not the mother of the year

It's enough

2012-01-10T12:54:00.001-05:00

In October, my friend and I started a 5k clinic at The Running Room. We signed up both for social and fitness goals. We only live about 35 km apart, but with us both working full-time, her l-o-n-g commute in the other direction and six kids between us, we rarely found the time to get together.

So, the running clinic became our social outlet with a side of running. We were asked on the first night why we were there. A lot of people were there for their second 5k clinic, hoping to improve their endurance. Others were following up after having been in the Learn to Run clinic and wanted to increase their intervals (from 5 min running, 1 min running intervals up to 10 & 1’s). Many of them had set a marathon or half-marathon race as their goal. When it was my turn, I admitted that I did not like to run, but I wanted to like to run, and that I had little to no interest in running a marathon.

That seems to be the goal for a lot people, the marathon. But, here’s the thing: I can’t think of many things I want to do for 4 to 5 hours (or more), and running is not even close to getting on that list. Running is boring, even with your best friend running and chatting by your side or your iPod pumping your favourite tunes or podcasts. The Running Room promotes a training strategy that includes regular intervals of walking periods. By the end of the clinic, both my friend and I felt that we didn’t require the 1 min walk after 10 minutes, but we looked forward to it as a mark that we were that much closer to being done.

When the clinic was over, many people were asking if we would be signing up for the 10k clinic.

Nope.

We’re still going to run. We’ve signed up for another 5k in March to help in the motivation department and we have put together our own training schedule that builds on what we learned in the clinic. We’ll still get together a couple of times a week to run together. But, we’ve decided that 5k is our distance and our only goal is to finish the 5k faster.

I'm not a running convert by any means. I don't dread it like I used to, but given the choice between going out for a run and reading a good book, I'll choose the book. There are no marathons or half-marathons in my future. I could maybe see doing a 10k if I can get to a point where I would be done in less than 45 minutes, because 45 minutes is pretty much my maximum tolerance level for pounding the pavement. It's certainly not a lofty goal, but it's enough.

This is a picture of my friend and I (right) after our 5k race. Each of the 4,000 participants wore these Santa suits - it was quite the thing to see!

Maggie’s Rich!

2011-11-02T10:23:00.001-04:00

So, I have hesitated posting this because… well the last time I posted (in FEBRUARY) I was recounting a story about Maggie when she was not on her best behaviour and the following is a new Maggie tale. She’s really, truly, not a bad girl. She’s comical and precocious and sometimes sneaky, but not bad. Ultimately, the story is a good one. When I look back at this online journal when the kids are grown, this is a story I will want to remember.

Homer came home late one night with nine $100 bills (a friend had repaid a loan in cash). He put it on my nightstand under a notebook so I would remember to take it to the bank.

The next morning, Maggie saw the pile and said, “Is that a hundred dollars?”

“Yes, it is. Please don’t touch it,” I said.

We went downstairs and continued with our morning. Homer was driving the kids to school and I left for work.

At the schoolyard, the three kids scattered to meet up with their friends, leaving Homer standing with a group of moms, still carrying Maggie’s backpack. He decided there was no reason to wait around for the bell, since the kids were all happy and playing, so he went to give Maggie her backpack.

Maggie took the backpack, gave Homer a big hug and said, “I love you, Daddy!”

As he walked away, he heard an excited small person exclaim, “Maggie’s rich!”

He took another couple of steps and then thought to turn around to see what the kid was talking about. The kid was holding a crisp $100 bill. So was the kid beside that kid.

Homer recovered the $200 immediately, then frantically patted down Maggie, ripped apart her backpack and questioned each member of her posse. Bart’s teacher approached him to ask if everything was okay. He told her that Maggie may have distributed another seven $100 bills to her little friends. He offered no explanation as to why we would have cash in such large bills just lying around the house (potential teacher thoughts: drug dealers, housewife hooker, money launderers…). The teacher promised to pass along the message to Maggie’s teacher, politely stifling a laugh.

As it turns out, Maggie had taken ‘only’ two of the bills from the pile. When asked why she did it, she said she wanted to prove to her friends that we were ‘million-billionaires’.

She was adequately punished. She’s really not a bad girl.

I’m here to make you look good.

2011-02-28T10:05:00.003-05:00

So. Saturday started out pretty well. It was Parent Observation Day at the girls’ dance studio. Lisa and I watched Maggie’s class, then Maggie and I watched Lisa’s class. That’s 2 hours of bagpipes, but it was entertaining, none the less.

