics". I figured this was the least defiguring thing they could have done with their hair that would also keep me in the "cool mom" category. If you look carefully, you can see the number "6" cut into the bottom centre of Christopher's head and the number "8" cut into the right side of Andrew's head. These are their jersey numbers for soccer and "8" is also Andrew's favourite hockey player, Alexander Ovechkin.

So, I guess I'm safe from the mohawks and hair dye...for now...

The Death of Spongebob

2008-07-06T19:23:00.009-04:00

Oh sure, he starts out happy enough...hanging from a tree and minding his own business...

Add a few ~~bloodthirsty warriors with an ax to grind~~ fun-loving, jovial kids:

With maybe just a few aggression issues:

And poor Spongebob didn't stand a chance:

Drawn and quartered by his executioners:

R.I.P. SPONGEBOB!

Happy Canada Day!

2008-07-01T15:06:00.003-04:00

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!!

HOPE ALL MY FELLOW CANUCKS ARE ENJOYING A WELL-DESERVED DAY OFF TODAY!

DUI

2008-06-26T12:30:00.001-04:00

I know it's little...but it's definitely worth watching. Cracks me up every time...

Do you think this is real?? I'm not sure...what do you think?

Too Close To Home

2008-06-25T09:05:00.002-04:00

I read an article in the paper this morning that made my blood run cold and has left me stunned.

As my babysitter only takes the kids during the school year, I have to make alternate arrangements during the summer, so we've always booked them into a variety of summer day camps. One of the camps they have attended for the past two summers (two weeks each summer) is a church camp. It's not our church, and I didn't have an objection with the fact that there was a bit of a religious component to it, since they do attend Catholic school. Last summer they seemed to enjoy it less and the religious component seemed to be heightened, which was part of the reason. I am not being "anti-religious" here, I'm just saying the kids didn't have as much fun there as they once did. I also had a few issues with the hours it ran and found myself stressed to pick them up in time to avoid a $1.00 a minute late charge. For these reasons, the kids and I decided they would not attend again this summer.

A couple of weeks ago, we received a letter from the camp (I guess we are still on a mailing list) informing us that the director in charge of the summer program has resigned his position and some changes had been made to some of the camps. I didn't pay it too much attention, because they weren't going there anyway this summer.

Today I read in the paper that the director had been charged on Sunday with seven counts of sexual assault and interference--three of which stemmed from the church camp from 2001 - 2007--right in the time period when my kids were in attendance. The other 4 counts date back to 1990 and occurred out of the region.

Isn't that nice?

You hear about incidents like this happening, and as a parent, your heart goes out to the children and families involved, but this is seriously creeping me out. I highly doubt my children were involved in any kind of abuse, as I don't recall anything out of the ordinary in their behaviour during that time; however, I was forced to have a conversation with them this morning questioning the time they spent with this individual and being brutally honest with them about what had occurred. Again, I feel fairly confident that nothing happened to them while they attended this camp. The newspaper article also stated the victims involved had developed a "friendship" with him, and my children certainly never spoke of that kind of relationship with him.

And you know, there was always something about that jerk that didn't sit right with Michael or me. Something about his mannerisms and demeanour didn't strike me as the kind of person who worked that closely with children. He was morose and somewhat arrogant and I don't think I ever saw him smile. There were lots of other leaders around; however, so I tried not to get too hung up on it. I guess I shouldn't doubt myself and trust my instincts. On the other hand, you can't go around accusing people of being pedophiles just because you don't think they're cheery enough.

I find myself feeling violated for my family though, because although my children are safe, they were in an environment that clearly wasn't. It hits a little too close to home, and as they are about to embark on another summer of day camps that I hope they have loads of fun at, I can't help feeling a little paranoid at the same time about letting them go.

Keep your children safe.

Still Here!

2008-06-24T21:21:00.002-04:00

I haven't gone anywhere and nothing new and exciting or shocking and dreadful is happening. How boring am I? I guess that's the reason for my lack of posts.

But, I am still here doing what I do and manoeuvering myself through this crazy thing called life.

So, stay tuned...hopefully something to write about will show itself soon...

Happy Father's Day!!

2008-06-15T17:35:00.005-04:00

I'm recycling this picture again, because it is one of my favourites!

Even though you can't be here with us today, we love you very much and our kids are so lucky to have the best daddy in the world!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

Friday Bullets

2008-06-13T11:07:00.003-04:00

Holy crap, it's been busy! Hence the reason for my lack of posts. Anyways, here's a sampling of what's going on with us:

I am a single mom for the next 5 days. Michael left on Thursday for a work convention in Washington D.C. He is coming back on Tuesday evening. He called last night and his flight was fine--and short--only an hour and a half. He's staying at a fancy hotel and has a suite that he's sharing with one of his co-workers. A suite!!! That is SO not fair. I LOVE LOVE LOVE staying in hotels and he gets to live it up in the lap of luxury in a suite???? He didn't want to go to this convention, particularly since he'll be gone for Father's Day. What genius planned that? But, when I talked to him last night he seemed kind of pumped to have driven by The White House and The Lincoln Memorial on the way to the hotel (where he's staying in a suite...did I mention that??? grrr...) and was looking into some more tours. He has to do courses and the required shmoozing too while he's there. Chris got upset on Wednesday night that he was leaving and Andrew was missing him last night, but we will all be fine.
On Sunday, I did the same dance studio gig that I did last year. It never ceases to amaze me how scatterbrained some parents can be. They got the forms weeks ago to order pictures of their little dancing darlings and yet, they still show up all frazzled and look almost offended when we ask for their completed forms and money. It's always entertaining, though.
On Wednesday, I worked from 8:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. because it was graduation at work and my once-a-year required overtime. It's nice to see the graduates and all their proud families, but it makes for an incredibly long day. And it's even worse when you have to go back into work the next day.
We got a Wii!!! I'm so excited. The kids really wanted one badly for Christmas last year, but because of the gifts they were already getting, we didn't consider it. They would have been impossible to find too. So, now I decided they could have one for Christmas this year, but wanted to start looking for one now, in case there's a run on them again at Christmas. Well, they're hard to find NOW too! But, this morning I was grocery shopping and just decided to wander into the electronics department and check. Sure enough, they had just gotten four in. Except now, I really want to give it to them and am going to have a hard time waiting 6 months until Christmas. It's hidden in my closet underneath the storage bin where I keep our bathing suits. (6 months is a long time and this way if I forget where I stashed it, I can refer back to my trusty blog for the information.)
I have today off so I can get ready to head up to the cottage as soon as the kids are done school. Laundy, grocery shopping and most of the packing is done. I just need to make a trip to the liquor store for my dad's Father's Day gift and we're good to go. We have to come back Saturday evening, or early on Sunday morning because Andrew has a birthday party to go to on Sunday afternoon. (again, who plans a birthday on Father's Day?) Hopefully, the weather co-operates and we can get down to the beach.

That's it for now.

Have a great weekend and Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

PSA

2008-06-04T21:24:00.002-04:00

We interrupt this regularly-scheduled blog to bring you the following public service announcement.