When it was time to leave at 11:30, I retrieved Maggie’s jacket from the hook in the change room. Apparently, she wanted to get the jacket off the hook, which sent her into pouty, stubborn mode. Putting the jacket back on the hook didn’t help. Coaxing her gently didn’t help. Bribing her didn’t help. She refused to get ready to go. There were other parents in the room, so I was very conscious about being a “good parent”, doing the “right thing”. After 10 minutes of this nonsense, my patience had vanished and I had spiralled down into threatening mode: “If you don’t… then I will…” I was saying this quietly into her ear so no one else could hear. Other parents were giving me sympathetic smiles, some regaling me with tales of stubborn fits by their own children.

When the other parents had finally cleared out, I picked her up and carried her outside, Lisa trailing behind carrying her coat, hat, mittens and boots. Our car was about a block away, parked on a residential street. She was kicking and screaming the whole time.

When we finally got to the car, she wouldn’t get in. She somehow splayed herself across the doorframe and I could not get her in. Finally, Lisa went in the other side and pulled while I pushed with my arms and a leg. We wrestled her into her booster seat, buckled her up and closed the door (with child locks engaged).

Before I could even open my door, she had unbuckled herself and she was sitting in the front seat. I tried to speak to her quietly; tried to calm her down, but she was too far gone. I got her back in her seat and buckled (by pulling her from behind) and told her that I would throw her things into the snow bank if she didn’t stay buckled. She didn’t, and I did.

I threw her things over the car (she was on the driver’s side; the snow bank was on the passenger side). One by one, her coat, boots, stuffies, hat and mitts sailed over the car and into the snow bank. In between each toss, I was pleading with her to get buckled. I then told her that I would retrieve the items, only if she sat back in the seat and re-buckled. She wouldn’t, so I started the car and threatened to drive away, leaving her things behind and letting her take her chances with the police.

Then the homeowner, whose snow bank I had been using for dramatic effect, pulled into his driveway. He could hear the screaming child and he could see the various articles of clothing and toys strewn about his lawn. Perhaps he thought the screaming child threw them? Another sympathetic smile.

I sheepishly picked everything up and threw them in the trunk. I buckled her again and Lisa volunteered to try and keep her from unbuckling. We finally got going and she unbuckled again after not more than 10 seconds. She stayed in the backseat but kicked her leg in the front and kicked the gear shift into neutral. I was seriously prepared to throw her into the snow bank.

I don’t even know what I was threatening her with at this point. I just wanted to get home where I would have the help of another adult.

Once again buckled, we started out. Lisa was able to fight off her unbuckling attempts until we were about a kilometre from home. At that point, Lisa just tackled her and held her down until we pulled into our driveway at about 12:10.

Homer took over and all was well after about 15 minutes. She has been sternly and sufficiently punished. If you ask Maggie what happened, she’ll tell you that Mommy took her coat off the hook and that made her mad. Thank God for Lisa.

Too much storage space = hoarding enabler

2011-02-11T16:39:00.000-05:00

I’m kind of the opposite of a hoarder. I don’t hang onto much for ‘sentimental’ reasons, I make almost weekly trips to the donation centre and I don’t buy anything without evaluating where it will be stored (including food – only so many bread products will fit in my breadbox, you know?) Homer was quite amused when I was putting away some Christmas presents - I got new stainless steel measuring cups, so I put those in the place where my measuring cups live and immediately put the old plastic ones in the donation bag. I got a new travel mug and donated an old one (there’s only so much room in the ‘mugs’ cupboard). As soon as I read a book, I give it away. If I buy a new sweater, I’ve already made room for it by donating one or more of the older ones. I don’t like stuffed closets or jam-packed drawers - I like to be able to find my things easily and always have a place to put them away.

Homer does not have the same practicalities. He has bought sets of books that he never intends to read, but wanted for our bookshelf (SETS! Like, 12 volumes). He accumulates video games, gadgets and watches like no one I’ve ever seen. He’ll hold onto a piece of clothing for years, even decades (sometimes items just ‘disappear’ and he doesn’t seem to notice). He’ll drive me nuts by bringing home a case of something (food item, cleaning product, etc.) and plopping it in the middle of the kitchen with a big, satisfied grin. My first thought is a panicky ‘where will I put all this?’ The result is that there’s almost a line drawn down the middle of our room. My side is sparsely adorned and orderly and his has stacks and piles and lots of things that don’t have a permanent home.

Still, I have my issues. I still have a whole stack of cloth diapers taking up space in a spare closet, even though my youngest is 3 years out of diapers. Why? I don’t know, except that I haven’t found anyone to give them to and I’m afraid that they’ll be wasted if I give them to a stranger (I loved cloth diapering). I have a small cupboard that’s stacked with the few pieces of memorabilia I do want to keep for my kids (class pictures, hand-print art projects, etc.), but it’s literally a teetering stack with no rhyme, reason or organization. It’s been on my to-do list for years (YEARS!) and I never even get around to starting the project. Hand-me-downs between the girls (from Lisa to Maggie) are getting a little out of control – I need to go through them and really evaluate what is worth hanging onto and what is better thrifted now (there’s a 5-year age gap, so it has to be something really special to justify taking up space for another 4-5 years).