Dear Soccer Dad from our team:

I wondered the other night why you so abruptly pulled your son from the game 10 minutes before its completion and left with your family to, what appeared to me as, their utter shock and uncomfortableness. Tonight, you were willing to share with me, my husband and the other coach of our team your feelings. It seems you disagree with the way the volunteer coaches (and I do stress the word "volunteer") are doing rotations and seem to feel that your child was short-changed. As my husband was busy coaching the team, I received your initial outlash. I listened to your concerns (actually, since you didn't let me get a word in edgewise, I didn't really have a choice now did I?) about how the co-coach should be writing names down, and you have coached for eight years, and it's not a difficult thing to do, and it's not being done fairly, and a litany of other complaints that frankly I stopped listening to about two minutes into your diatribe. When I was allowed to speak, I did inform you that your coaching services are more than welcome and the coaches will certainly appreciate your expertise. Surprisingly, I think I did a fairly good job at stifling the sarcasm that was itching to escape from me. I invited you to speak directly with the coaches and you took me up on my invitation. I chose not to participate in this meeting, but was filled in on its content post-game. It would appear that you have all the suggestions in the world, but when you were asked to schedule the lines, told the coaches you are choosing to take a back seat. It confuses me then, why you didn't remain sitting there. Now, I have a few things to say to you. Point one: As I previously mentioned, we are merely volunteers which are lacking in our city's soccer organization and our goal is to create an enjoyable season for the kids on our team. Surly parents are not conducive to such an environment. Point two: This is a house league team and generally non-competitive. Although your child is one of our more gifted team members, if he craves (or should I say, if you crave) a more competitive atmosphere, perhaps you should have looked at one of the rep. teams for him to play on. Or, perhaps you did and he wasn't as good as you think he is... Point three: Just a parenting note here--what exactly did you show your child when you left before the end of the game? That when things aren't going exactly the way you think they should be, leaving is an option. After all, the only time life isn't fair is during a soccer game, right? Point four: Congratulations, you have just become our FIRST ASSHOLE PARENT OF THE SEASON!!!!!!!

Everyone, please give the man a round of applause.

Yours sincerely,

The coach's wife

We now return you to your regularly-scheduled blog.

A Rite of Passage

2008-06-03T20:10:00.002-04:00

My kids had a milestone in their lives yesterday. They walked home from school by themselves.

I volunteered for a field trip with Andrew's class yesterday afternoon that was going to bring us back to the school at 2:45. School is dismissed at 3:30 p.m. We had discussed it with the kids prior and they were eager to give it a try. (On most days, I am still working and their babysitter picks them and other kids up at the school).

Their school is about a 10-minute walk from home and has one fairly busy road to cross. However, there is a light and a crossing guard at the intersection. We talked about the route they would take (there are two different ways they can come), and I drilled it into their heads about how they were to walk with each other and come straight home.

Here is the timeline of how things went:

2:45 p.m.--Andrew and I return back to the school after the field trip. He has been briefed on the ride home, yet again, about how things will unfold upon dismissal.

2:48 p.m.--I am walking home and spot an orange t-shirted boy waving at me from across the field whilst his class is having gym outside. (I would have spotted orange hair as well, but amazingly it seems my eldest son actually listens to me sometimes and had a hat on). I quickly dash over and take the opportunity to remind him about the plan. Eye rolls and "I knows..." ensue before I threaten to kiss him in front of all of his friends and am quickly shooed away.

2:55 p.m.--I arrive home and devise my emergency plan. They have until 3:45 p.m. to walk through the door and at such time if they are not home, I will jump in the car and scour the route home before calling the SWAT team.

3:05 p.m.--I have a dish of ice cream and watch Dr. Phil. (Every second doesn't have to be stress-filled, does it?)

3:30 p.m.--School's out!

tick tock....

tick tock...

tick tock...

3:38 p.m.--Two smiling and very proud boys walk through the door with their backpacks on and head straight for the kitchen. I get all June Cleaver-like and get them a snack and ask how their day was.

So, there you have it. One more step on their road to independence. And one more thing they don't need me for.

It's a good thing, right?

Now We're Cooking With Gas...Ummm, No We're Not

2008-05-25T18:37:00.010-04:00

My husband has a new passion in his life. Once again, it isn't me.

For the past couple of weeks, he has been head-over-heels in love with....

HIS NEW CHARCOAL BARBECUE!!!

Seriously, he has been so happy since he bought this baby, (at a scratch-and-dent price which he negotiated down even further!), that he can barely contain himself at mealtime.

Our propane barbecue is heading to its last legs and the more he thought about it, the more he decided he really wanted a charcoal one because the food tastes so much better from it. And every week when he goes grocery shopping, he comes home with a few more accessories for it. I'm glad he's enjoying it. Here's some pictures from this past weekend with the new addition to our family:

Awwww...isn't he cute??

Our first meal outside this season! (we got the picnic table at a garage sale a couple of weeks ago)

In other news, we painted our front door, post, and garage door this weekend. Here are before and after pictures.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I am SO happy with the colour and how it turned out and I wonder why we didn't make this change years ago.

How was your weekend?

Six Things!

2008-05-16T11:49:00.003-04:00

This meme has been around for a while, but I've never done it. Since I'm seriously lacking in blog material at the moment, I thought I'd give it a whirl.

You are supposed to list six random or interesting facts about yourself and then tag people to do the same. Well, I'm not tagging anyone (probably because just about everyone has done this one already) and I'm not sure how interesting these facts are (not very...don't say I didn't warn you!), but here goes.

1. I was born on a Friday the 13th.

2. When I was in kindergarten, I could read really well and got bumped up to Grade 1 because of it. I can distinctly remember reading about Remembrance Day many times from a flip chart to various teachers, etc. at school. By the time I was done reading it to the last person, I'm sure I was doing it more by memory, but off to Grade 1 I went.

3. I have only moved twice in my life and have never ventured out of my city. Pretty sad, huh?

4. I have a love/hate relationship with my hair. It is very thick and a nice colour and everyone compliments me on it. But, I sometimes wish it wasn't quite as thick and many times find it quite unmanageable. I swear at it. A lot.

5. I have autographs from Wayne Gretzky and Brooke Shields. I got Wayne's around 1983 when he was appearing at the Hockey Hall of Fame. So, it's not like I bumped into him randomly or anything. I got Brooke's in 1995 when I was at a tennis tournament in Montreal with my cousin. (watching, not playing...) We spent most of the time when we weren't watching tennis trying to stalk Andre Agassi, whom Brooke was dating at the time. He was totally in game mode and getting his autograph wasn't going to happen, but she stopped and posed for a couple of pictures and signed some autographs. We also saw Rod Black that day in one of the booths and had a conversation with him about tennis equipment. We told him where he could get cheaper tennis bags--as if money was an issue for him. Looking back, we probably came off as a couple of idiots.

6. I have owned 4 cars in my life. A brown Monza; a charcoal grey Mazda 323; a red Beretta and my current car, a blue Impala. The Beretta was, by far, my favourite and I don't think I will ever love a car more than I loved it. Probably the reason I drove it for 14 years...

Pretty boring, aren't I? Oh well...

Seven!

2008-05-11T13:40:00.000-04:00

Happy 7th Birthday to Andrew!

Andrew is my little monkey who I sometimes think was given to me for the sole purpose of making me laugh when I need it the most. That's when I'm not tearing my hair out at his antics, that is.

His excitement for the littlest things like pizza day at school or wearing shorts for the first time when the weather turns warm always makes me happy. He truly takes joy in the small pleasures of life and makes me do the same.

Andrew has always enjoyed athletics and now that he is in school full time (Grade 1) is developing into a fine student as well. His favourite subject (besides gym and recess, that is) is writing and his skill at reading has blown us away.

Andrew makes me use the phrase "settle down" at least 10 times a day and if he isn't being told to keep his voice down, it could only be because he has lost it altogether. "Quiet" is not a word that I could ever use to describe Andrew.

He hates any kind of restrictive clothing and shorts and t-shirts are at the forefront of his wardrobe choices. He rarely gets cold and when I make him take a jacket on cooler spring and fall days, I know it gets stuffed into his backpack at school and never gets worn. But, since I'm his mother it's my duty to insist he take it anyways.

Andrew gives the best hugs and I'm so lucky to be on the receiving end of lots of them.

Happy Birthday, little man!

Still Here...

2008-05-07T15:10:00.002-04:00

I'm still alive, just not posting anything. I don't have a real reason for it, other than it's been a busy couple of weeks and I'm not even really sure why.

Soccer for the kids doesn't start for another two weeks and we're pretty much home every night so I guess I REALLY don't have an excuse.

Michael's been working really late lately, so I've been kind of feeling like a single mother at times, and there are times when that sort of sucks. So, after getting them dinner, supervising any homework (which thankfully hasn't been much this year), getting showers done, etc. all I've wanted to do is flop on the couch and watch whatever mindless reality TV show happens to be on that night.

Andrew's birthday is on Sunday (Mother's Day!), so I should have some pictures to post after that. His family party is tonight and his kids' party is on Saturday. Then on Sunday, we are driving to Wasaga to get together with Michael's family. My kids seem to have birthdays that never end and are week-long events. So, I'll have to do a birthday post for him.

So, that will probably be all until the weekend.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers out there!!

Advice

2008-04-30T10:30:00.002-04:00

I read this post and thoroughly enjoyed it. And it actually inspired me with a post of my own.

I want to know what advice or words of wisdom have been given to you over the years that you have taken to heart or otherwise remember and perhaps even pass on to others.

Here are mine:

On parenting: Don't worry what anyone else thinks, do what is right for your family. (from a friend)

Another one on parenting: Don't do it for them, if they can do it for themselves (from another friend of mine--who has teenagers...)

On wardrobe choices: Check the label and NEVER buy 100% cotton (from my mother)

On income tax (appropriate for today, isn't it?): Don't increase your income tax payments through the year so that you get a refund at tax time. The government will use your money interest-free for a year, and wouldn't you rather use theirs? (from my high school accounting teacher)

On asking for a raise (but good for just about any situation): Don't ask a question if you can't stand to hear the answer ( from a talk show, I think...)

On barbecuing: Charcoal is SO much better than propane. (from my husband, who coincidentally bought a charcoal barbecue this weekend and appears to be madly in love with it)

On explaining why one of your children is red-headed and fair, while the other one has dark brown hair and a dark skin tone: Yes, they really are FULL siblings and mind your own business!!! (that one is all mine!)

So, what words of advice do you live by?

For The Record

2008-04-19T21:27:00.008-04:00

I am totally stealing this from American Idol, but I thought it would make for an interesting post.

Today is National Record Store Day. To be honest, I haven't researched much of it, but from what I gather it is a day to pay homage to independent record stores, rather than the big chains.

On the dumb phone-in segment of American Idol the other night, one of the questions directed at Randy, Paula and Simon was what was the first album you bought.

So, I wanted to share with you and hope you will share with me the first album that you bought. I remember my sister and I receiving a record player as a Christmas gift and can clearly remember some of the first albums we received as gifts for it. Big shout-out to The Partridge Family, Donny and Marie, and Juke Box Jive (which was really cool because the album cover was actually shaped like a juke box--very cutting edge for the era, I would imagine)

But, the first album I can actually remember going into a record store and buying, with my own money I might add, is this one:

Ahhh...The Bay City Rollers--they were such hunks, weren't they? Based on my research (yes, this I did research) this album was released in 1976, which would have made me 9 years old. And even though you can't see it in this picture, this is only half of the album cover. It actually opens up so that you have full body shots of the lads from Scotland. Very cool. You can't have an album cover of the Bay City Rollers without seeing their ever-so-trend-setting floods, can you?

I remember liking Eric. He is the one on the far-right hand side in the groovy white suit with red tartan accents. That hair, those eyes...oh my...

So, what would you say if I told you I still have this album? Hopefully, it's nothing bad...because yes, I still have this album. And how truly pathetic is it that after looking at the song list, I could still sing along to probably 8 out of the 11 tracks on it--and if I listened to the three I can't really remember, they would probably come back to me? And am I really the most hurting person on the planet for sort of wishing right now that I had a turntable and could listen to it?

Well, there you have it--the first album I ever bought. Now, 'fess up and tell me what yours was...

Eye-Yi-Eye

2008-04-17T15:43:00.004-04:00

I'm letting you in on a secret that will completely blow your perception of "how Susan has it SOOOO together--my goodness nothing rattles that girl..." (You do have that perception of me, right?) hahahaha! I couldn't even type that without laughing.

Anyways..

I had to go to the eye doctor this morning. It was a fairly routine appointment. My eyes are healthy (in fact they improve a bit each time I go!) and I picked out a new pair of glasses, which should be ready in about a week. He dilated my eyes to further examine them and that's annoying because your eyesight is fuzzy and you're squinting for a few hours afterwards...the worst of that was trying to look at my white computer screen, but it subsided eventually. He did detect a freckle on my right eye, which is very weird to me, but nothing to be concerned about according to him. He told me they'll keep an eye (har! har!) on it because it's not like I can.

So, what's my issue? I know you're asking yourself.

It's like this. Of all the different types of doctors, I HATE HATE HATE going to the eye doctor the most. It's ridiculous, I know, but I stress about it everytime. There's no nudity, no pain, no embarrassment and virtually nothing uncomfortable about it at all. My issue is the mental aspect of it.

I think the whole eye doctor examination thing is based on the premise of head games. They ask you which line you can clearly read and you can lie and say the last one, but if they ask you to prove it, you look like a fool. And you certainly don't want to admit you can't see the smallest one and run the risk of sporting Coke-bottle glasses on your way out. (Yes, vanity plays its part in my neuroses) Then, they pop in the different lenses and say "Which one is better..this one...or this one?" They're both the same! Or, are they? They could be completely different and the doctor knows the answer and you don't! And if you hesitate, they know they've got you. I always feel like secretly they're laughing at me with their upper-handed haughtiness--nothing like a little (or a lot!) of paranoia on my part, is there?

So, there you have it. Root canals, cold examination tables, rubber gloves--I'm there...but just keep me away from funky eye machines, little bottles of drops and that big scary E!