It helps that these things are behind closed doors, but it’s those closed doors that have allowed me to not deal with them (enablers!) I have this theory that people who have big walk-in closets or massive storage areas, whether or not they are well-organized, are just putting off the purging and rationalizing that ought to be as routine in a home as changing the furnace filters, getting your gardens ready and changing your smoke detector batteries. Maybe I’m just jealous of people with big walk-in closets and massive storage areas. In any case, it’s definitely time for me to deal with my little hoarding issues.

Health kick in progress

2011-01-04T11:15:00.002-05:00

‘Tis the season for sharing resolutions and fitness goals. There’s nothing like a new year to bring on a fresh spark to ignite that fitness fire. It would appear that I am far ahead of the game this year, because my health kick started in November.

I was one of four people involved in a fitness study. Researchers were studying the effects of a moderate level of exercise on cholesterol, blood pressure, heart rate while exercising, body fat, strength and endurance.

There was no nutrition component to the study, just exercise. The exercise portion was not at all daunting. I was required to walk at least 10,000 steps a day (they gave me a pedometer), including at least 20 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity walking 5 times a week. The third week in, I also added 30 minutes of strength training three times a week, guided by a personal trainer.

Oh, and my progress was to be monitored by a CBC camera crew for a segment on The National news program (it aired last night).

For the science part of it, I had a bunch of tests both at the beginning and end of the 6-week period. They drew blood, took my blood pressure, measured my body fat, put me on a treadmill for a stress test, weighed me and tested my leg strength.

For the story part, they visited us at home (such a thrill for the kids!)

I checked in with the journalist, Reg Sherren. Here, he's watching a video of my progress report on his treadmill in Winnipeg.

And of course, there was a lot of walking. 10,000 steps a day was, surprisingly, not too much of a challenge. I had to wear the pedometer a couple of days before the study started and it turns out that I was already registering about 8,500 steps a day. I made a concerted effort to take the long route to meetings, parked my car a little further away and added a 30-minute walk at lunch. Just like that, I was seeing numbers like 14,000 on the pedometer. One Saturday I suggested that the whole family walk to the city's Santa Claus parade. That was a 20,000+ steps day!

At this point, I don't know the specifics of my individual results. At the post-testing, I was told that my endurance had improved and that my strength was "way up" (apparently I was the strongest in the study, both in pre and post-testing - woot). I don't know, nor do I care if there was any change in my weight. I do, however, feel fantastic. I know I am more toned. My clothes fit better. I have more energy. That's my kind of success.

Win-win teacher gifts!

2010-11-22T15:31:00.003-05:00

This year, as in past years, I am begging my family to go easy on the gifts for the kids. They don't need anything and are hard-pressed to come up with things they even want. We have put an end to birthday party gifts for my kids and when we give out loot bags at their parties, it's usually one item, like a book or drawing kit.

For Bart’s birthday party, we wrote on the invitation: “In lieu of a gift for the birthday boy, please bring a contribution to the ABC School outdoor play bin.” Kids brought balls, Frisbees, skipping ropes, bubbles, sidewalk chalk and all kinds of great items that they then had the opportunity to play with at school.

For Maggie’s birthday, instead of sending in cupcakes for the class (which is now frowned upon due to a healthy schools initiative), Maggie picked out 5 books to donate to the classroom.

Lisa’s birthday is coming up and she’s trying to decide what kinds of donations she will ask from her friends. Because it's near Christmas, we may adopt a local family in need and ask for gifts for the family.

These are all win-win-win initiatives. The kids feel really special making these donations. We don’t continue to fill up our house with toys that are rarely touched. The recipients of the donations are always grateful and appreciative.

Have you read Swistle’s latest teacher gifts posts? I get miffed every time I read one of these and a few (certainly not all) teachers chime in that a gift card and cash are more appreciated than the #1 Teacher Mugs, the baked goods (which are often tossed) and the little (useless) trinkets.

In Swistles’ post, someone was asking a question about whether or not she should contribute $35 so the class could present a ‘better’ class gift for Christmas, Teacher Appreciation Week and end of year. If I were a teacher I. WOULD. DIE a thousand deaths if I knew the families in my class were being asked to spend $35 on personal gifts for me. DIE!

I wrote this in my comment on Swistle’s post, but I’m going to repeat it here. I think teachers should take the lead and reject the notion of personal gifts in favour of classroom gifts. Teachers won’t get anymore crap they neither want nor need; parents and kids get to pick out something they know will be used and appreciated.

Here’s what the teacher should say:

As we approach the holiday season (/Teacher Appreciation Week/the end of the school year), I would like to thank you for the support you have given me and ABC School so far this year. Your participation in fundraisers, Scholastic orders and in providing classroom supplies is very much appreciated. I know many of you will feel obliged to purchase a “teacher gift” and I want to free you of this obligation. I know budgets are tight and I certainly don’t need anything personally. If you are still inclined to purchase a gift, may I suggest something that can be enjoyed by everyone in the class? Perhaps a copy of your child’s favourite book, some glitter glue for the creative centre or skipping ropes for the playground? It is truly a pleasure teaching your children and that is more than enough reward for me.

Sincerely,
The best teacher ever :-)

Seriously, teachers, it’s win-win and you can make it happen.

A very long post in which I whine about being too busy.

2010-11-02T19:31:00.000-04:00

I’m just generally finding life so busy lately and I’m getting very frustrated by the lack of time for myself. Last week was particularly rough and went something like this:

Monday: I got a call at work that Bart had a mishap in gym class and was acting a little dopey and confused. I blew off a meeting I was about to go into and took him to the doctor. He was okay; a little bruised and a loose tooth, but otherwise fine. We had to wake him a couple of times in the night, but all was well. I had planned to work on the kids’ Halloween costumes, but had to put it off.

Tuesday: A few minutes after we arrived home from Bart’s karate and Lisa’s guitar lessons (it was 7:15 and I hadn’t even been home from work, nor had anyone eaten dinner), the phone rang. It was my dad saying my mother had collapsed and could I come (they are about 30 minutes away). I implored my dad to call 9-1-1 and he promised to do so if she became any worse. By the time I got to my parents’ house, there was a note on the door that he had called 9-1-1 and was en route to the hospital. Long story short, my mom is okay now – they don’t really know what happened, but she got a lot of tests at the hospital and is scheduled for a bunch more.

Wednesday: I got a call that Lisa was sick. My backup babysitters (my parents) were obviously not available and I had two meetings that I could not blow off. Homer was unavailable as he was at a banquet receiving an award. I picked up Lisa, waited impatiently for Homer to get home and practically flew back to work and went straight into a meeting. After spending about an hour on the phone that evening with my sister, father and aunt discussing my mom, I got to work on the costumes. At 11:30 I called it quits because I was exhausted.

Thursday: Lisa is fine and back at school. Another late night working on the costumes. I also baked cupcakes and a cake for Maggie’s birthday, put together the loot bags for her party on Saturday and made Rice Krispie Squares for the kids to share with their classes at the Halloween party at school.

Friday: Maggie turns 5! I took the day off work and spent the morning with my little peanut. We had a donut and coffee/hot chocolate, went shopping for some birthday clothes, quickly changed her into her costume and then went out for lunch. I dropped Maggie off at school and then hung around so I could help the other two with their costumes. I watched the Halloween parade, then came home to frost her birthday cake. Went back for the kids and helped them out of their costumes. We carved three pumpkins, then changed into nice clothes for dinner at a restaurant. After dinner we went on a pumpkin hike (a hike through the woods in the dark with only jack-o-lanterns lighting the way). Back at home we sang Happy Birthday, ate cake and sent the kids off to bed. I tried to make Maggie her castle cake (I totally cheated by making is castle-ish, but the birthday girl was happy, so that's all that counts).

Castle(ish) Cupcakes

Meow Birthday Girl!

Saturday: The girls had their dance classes until 11:30 and Maggie’s party started at 12:00. At 2:00 the party was over and we rushed home to get in costume (again) for my niece’s birthday party (she’s 2!) We were home by 9:00 and the kids went straight to bed.

My adorable and adored niece

Sunday: I woke up and did 5 loads of wash. I made breakfast for the kids and then headed out to the grocery store. After putting the groceries away, I took the wet clothes to the Laundromat (our dryer is broken). I came home and drove Lisa to a birthday party. While she was at the party, the rest of us tried to put the house back together after a very busy week. I picked Lisa up, then prepared our traditional Halloween meal of Mummy Dogs, French fries and salad. We got the kids in costume for a final time and then went out in the freezing cold night to beg for candy from strangers.

Everyone in costume - looking a little more plump than usual, thanks to lots of warm layers

So, illness, birthdays and Halloween totally shaped my week last week. I’m more than a little tired and overwhelmed, but I’m so relieved that everyone is doing well and a good time was had by all.

My new edge

2010-09-16T14:08:00.002-04:00

Our house is getting painted today (yay!) They’re doing the kitchen, the den, the hallways (upper and lower), the stair risers, Lisa’s room and all the ceilings, doors and trim in those areas. They actually started yesterday, so I’ve seen some of the progress. The beamed ceiling in the kitchen looks great – white beams with a light greyish-blue in between. They should be done tomorrow and it will be nice to have had it all done while I was at work. We have always done painting ourselves, but we had so much to get done, we decided to hire out this time. It would have taken us months of weekends to get everything done.