Who Will You Run To?

2008-04-13T18:48:00.002-04:00

Who will you run to when it all falls down?

Who's gonna pick you world up off the ground?

Who's gonna take away the tears you cry?

Who's gonna love you baby as good as I?

--Heart

He's the one who illicits gales of raucous laughter with major tickle fits, while I am the one who watches to make sure their flailing arms and legs don't come in contact with someone else's body parts or anything breakable.

He's the one who caves and lets them climb into our bed in the middle of the night, while I'm trying to instill good bedtime rituals.

He's the one who, after I've hurriedly picked them up and torn across town to get them to their game on time, hauled their bags out of the trunk and struggled to get them into their rest of their equipment, waltzes in and takes all the glory for tying the skates.

He's the one who proudly takes them into the sports store and buys them the perfect soccer shoes, while I'm the one who had to clean out the hall closet and find last year's shoes to see if we could salvage them for another year.

He's the one who gets kids running to the door with hugs and smile when he comes home at night, while I get the grouchy sleepyheads in the morning who don't want to get out of bed.

But who do they run to when he accidentally nails one with a ball while playing road hockey and they need the blood running like a tap out of their nose and the tears streaming from their eyes taken care of??

That's one of the times when only a mommy will do.

(This is NOT a work of fiction. This happened to Andrew today. And he's fine.)

Here Comes The Sun...And I Say It's Alright!

2008-04-08T19:41:00.005-04:00

The last four days have been absolutely glorious. The snow is just about gone and the feel of spring is in the air. Sun, sun, sun...here it comes!!! It's about freaking time. I think my mood has even improved...well, basically there wasn't any other way it could go.

So here's a bit of what we've been up to:

* Christopher got awarded the "Most Dedicated" player award on his hockey team. Three awards are given out at the end of the season--"Most Dedicated", "Best Sportsmanship", and "Most Improved". He was very excited to have received his award. (Michael wasn't involved in coaching his team in any way--so it's not a case of the coach giving his own kid an award--it's totally legit.) Sports isn't something that comes naturally to Chris (kind of like me...actually saying sports don't come naturally to me is kind of an understatement--can't do them and truthfully don't really care to AT ALL...but anyways...) He's always had to work a little harder at it and sometimes has confidence issues because of it. So, this award was definitely something he needed and appreciated.

* My dad continues to recover from his new bionic knee. He got the staples out yesterday--37 of them. The thought of it was quite horrifying to me and I just had visions of the doctor using a staple remover like you use in an office and yanking and pulling at them while he writhed in pain. Apparently, it wasn't bad at all and they were out within about 10 minutes with very little discomfort.

* My boss is gone for three weeks. Whew-hewwwww!!!! Of course we are continuing to work as diligently as if he was there (really...yes...we really are...seriously...), but it's still kind of nice that he's not there all day.

* With the weather being so nice, the kids stay outside as soon as we get home and are REALLY tired at bedtime. Can I mention again how happy I am with the weather the last few days?

* The kids have started rollerblading. About 4 years ago, one of my neighbours gave us a couple of pairs of rollerblades that didn't fit her kids anymore. At the time they looked huge, but we tucked them away. Michael found them on the weekend in the garage, and suddenly they didn't look so big anymore. One pair fit Andrew and the other pair was a bit big on Chris, but still workable. Well, it was the funniest thing seeing them trying to get going in rollerblades. Andrew just started walking and Michael reminded him that he knew how to skate (we DID just spend the last six months in an arena after all!) and once he got the right strides going it didn't take long until he was cruising all over the neighbourhood. Christopher picked it up fairly quickly as well and they've really enjoyed themselves the last couple of days. Here's a few pictures:

So, that's it for now!

Trailers For Sale Or Rent...Or Neither

2008-04-01T19:21:00.006-04:00

OK, screw the weather--I am ready for it to be summer...not spring (I guess I wouldn't cry to see buds sprouting on the trees and wearing a light jacket rather than bundling up in winter gear), but I am totally ready for shorts, crocs, beaches and long, cold drinks.

So last night Michael and I made some plans for the summer. And I think I'm excited about them.

Michael is in route sales, so he has a lot of contacts mostly within the transportation industry. These contacts sometimes come with fringe benefits and often times he comes home with a little bonus that he was able to finagle. Not monetary bonuses. Stuff. He's been the recipient of several aluminum beer and Nascar signs, a trailer hitch and most recently a GPS system.

This is his latest acquisition.

No, it wasn't given to him for keeps. (How sweet would that be?) But he was able to snag it, rent-free, for one of our weeks' holidays.

So, WE'RE GOING CAMPING!!!

Michael and I both camped as kids and as we were looking through the different provincial parks last night, many of the names were familiar to me. I don't remember the specifics of the parks, because we stopped camping when I was about 12. So, I called my mom to run a few names past her so we could pick out the best park for our family. Christopher loves to fish, Andrew loves to swim, and I love to do nothing under a shady tree--so it's very important that my all of our needs are met.

And here is where we are going. It is about a 6-hour drive from home. And the best part is, this is one of the campgrounds that I went to as a kid and can actually remember. It was a nice one, and although 30 years have passed (yikes! when did that happen???), hopefully it still is.

We booked our spot last night. It's amazing how quickly campsites go nowadays and if we had waited much longer, we would have been out of luck. Boy, I can remember pulling into campgrounds as kids and wandering through the park analyzing the dynamics of where to put the trailer and how close the site was to the beach, washroom etc. and actually having somewhat of a choice. (I also remember my sister and I taking off as soon as a site was picked and the work needed to be done under the guise of "looking for the water tap" and conveniently returning when everything was set up) Well, we no longer have the luxury of "browsing", so I hope we made a good decision.

Now, for the next 4-months, we'll be shopping and pillaging for supplies and making lists and hopefully, looking forward to our summer holidays.

Movie Meme Answers

2008-03-29T13:41:00.004-04:00

Time to post my answers. I didn't think they were that hard, but I guess that's easy to say when you know what movies you love.

1. The Lion King
2. The Queen
3. Sixteen Candles
4. The Sound of Music (and probably my all-time favourite movie quote--not a famous one, I know, but I still love it!)
5. When Harry Met Sally
6. Cocktail
7. White Christmas
8. Gone With The Wind
9. Narnia
10. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Congrats to my sister, Frances, and my husband Michael (who although he didn't post his answers, was quizzed orally) who both got 4 answers correct.

I really enjoyed participating in these on other people's blogs (although I sort of sucked) and I enjoyed putting this together as well. It definitely helped when I was off sick this week and bored out of my skull.

I thought song lyrics would be a cool one to do as well, although I think they would be really hard to solve when you don't have them accompanied with music.

Thanks for playing!

Movie Meme

2008-03-27T12:58:00.004-04:00

I know I'm slow on the draw here, but I've been dealing with illness in the house--everyone except Christopher, so far.

I thought I'd jump on board with the movie meme that is doing the rounds. Here are some quotes from movies and your job is to identify them without cheating via googling or any other method.

Keep in mind that I don't often go to see movies and rarely even rent them, so some of these are very old. Have fun!