My house is in shambles. Furniture has been moved all around; there’s drywall dust on almost every surface from Homer fixing the 45 year old walls and ceilings; and my calendars, schedules and general systems that keep me organized are shoved here, there and everywhere.

My assistant at work gave her 2 weeks notice and I was pissed – way more pissed than I had the right to be. I knew she was going for a better opportunity; heck, I helped her prep for her second interview and gave her a glowing reference! I was pissed because she gave me exactly 2 weeks to fill her position. In September. At a university. Sheesh. I mistakenly thought that, because I’ve been a great boss (really, I have), I would be given the courtesy of not getting screwed at the busiest time of the year.

Home and work both seem frantic right now and it just doesn’t sit well with me. I’m usually calm, collected and easy-going, but this week I’ve been stomping around grumpily, snapping at my husband and kids and giving people crazy-lady looks at work. I definitely have more of an edge to me than usual.

Tonight I’ll go home and 2/3 of the painting will be done. The house will still be topsy-turvy until the weekend, but at least there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Tomorrow I will interview and hopefully select a new assistant, and he or she will screw someone else with their own two-weeks notice.

Most things will be okay by the weekend. I’m keeping some of the edge though. I'm getting some good results from the crazy-lady looks.

Can I build it?

2010-07-23T09:21:00.001-04:00

When I was a teenager, I remember showing up to a babysitting gig and being greeted by two very excited little boys. “Mommy built us a sandbox!” This was not any ordinary sandbox. It was huge, with a roof, benches, a lid and storage areas for the sandbox toys. I was amazed. Inspired. I had never met a mom that used power tools.

That summer, my dad let me use some of his tools to try some simple projects. I made some planter boxes, a decorative wishing well planter and some small patio tables. After that, I received tools and DIY books for Christmas and birthday gifts. By the time I finished university and branched out on my own, I had a full set of hand tools, a jigsaw, a drill, a router and a palm sander.

For years, I mostly used the tools for home improvement projects like hanging things, fixing things and refinishing cabinets, etc. I did build islands for the kitchens in both my first home and our current home, but those were fairly simple in terms of carpentry and were more about the tile work.

Then one day in February, someone posted a link on their blog to Knock Off Wood. I spent hours on the site looking at Ana’s designs and seeing that regular non-builder people were building furniture that looked like furniture. I remembered Mrs. V. and the sandbox. I dusted off my tools and decided to tackle a bed for Lisa.

It’s not finished yet. I want to do one more coat of paint on the headboard and footboard and I’m thinking about doing upholstered side rails. In total, this solid wood bed frame cost about $180, including paint. I finished it over 2 weekends. Here are the plans from Ana's site.

This is just a sneak peak/progress shot. It's in her room now, but still not finished (I had to assemble it in the room and I still haven't painted/upholstered the side rails!) This sucker is big and heavy!

Homer was impressed. Inspired. When we were offered a pile of used 2x4’s for FREE, we accepted and built ourselves a workshop. I designed it and put it all together. Homer helped cut the wood to size with a circular saw.

Homer uses the back area to tinker around with small electronics

I mostly use this bench in the middle to build new things and refinish old things

My little Star Wars fanatic needed something to store his stash of lightsabers.

Behold the Lightsaber Rack. I whipped this up in less than an hour, including the paint! The hooks set me back about $5, but the rest was all from scraps I had laying around.

Maggie has such a tiny room that I’m always looking for different storage items. I found this PB Kids replica at Knock Off Wood.

Maggie added the little butterflies and has filled it with her favourite books and DS games. This was also made from scrap wood.

For the ten years we have lived in this house, we have never had a TV in the living room (much to Homer’s chagrin). I finally broke down and allowed it, and now it’s mounted on the wall. We needed something to store all the stuff that couldn’t be mounted on the wall. Homer didn’t even think twice about asking me to design/build something. Here’s what I came up with.

I love it. It’s solid wood, custom built for our needs and cost about $80 to build, including all the wood, screws and stain.

I have many more projects in mind; I’m just waiting for some spare time to get them going.

So, can I build it? Yes I can! (Uh, I think so).

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Just for fun, I'm linking up to the Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special. I get lots of ideas from this feature.

A familiar topic here

2010-07-19T13:05:00.000-04:00

Those of you who have been reading here for awhile know that one of my biggest safety fears is water. We have a large, in-ground pool in our backyard and this is honestly the first year since before we had kids that I haven’t looked at it as a big, giant hazard just waiting to swallow up one of my kids. We’re really enjoying it this year, especially since July has been so hot.

At 9, Lisa is really enjoying jumping in, swimming around and diving for objects at the bottom of the shallow end. She’s allowed to have friends over, but no more than 2 at a time.