1. Yes, well forgive me for not leaping for joy. Bad back, you know.

2. You must show your strength. Reassert your authority. You sit on the most powerful throne in Europe, head of an unbroken line that goes back more than a thousand years. Do you think any of your predecessors would have dropped everything and gone up to London because a bunch of hysterics carrying candles needed help with their grief? Huh! As for that silly Mr. Blair with his Cheshire Cat grin...

3. Relax, would you? We have seventy dollars and a pair of girls underpants. We're safe as kittens.

4. I really must speak to the cook about the wiener schnitzel. It is entirely too delicious for my figure. And it makes you much too quiet at the dinner table.

5. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.

6. The Luck is gone / the brain is shot / but the liquor we still got.

7. I want you to get married. I want you to have nine children. And if you only spend five minutes a day with each kid, that's forty-five minutes, and I'd at least have time to go out and get a massage or something.

8. Why, land is the only thing in the world worth workin' for, worth fightin' for, worth dyin' for, because it's the only thing that lasts.

9. If the Witch understood the true meaning of sacrifice, she would have interpreted the deep magic differently. That when a willing victim who has committed no treachery, is killed in a traitor's stead, the stone table will crack, and even death itself will go backwards.

10. Please don't say we're not going to take the car home. Please don't say we're not going to take the car home. Please don't say we're not going to take the car home.

Easter Eve and Other Stuff...

2008-03-22T20:10:00.009-04:00

Happy Easter Eve to everyone! First off, aren't these the coolest egg wraps ever?

A friend of mine at work gave them to me. Her mother had given them to her and since her kids aren't hockey fans and she knew mine were, she passed them on to me. They were a big hit with all three of my hockey fans.

So, yesterday we drove to Wasaga Beach to see Michael's family for Easter. Not everyone in his family was able to make it, but the kids had fun colouring eggs with their cousin, Lucas.

Thank you to everyone who was thinking of my dad and my family during his recent knee-replacement surgery. Everything went well and he came home today. He's sore and faces a bunch of physical therapy, but he is going to be just fine. He was very happy to get out of the hospital, probably because he ended up with a roommate from hell. The kids and I visited on Tuesday night and he was yacking away then and wouldn't stop. I think I talked more to him than I did to my dad. Well, I guess whatever drugs he was on for the pain must have wore off, because in the following days he kicked it up a notch and wouldn't shut up!!! So, there's my dad behind the curtained portion of the room making faces and rolling his eyes whenever he started talking. (Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain...) Easy enough for him--his roommate can't see him, but the rest of his visitors could! So, yes I think he's happy to be home where the only person he has to hear talking to him is my mom. (I guess he's used to hearing her...)

Andrew had his last hockey game today. It was the "C" Championship, Pre-Tyke level. Basically, what that means is a battle between the 6th and 7th place teams. There are 7 teams in the division, so yes, the game today was to determine who finished last and who finished second last.

Well, holy crap, what a nail biter of a game. Now, I should backtrack here because this morning Andrew woke up and was not well. No definite pain...just blahhhh. He had a glass of orange juice at breakfast and that was it. Well, about 20 minutes after that, up it came. So, as he's throwing up, he's trying to tell me "I don't think I can play today..." "Andrew, just don't worry about that now". And as soon as he was done and had cleared his mouth with water, off he was in Christopher's room to play. So, I didn't know what to do! He had a banana after that and when that stayed down and he had convinced me he was OK, we let him play.

The teams were fairly evenly matched (I guess that's what happens when you're the bottom two teams in the division), so the game went back and forth one goal at a time. In the regular season, if a game ends up tied, that's how it stays. However, since this was a "championship" game, there is a tie breaker. Michael had to write down the order he wanted his team to play in the event of a tie-breaker and submit it to the timekeeper. Then they play 4 on 4 for three minutes. If that fails to break the tie, they go to 3 on 3. So, out came the big guns on the first line.

The puck went back and forth between ends, until Andrew finally snagged it away on a breakaway and sped down the ice...he shoots....he MISSES!!! (damn!) The goalie shoots it back and Andrew gets it, passes it to his teammate who shoots it in! We win!!!! And most importantly WE'RE NOT LAST!!!

So, we had a pretty happy team and a pretty happy coach. The kids all got presented with trophies and then we all went out as a team for food.

Andrew seemed to be fading a bit at the restaurant, but perked up when he got his food and ate it all and seems to be holding it down. Right now, he's fast asleep on the couch upstairs.

So, here's a few pictures from the celebrations:

Andrew is the one in the background having just

received his trophy.

Handing out certificates and awards at the restaurant.

Tomorrow should be a fairly quiet Easter for us, which is just as well if Andrew isn't feeling well.

Happy Easter to everyone!!

Blog Neglect

2008-03-17T19:38:00.003-04:00

Well, I've been a very bad blog administrator. I haven't been able to string two sentences of interest together let alone a whole post. Rest assured, I've been reading and commenting, but my mind has turned to mush.

With that in mind, I now present a bullet version of the happenings in Susan-land. Sorry if it's not too exciting--I don't lead a jet-set life, but at least I have nothing tragic to report either.

My three boys will all be done with hockey by the end of March. Although we've generally enjoyed it in spite of a lot of schedule-juggling and running around, part of me is going to be happy that it will be over. I think everyone is getting a little burnt out and I'm kind of looking forward to the break before soccer starts in May. Unfortunately, our best chances for any kind of tournament victory will lie with Michael. Andrew's team did really well in regular season, but they seem to choke in tournaments. Christopher's team won one game in the playoffs, but have lost the rest. We are going out with Andrew's team after his final game on Saturday and we are really looking forward to that. The parents on his team have been absolutely phenomenal and if we could, we'd take the whole team into next year. Unfortunately, we have little say into who ends up on our team.

My dad is getting knee replacement surgery tomorrow. He'll be fine and we'll be hopefully visiting him tomorrow night. I'm not so sure how my mother will do though. She is particularly squeamish and the worst thing for her to hear about is any kind of joint surgery. He won't be completely knocked out for the surgery so I jokingly asked her if they could give her the anaesthesia instead.

I completed our income tax on Friday night using a QuickTax software program. I have had it done by someone else for the past couple of years, because we have had a couple of issues that I didn't feel like tackling. This year, everything seemed pretty straight forward so I thought I would give it a go. Well, I sat on the computer for almost three hours!! I think I would have just been better off using the old-fashioned method of forms and a pencil and a calculator. There is still a few things that I'm not sure I did quite correctly, but I submitted it electronically anyways. I'm sure I'll be getting some kind of notification to provide proof of my claim.

Dancing With The Stars starts tonight and while I'm usually pretty excited about this show, it is a little bittersweet tonight because my favourite dancer, Maks, will not be competing in this one. Here's a picture:

Awww--he's SO cute!!!! (I'll miss you sweetie...big hugs!)

A new edition of The Bachelor also starts tonight. While I think this show has definitely run its course and one can only approach its premise with a great deal of cynicism (especially since its success rate is minimal), I have found a way to watch it which gives me a great amount of pleasure. A few seasons ago, I stumbled on a blog that does recaps of it. www.realitysteve.com Well, it's absolutely hilarious. I read what Steve has to write and literally laugh out loud every single week. It's worth watching the agony of rose-rejectees just to read his take on it the next morning.
My kids have been fighting like cats and dogs lately. Over everything. It's ridiculous. If there is an empty water bottle in the back seat of the car, they will fight over it. I don't think I'm asking for advice because I know it's just normal kid/sibling stuff, but GODDDDD!!! THEY ARE DRIVING ME FREAKING CRAZZZZYYYY!!! (deep breath..)

OK, that's it for now. See, I told you I had nothing thrilling to say.

Until next time...

A Wintery Weekend

2008-03-09T16:27:00.009-04:00

So, let's get the ugly part out of the way right away, shall we?

How much more frigging snow could we possibly have gotten???? Here's a couple of shots of our house, in case you didn't get enough where you were. (I heard that...)

Now, to the good part of yesterday.

It was a three-arena day for us. Chris had a practice at 8:00 a.m., and thankfully the snow hadn't started by then. Andrew had a game at 2:00 p.m. and it was coming down pretty good by then. And then, as luck would have it, we were able to snag some ice time at 6:00 p.m.--but not just any ice--Kitchener Rangers' ice. A tournament that was booked in for this weekend canceled out, which left the ice available. This is something that NEVER happens, so when we were able to book it, we jumped at the chance.

Michael announced it to his team yesterday, and also let Christopher's coach know so that any players from his team who wanted to come out, could. Weather be damned--we had free, prime ice time and off we went. We were the first ones to get there, and thought we'd be the only ones dumb enough to venture out in that mess...but altogether about 9 kids and 3 parents went out on the ice and had a really good time.

We were lucky in that one of the kids that showed up from Christopher's team is also a goalie and one of the dads that came is a goalie and he brought his equipment. So, they divided up into teams and played a game.

And here is my oh-my-God-I-have-to-write-about-this-on-my-blog moment. After the game, everyone went back into the dressing room to get their kids changed and for the dads to take off their skates.

As I mentioned one of the dads was in full goalie equipment. Everyone's busy pulling off their kids' equipment and stuffing it into bags, and I was doing the same, so you're not really paying attention to what anyone else is doing. I turned around at one point and he takes off his goalie pads, under which he is wearing a pair of track pants. I continued helping the kids with their stuff and the next time I turned around he had taken off his track pants and t-shirt. So, there he sat in the dressing room in his underwear and nothing else. I quickly looked away and glanced around the room and besides me, the only woman that was in there was his ex-wife helping her kids and probably not as horrified by the sight as I was. It wasn't that he was disgusting or anything in his underwear, I just thought it was really weird and prayed that he would stop there. Which he did. It didn't help that Michael must have seen my reaction and had this stupid smirk on his face that almost made me burst out laughing. So, I can't look that way because there's a man in his underwear (he did put on jeans fairly quickly, but it seemed like a REALLY long time) and I can't look the other way because my husband is making goofy faces.

The ride home was a bit stressful because of the weather, but we eventually made it safely. Here are a few pictures from the evening:

The empty arena

Andrew on the ice

Mike with the kids

I tried uploading a video and a few more pictures, but Blogger is being silly, so I guess this will have to do.

Just Call Me "Your Majesty"

2008-03-05T19:52:00.005-05:00

Today, I had a taste of the royal life. I was crowned. No, silly, not a full-blown coronation complete with jewels and purple robes and obsequious, sour-faced Englishmen bowing and curtsying to me--although God knows, I TOTALLY deserve that kind of treatment.

I had a temporary crown placed on the tooth which I had a root canal completed on in December.

I've never had one done before and it's quite the procedure.

First they match the colour to your existing teeth, and it's fascinating to see all the different shades of white. I was quite flattered when the first shade chosen by the dental assistant was deemed "way too yellow". I guess the Crest Whitestrips must have worked!

Then, came the fun part.

About twenty-five to thirty minutes of solid drilling (with the aid of lots of freezing, of course--and this time she actually gave me enough!). It didn't hurt, but man, that sound just pierced right through my bones and gave me the chills.

Then they place a cord around the tooth to separate it from the gum line to take the impression. The cord has to sit there for about five minutes and although it sounds innocuous enough, it had this horrific taste to it that I honestly thought was going to make me throw up. I tried to keep from thrashing about and carrying on too much about, but it was wretched. I asked if I could spit and no, I wasn't even allowed to do that. Honestly, you'd think in this day and age they could make it mint-flavoured or dip it in chocolate first or something.

Then they took the impression. The first one didn't work out--probably because I had to be stupid and start moving my teeth once the liquid gel started hardening. I was curious--so shoot me. Nobody told me to keep still or it wouldn't work. It got pretty hard and when they removed it, I had visions of my top and bottom teeth coming right out with it. Luckily, they remained intact. So, they tried another impression and for this one I behaved and it came out properly.

They will send it to the lab to be made and in two weeks I will get it placed.

In the meantime--this is the best part--I have a temporary crown right over the tooth. It's silver and huge!! I look like a pirate! Luckily, the tooth in question is toward the back of my mouth and nobody can see it unless they're peering right into my mouth. Thankfully, I don't think I have that intimate a relationship with anybody outside of my husband, and usually not even him!

So, it looks kind of funny...but it's definitely not this bad:

There Will Be Blood...

2008-02-24T18:40:00.002-05:00

Well, I really hope there WON'T be blood, considering they're only 6 and 8, but I thought it was too great a title for a hockey post, especially considering it's Oscar night, to pass up.

Hockey playoffs are under way. It's hard to believe there's only a bit more than a month left in the season. Our car has been at the arena for the boys' games/practices alone (Michael also plays in a league) at least two and sometimes three times a week. I think it can drive there by itself by now.

They've each had a great season and improved by leaps and bounds. Or should I say by slapshots and goals.

And I have to say that although I truthfully wasn't looking all that forward to it, I've had a pretty good time in my first-time role as a hockey mom, despite freezing my butt off in the coldest arena in town. (actually, freezing my butt off would have been a GOOD thing--it's still there and still around the same size!)

So, here's a few pictures of their seasons.

(If you click on the corner of the video, it gets smaller so that you can read the captions)

I Wish I Had Said That...

2008-02-18T18:02:00.001-05:00

Have more than thou showest; Speak less than thou knowest.

- "King Lear", Act I, Scene 4

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T19:17:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! Hope everyone out there got what they ~~deserve~~ wished for from their significant other.

Want to hear about the romance that is waiting for me tonight? I bet you're salivating with anticipation and I'm going to make you blush with all the steamy details...

I am going to be watching Survivor with the boys while Michael plays hockey. Yes, he has chosen his one true love over spending the most romantic night of the year with me!!!! What madman created THAT schedule? (He must be single, that's all I can say...)

I'm actually not too devastated. And Michael isn't entirely without a conscience because I was pleasantly surprised with a bouquet of flowers last night.

The bouquet consisted of 9 tulips and 3 daffodils. I'm actually quite impressed with Michael's creativity in choosing this combination because it's very significant to me.