At 7, Bart swims around the shallow end and will dive down for objects, but puts on his lifejacket for swimming and jumps into the deep end. He’s allowed to have 1 friend over. I tell the parents about the depth of our pool and let them decide about the need for lifejackets, floaties, etc. They all come with one or the other.

At 4, Maggie does not enter the pool fence without her lifejacket. She’s still too short to stand in the shallow end and she’s not a confident enough swimmer to not panic if she accidentally fell in. Her friends don’t come over yet without a parent.

Maggie likes to test the limits, and was insisting that she could sit at the pool edge with just her feet in without a lifejacket. She was adamant and it was becoming a battle every time we went out to the pool. I finally sat her down and told her the story about Bart falling in the pool when he was 4. She listened intently and kept asking, with wide eyes, “and then what happened?” The part that really convinced her was when I said, “and then I cried and cried because I was so scared for Bart.” Her will melted and she has not questioned the lifejacket rule since.

When we take them to a lake, we go in with them. If there’s any chance for an undertow, they are not allowed to go in past their waists and all three wear lifejackets. Our favourite beaches have lifeguards and roped-off swimming areas.

Over-protective? Probably. Am I teaching them to fear the water? Yep. That’s the thing: I think they SHOULD have a healthy fear of the water. Hopefully it will make them more alert, more aware when they’re out of my sight and too old for my rules, but not too old to break my heart if the unthinkable happened.

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It’s National Drowning Prevention Week here in Canada. Have you seen this article? It’s definitely worth a read.

Friday Five

2010-06-18T11:03:00.000-04:00

You: So how’s that pledge going, LoriD?

Me: Excellent, thanks.

How about a post of random items?

1. I like almost any fruit, except Mango. Mango makes me gag. Yesterday I packed a yogurt in my lunch thinking it was pineapple, but it was actually mango. Blech. One bite and it was in the garbage.

2. I have been building lots of things around the house. I told you about the bed for Lisa and since then I have built a basic shelf for Lisa, a small wall shelf for Maggie, a Lightsaber rack for Bart, a garbage/recycling unit for the garage, an entire workshop of workbenches and a… unit?... shelf thingy to hold all the components for our TV. I love to build, but I hate to paint/finish the things I build – I don’t really have the patience for it. Still to build: some planter boxes, storage crates for under the girls’ beds, a storage bench for our front hall, and a vanity for the washroom.

3. I have to say that June is my least favourite month. Although I enjoy the weather and the relative downtime at work, the lack of free time in the evenings and on the weekends is really making me cranky. It’s making the kids cranky too. Thankfully, most of the academic year activities are done, so there is light at the end of the tunnel.

4. The kids’ soccer seasons are off to a great start. We have a deal that if any one of them gets a goal in their games, we all go out for ice cream. We have had ice cream every week.

5. Today I’m leaving work early and going home so Homer and I can pack up his car for a trip to… the dump! I could not be more excited by this trip. We have a lot of stuff in our garage that just has to go… so much stuff that to get out the kids’ bikes, we have to move the lawnmower, push aside the baby strollers and step over stacks of old textbooks. And no, there is no room for an actual car in the garage.

Have a great weekend!

My Pledge

2010-05-31T12:03:00.006-04:00

I WILL update this poor neglected blog (sometime) this week.

I WILL share pictures from the goings-on the past couple of months.

I WILL start leaving comments on your blogs, which I have also neglected.

In the meantime, here’s our evening/weekend schedule for the week (shamelessly seeking sympathy):

Monday: Soccer – 6:00 for both Lisa and Maggie (different fields); 7:15 for Bart

Tuesday: 6:00 Karate for Bart

Wednesday: Soccer – 6:00 for Lisa; 7:15 for Bart

Thursday: 6:00 - Orchestra practice for Lisa

Friday: 4:30 - Karate for Bart; 5:00 - Dance recital dress rehearsal for Lisa and Maggie

Saturday: Soccer kick-off day (games and BBQ) for all three

Sunday: Dance recital for Lisa and Maggie

Did I mention that Homer will be unavailable in the evenings between now and the end of June? Thank goodness for my parents, who will help me out with the two soccer fields thing on Monday nights.

On the plus side, my grocery bill was very small this week – we’re having sandwiches and raw veggies for dinner every night! Dinner will most likely be eaten in the backseat of the car, as I don’t usually get home from work until 5:30.

Wish me luck!

Where is LoriD? Here I am...

2010-03-11T11:06:00.001-05:00

Oh my.

It seems when things get busy, the first thing to be pushed aside is my blog. Well, the blog and exercise, although I do feel like my 50 trips up and down the stairs each morning, my multiple laps around the campus going to meetings and my stomach crunches while holding back my sarcasm at some of those meetings must count for something. Regardless, I think I’ll start the C25K next week (probably somewhere around the week 3 or 4 mark of the program).