I carried tulips in my bridal bouquet and it was a running theme for our wedding and the daffodils are the symbol of the Canadian Cancer Society.

Unfortunately, he's not going to credit me with any creativity for his gift, because I only got him some chocolate--and some for the boys as well. But the fact that I'm not pitching a fit that he's going to hockey should count for something, right?

So, since I don't have a torrid evening of romance and/or lust ahead of me, I'm going to throw it out to you.

What are your Valentine's plans? Remember, I'm living vicariously through you...so make it good!

From Andrew

2008-02-13T15:49:00.003-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATS!

FROM, ANDREW (YOUR BIGGEST FAN!)

It Takes A Village...

2008-02-10T16:25:00.000-05:00

Boy, does it ever! Next weekend, we are invited to a wedding. Thankfully, it's a local one, so I asked my mom and dad if they would watch the boys at their place overnight. It seemed to go well at Christmas, so they said "yes".

Since it's Saturday, we just thought Andrew could miss hockey for one day, although I knew he wouldn't want to. I didn't want to put it on my parents to get him all ready because truly, the equipment can be a great big pain!

Enter Uncle Gary...

Uncle Gary teases Andrew mercilessly about his choice of favourite team, the Toronto Maple Leafs. When Andrew got a Maple Leaf jersey for Christmas last year he couldn't wait to show it to Uncle Gary who, without missing a beat, told him he should wear it inside out. This year he got a Maple Leaf blanket for Christmas from JUST Uncle Gary--much to Uncle Gary's chagrin, I'm sure. So, who better to ask for help in getting Andrew (who as luck would have it, plays for the Leafs) than Uncle Gary.

Andrew called him and asked him if he would do it and he said yes. There were a couple of conditions, though. (I thought for sure one of them would be that he didn't have to cheer for Andrew's team, or that Andrew had to promise to lose or something). The first was that Andrew had to buy him a coffee. The second was that he had to get a goal or Uncle Gary wasn't bringing him back. (Note to Uncle Gary: We never said you had to bring him back!)

Then, last week, Christopher brought home a party invitation from his friend, Alex. Not only is it a party, it's a sleepover party. At first, I told him he probably couldn't go because he was sleeping at Grandma's that night. Well, didn't I have the guilt knife plunged into my chest and twisted a few times when I dared to insinuate that my party was more important than his? I told him to phone Grandma and ask if she would drive him to the party and if she said yes, he could go. So, he did and she will.

So, next Saturday, I will have everyone shuffling my kids around to their activities. We will drop the kids off at my parents shortly after lunch and go to the wedding. Uncle Gary will pick Andrew up there later on and take him to his game and then bring him back afterwards (maybe...). Then, my mom will drop Christopher off at his friends' party where he will spend the night.

We will pick them both up at their individual locations the following morning.

Whew! I guess I'll be working on detailed instructions for everyone this week.

Thanks everybody for the help!!!

Snowy Days and Big Mouths Always Get Me Down

2008-02-06T10:21:00.000-05:00

Today, I was given a gift that I have never received before and am not likely to receive again.

MY WORK CALLED ANOTHER SNOW DAY!!!!!!!!

Nothing that special, you say? Well, wait until you hear this:

THE KIDS' SCHOOL IS OPEN!!!!!!

If that's not a gift from the heavens above, I don't know what is. Unfortunately, my day began tarnished by uncalled-for remarks from a great big mouth.

I didn't tell the kids that I had a snow day because I knew they'd be miffed that I would be at home while they had to go to school. So, we got ready as normal.

I took them to the sitter's and when she opened the door she exclaimed, "So, you have the day off and you're still bringing the kids here?" I honestly thought she was joking with me, so I sort of played along and smiled and nodded (and prayed the kids wouldn't have a hissy fit right there in front of her, which thankfully, they didn't). Then she proceeded to tell me (and bear in mind, I still think she's kidding around with me here) that she would think I would want to spend as much quality time with my kids as possible. So, I reply with "Oh, now why would I want to do THAT?" (hahaha! snicker, snicker, snicker..) At her next remark, I sort of clued in that she was being serious. "When my kids were little I wanted to spend as much time as possible with them and if I had the day off, I would have taken them to school myself!"

I am still in shock at her remarks. Not that I feel I have to defend myself, but I would still have had to pay her for today--she's not that magnanimous to forgive a day's pay in favour of my bonding with my children. The kids are with her for approximately 40 minutes in the morning before they go to school ALL DAY. After school, she has them for about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

I suppose I could have lied and said that I have a doctor's appointment anyways or that I might go in for a few hours if the weather doesn't get any worse, but why should I have to do that? She is paid to watch my children, not pass judgement on my parenting decisions or my daily activities. Wouldn't she freak if she knew how many vacation days I take without telling her? A couple of years ago, I took every Friday off for 6 weeks and still took the kids there.

I admire the quality of being outspoken in a person, but there is a difference between being outspoken and being just plain rude.

To her credit, she is very reliable. In the four years we've been with her, she's never even called in sick. Her rates are reasonable and she is very generous with the kids. So, I suppose it's a question of prioritizing those qualities against occasional unwarranted comments.

So, for now, I grin and bear it and save my ranting for my blog.

I'll be going now to ~~do laundry and sort through tax papers~~ eat bonbons and take a bubblebath.

Weekend Wrap-Up

2008-02-03T19:24:00.000-05:00

We did a lot this weekend. Here is a very brief wrap-up:

Friday turned out to be a snow day for me and the kids, so I was ~~trapped in the house with them~~ able to spend some quality time with them all day long. Christopher's hockey in the evening was also cancelled, so we ended up spending the day in our pj's. We even went outside and shovelled the snow in them--under our warm clothes, of course.
On Saturday, the kids had a dentist's appointment for a check-up first thing in the morning. Christopher has his very first cavity. A small one in one of his big teeth and the dentist was able to fill it right away, so he did. NO FREEZING. It took about 10 minutes to do it and he handled it great. (it goes without saying, much better than his mother would have!)
On Saturday afternoon, we went to Andrew's hockey game and my parents showed up to watch. It was a really good game and even better that his team won. I think my parents are good luck charms because every time they show up to watch, his team wins.
After hockey, I went to get my hair cut at a new salon. So, I was all nervous, but I think the hairdresser did a fine job. My sister used to go into that shop and one of the other hairdressers thought I was her. It was pretty funny when he waved at me, very familiar-like and said "Hey...how are you doing?" I knew that he thought I was her and waved back equally as friendly and said, "I'm good, but I'm not who you think I am!"
Today, there was a Winterfest at my work for employees and alumni (I work at a college). So, we went skating for an hour and afterwards there was hot chocolate and activities for the kids. A childhood friend of mine (his parents and my parents are best friends) and his family showed up, so it was nice to see them again. The kids weren't allowed to bring hockey sticks on the ice, but Michael brought a puck and had a bunch of kids tearing around after it trying to kick it away...sort of like hockey-soccer. The boys had a really good time, and the best part was it was all free. Can't beat that...
And right now, Christopher is upstairs watching a movie and Michael and Andrew are down here watching the Superbowl. And I'm about to head up to my room and do a little reading.