Tonight we’re going to Lisa’s first Orchestra performance. She started violin lessons back in September and tonight there’s a big concert at a huge concert hall downtown. She’s excited and nervous. I think this will be her first and last year playing violin. She has caught onto the reading of the music very quickly, easily playing the songs on the piano once she was shown the location of Middle C. However, I don’t like her teacher (she’s one of those people who smiles while saying mean, snippy things) and Lisa isn’t that keen on the instrument itself. Next year, we’ll try either piano or guitar. My vote is for guitar, even though I play the piano.

Bart started Karate about a month ago. It’s adorable. I really like the program he’s in and I think it’s hilarious how seriously he takes the “character building” lessons. At school he’s practicing his dance for the part his class has in the Opera (for which Lisa has a lead role). He’s playing a bat. In two years all three of my kids will be in the same production (they start performing in grade 1; in kindergarten they participate by being a good audience).

Maggie is still 4-going-on-18. She’ll tell me stories about kids at school who fail to follow the rules and act like “lunatics”. She rats out her siblings for “leaving their crap all over the floor”. We still have daily battles about what she will wear (still no pants and now no skorts), how she will wear her hair (two braids, straight with a SOFT hairband or one ponytail – not too high or too low – are our current options). She’d be quite entertaining if it weren’t so exhausting!

What else? Oh, I made a bed. Like, I constructed a bed out of wood and nails and screws and paint and it looks like a bed and will soon be part of Lisa’s new tween bedroom. I’ll take pictures at some point and show you.

I feel like there should be more to update, but I guess I purged most of it to make room for… I don’t know… something.

In Search of Snow

2010-02-01T15:02:00.001-05:00

It’s February and I have not yet pulled out a shovel, tobogganed down a hill, nor built a lopsided snow family.

It’s February and I have yet to watch the Storm Watch ticker on the morning news to see if the schools are closed, wear my pyjamas inside out , or enjoy an unscheduled day off.

It’s February, and although the air is bitterly cold, the ground is brown and dry.

It’s February and I want to hunker down under a blanket, bake cookies for my awesome neighbour with the snow blower, and put my snow tires to the test.

It’s February and I WANT SNOW!

Have you ever…

2010-01-28T12:15:00.002-05:00

… cut off your nylons just above your hemline and just below the top of your tall boots to get rid of the exposed section on your knee, which (of course) has a run?

… wished that you didn’t pursue your current career because your (decent) salary and (high-ish) rung on "the ladder" limits your options to change jobs, work part-time or just quit and stay home with the kids?

… put your kids to bed late and let them run amok because you were trying to break your high score on Wii Fit Plus Ski Jumping?

… seen all those beautiful Haitian children and felt the urgent need to put one in your pocket and bring him home with you?

… bought your kid’s teacher a pink Snuggie to congratulate her on her retirement?

… put all the ingredients in the crock pot, then left it on the counter, unplugged, all day?

Yeah, me neither.

I’m feeling a little 8:25 AM-ish at 5:45 PM

2010-01-20T11:10:00.003-05:00

So, have you heard about this study from Uniroyal Tyre in the UK? Apparently they did a survey of working moms and found that 8:25 AM is the most stressful time of the day. At 8:25, they have been wrangling kids out of beds and into clothes, making lunches and packing backpacks and trying to get them off to school on time.

I heard about the study at 8:25 this morning, in my car, as I was sipping the coffee my 9-year-old handed to me in a travel mug as I walked out the door (love that kid).

Mornings are not too bad for me, actually. I do most of the lunches the night before and just pop any thermos items in each morning. Backpacks are organized and ready the night before. The kids lay out their clothes before they go to bed. My kids are all wake up fairly easily, usually between 6:30 and 7:00. I’m an early riser myself, hopping out of bed at 6:00 to cycle the wash, unload the dishwasher, start breakfast and get myself ready for work.

I aim to leave the house between 8:00 and 8:15 each morning, at which point Homer takes over. By the time I leave, the kids have eaten, brushed their teeth and washed their faces, are dressed, have their hair done and have their snowpants and boots on. Lisa sets the timer to go off at 8:25 to signal that it’s time to put on the rest of their outdoor gear.

Evenings? Not so smooth.

I pick the kids up from the sitter anywhere between 5:00 and 6:00, usually about 5:30. At the sitters they are usually “in the middle of something”, like playing Wii, doing a craft or just playing, leaving me at the small entranceway begging them to please come and get their coats on. On average, it takes at least 10 minutes to get out of the sitter’s house.

In the 5-minute car ride home, they All! Want to tell me! About their day! Which is fine, but there is much fussing and pouting about who is getting more airtime.