How was your weekend?

Happy Birthday, Uncle Frank!

2008-02-02T16:15:00.001-05:00

It's my Uncle Frank's birthday today! Everyone please wish him a good one!!

Sexy!

2008-01-31T10:17:00.000-05:00

I can't put my finger on why, but I think George Canyon is so damn sexy when he sings this song!!!

Cause You Had A Bad Day Month

2008-01-30T14:16:00.000-05:00

I feel pretty safe in saying that unless I win the lottery or it suddenly turns into summer tomorrow, January has been a fairly crappy month in Susan-land.

Between juggling dental pain, kids' ear infections, bad weather, hairdressers dying, trying to get vacation time approved and being met with resistance (Mike, not me), (I'm sure there's more I could put in this list, but you kind of get the idea...) in addition to the regular activities of our lives, I'm finding I have absolutely nothing to look forward to. And that really sucks. Everyone should always have something to look forward to.

So, why is it that when I do manage to find a shred of something enjoyable to get remotely excited about in the form of being a parent volunteer for Andrew's class trip to see a play today, the school buses get unnecessarily, in my opinion, cancelled due to the weather, thereby also cancelling the field trip????? That also really sucks.

Gone, But Not Forgotten

2008-01-25T14:31:00.000-05:00

A few months ago I wrote this post about my hairdresser, Keith.

I last saw Keith at my regular appointment just before Christmas. He told me then that he was leaving the shop he was working in, but that he would call me before I was due for my next appointment to let me know where he would be. This wasn't an unusual occurrence, and I have followed him to a few different shops over the years. The only thing that was unusual was that he didn't already know where he was going. Before, I left I asked him a couple of times, "Are you sure you're going to call me?" sort of in a joking manner. He assured me he would.

He won't be phoning me.

Keith died this week.

I am in shock and extremely saddened by this news. From what I've heard the suspected cause of death is diabetes-related, but at this point nobody knows for sure. Keith struggled with depression over the years and had family issues, so other thoughts have popped into my head as well. I hope I'm wrong, but at this point it's pretty much a moot point.

All I know is that I have lost someone who has been part of my life for 16 years and I will miss my friend.

Glad

2008-01-22T13:24:00.000-05:00

The new favourite show in our house on Monday nights is the new version of American Gladiators.

Does anyone remember the original of this show from the early 1990's? If you're not familiar with its concept, you can read about it here.

This is the original cast:

(A little off-topic here...but can you believe this show had a soundtrack and did anyone actually ever buy this????)

Here are the new gladiators:

One can only surmise that the steroid and plastic surgery industries have grown by leaps and bounds in the last 15 years or so, because these people are freaking huge!! Some of them look like they were cracked out of a mould of plastic, don't they?

Anyways, the boys are having a blast watching this show and have looked forward to it every week since it's been on. Most of the events from the original series are still featured--some have a bit of a twist--I think it's hilarious that if the contestant hits the target in Assault, the gladiator is catapulted backwards into the pool rather than going up in smoke like in the original. I personally wouldn't last in any of the events for longer than about 5 seconds. And that Eliminator??? It would probably take me about half an hour to climb the 8-foot wall in the beginning and the only way I'd make it up the reverse treadmill at the end is if a helicopter were allowed to hover above me with a grappling hook. But, that's why I'm on my couch watching, and not sporting tight red or blue lycra sportswear (which comes with its own frightening visual image).

I'm finding this version to be pretty cheesy and cliche-ridden in the commentary. And in all the episodes I've seen so far, there always seems to be some sort of controversy brewing between gladiators and competitors. The older version always seemed to portray more of a comradery between gladiators and competitors. They completed the event and seemed to wish each other well at the end of it. I'm finding the new series lacks this sportsmanship-like quality. But, it's probably just a sign of the times and with the success of reality television being based on conflict, the older version of this show probably just wouldn't cut it today.

I'm pretty neutral when it comes to the hosts. I've never been a wrestling fan, so I'm not a Hulk Hogan fan, but he hasn't been grating on my nerves either. And I just have to say this--does Laila Ali not have the most beautifully-sculpted arms? I covet arms like that.

I don't know how successful this show will be, but for now our family will be tuning in.

Tooth or Consequences

2008-01-15T14:02:00.000-05:00

Since my tooth problems seem to be somewhat under control (I'm still on antibiotics for a couple of days, but haven't taken pain pills in almost a week), I have become a dental maniac.

I'm flossing regularly. I'm using a fluoride rinse recommended by the dentist. And I'm brushing three times every day. I even have a tube of toothpaste and toothbrush in my desk at work and I'm brushing after lunch. So, here's a question for you--and I want an honest answer. In my office, we have a small kitchen area at the back. There's a little fridge, a kettle and a microwave and a kitchen sink for rinsing out dishes or cleaning the counter or microwave of any spills. Now, my question is...does the thought of anyone (well, I guess it would be me) brushing their teeth in this sink really gross you out? My boss is a bit of a germophobe, so I don't think I would ever actually do it while he's in the office, but is it really disgusting? I haven't done it yet (because I can't decide if it's acceptable or horribly vile), but I would never leave my brush lying on the side of the sink or anything and I would always clean the sink out thoroughly when I was done. And I certainly wouldn't spit and rinse if someone were back there making a coffee or getting their lunch. There's only about 4 of us that use that area, so it's not like there's a constant stream of people through there. Anyways, I'd be interested in knowing your thoughts.

I've also started using Crest Whitestrips. I've used them for about 5 days and I think I'm starting to notice a difference. You use them for 14 days and supposedly they keep your teeth white for a year. I guess any improvement is helpful--not that my teeth were black or anything...but I was noticing a change in colour and wasn't happy with it. Just as long as I don't end up looking like Ross from Friends when he overbleached his teeth.

So, let me know "yay or nay" on the brushing of teeth in the kitchen sink.

Keep smiling!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-01-13T19:24:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday to me today!

It's been a fairly quiet birthday today, but a good one. We went out for dinner last night with the kids for both of our birthdays, since Michael's was on January 1st and we hadn't gone out anywhere for his.

Then this morning I got my gift from Mike and the kids. I got the 6th season DVD of The Flintstones!! (last year I got the first season...so I still need the second, third, fourth and fifth seasons if anyone is keeping track...) So, that made me very happy. These are the episodes with the Great Gazoo who still makes me laugh every time I see him. Christopher later told me that Michael gave them a choice of what to buy me. The DVD's or a gift card to a spa. I guess since they thought there would be nothing in it for them if I got a spa card, they picked the DVD's. I can't say I'm disappointed with their choice. I think the only thing I would ever get done at a spa is a pedicure--I'm not a facial and massage kind of girl and I bite my nails with a vengeance, so a manicure is impossible. Yeah, I'm pretty happy he listened to their choice. We watched about 4 episodes this morning.

This afternoon, we ran a couple of errands to Costco and Home Depot and then came home to a yummy dinner of chicken fajitas and birthday cake. Oh, and a few glasses of wine which seems to be the cause of the current red flush that my cheeks are exhibiting.

So, another birthday in the can for me. I think I'll go have another glass of wine....

bye!