When we get in the door, everyone knows what they’re supposed to do (hang coats, put away hats, etc., remove lunch bags and homework from backpacks), but it’s often only with nagging that it actually gets done (except for Lisa, who is very orderly).

I plan my weekday dinners, so I know exactly what we’re having, but I usually need to do a few minutes of prep to get the meal going so that it’s on the table at a decent time. I always ask the kids to give me these few minutes, uninterrupted, and then I’ll help them with homework while the dinner is cooking. They use this time that they’re not bugging me to harass each other. There is a lot of fussing, whining and shouting in these few minutes that leads to time outs, removal of privileges and frayed nerves.

Once dinner is served, the rest of the evening is fairly calm. Homework is done and we usually have time for a board game, some reading or maybe a quick Wii game.

When the kids were babies, the hour right around dinnertime was called “The Witching Hour” where all babies seemed to fuss and complain. Isn’t it nice to know that not much changes when they’re no longer babies?

LoriD Recommends – Kitchen stuff

2010-01-04T20:33:00.014-05:00

If I’m not working or sleeping, I’m probably in my kitchen. I really love my kitchen. It’s a nice size and has useful amenities like food, drink, a computer and TV, good lighting and nice views. Over the holidays, I was in major purge mode. My drawers and cupboards were too packed and disorganized, I had too many cookbooks and I just felt the need for more space. I thought I’d share with you a few things that really work for me in my kitchen.

Scoops

The one on the left is my favourite - it was my grandmother's and has a blue, wooden handle

Oh, how I love my scoops. I have small, medium and large and use them to apportion cookie dough, fill muffin tins and tart shells, stuff pasta shells, scoop out melons and plop biscuit batter onto a cookie sheet. Scoops make doing any of these things faster and cleaner. Baked goods are also a more uniform size, if that kind of thing matters to you.

Wilton Professional Bakeware

This is really fantastic stuff. The cookies, muffins, cakes, roasts, brownies, squares and casseroles just fall out – no need for tin foil, muffin cups or parchment paper. There’s no stuck-on residue (not even cheese or egg sticks to it), making clean-up super easy. I donated all my bakeware that was not this brand (2 bags full!) to Goodwill. The price is right on these too. Anything I purchased was 50% off, so the 9x13 pan, for example, was $6.50. It would still be a bargain at full price. Those are actually my pans in the picture. I have used that mini muffin tin in the front at least 3 times a week since I got it last Christmas (including this morning) and it still looks brand new.

Chalkboard

When I first told Homer I was going to paint our door that leads to the garage with chalkboard paint, he thought it was weird. He thought it was an awkward spot for a chalkboard and questioned why I would paint the whole door when the children could only conceivably reach the lower half. Five years later, this large chalkboard is now an integral part of our command centre. The grown-ups use the top half for messages to each other and the lower half is used by the kids to draw, do math problems and practice spelling words.

Wilton universal scraper

This is a really handy little tool. It’s got the strength of a spoon and the scraping capabilities of a spatula. Use the large side to mix muffin batter and the small side to scrape out the peanut butter jar.

Measure once, bake twice

No matter how hard I try, I cannot bring out the flour/sugar/salt for a recipe without getting it all over the counter or me. I’ve started making an extra batch of dry ingredients whenever I’m making muffins, biscuits, etc. I’m doubling the recipe, but putting one amount in the bowl and the other in a Ziploc. The next time I make the recipe, I just pull out the dry ingredients and add the wet. It’s a real time-saver, both in the making of the recipe and the clean-up.

Recipe Cheat Sheet

There are some things that I tend to make over and over again. For those items, I have a cheat sheet on the inside of one of my cabinet doors. It’s basically the list of ingredients for the recipe with the baking temperature/time. Again, a real time-saver.

Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer

I’ve had my mixer for two years now and I love it. Before I bought it, I had no idea how much I would use it, but now I can report that I use it several times a week. It makes everything so much easier. From cookie dough to mashed potatoes, meringue to bread dough, it has really changed how my kitchen works. With the mixer, the scoops and my Wilton pans, I can make a batch of 3-dozen cookies, start to finish, in less than 30 minutes.

Glass bowl with lid

Tomorrow's muffins, just waiting in the fridge

Her Royal Highness (aka Maggie) prefers to have freshly-baked muffins in the morning. I’ll mix up the muffins in the glass bowl, bake up 12 mini-muffins or 6 regular muffins and put the batter in the fridge for up to 3 days. The bowl is also good for marinating meats or just storing leftover soup or chilli.

Tassimo Beverage Machine

Homer asked for this for Christmas. Since he asks for mostly weird things (e.g. a wall safe), I went right out and got one for him (when it was on sale, of course). This makes a really nice cup of coffee (it’s really HOT, which isn’t always the case with coffee makers), but it also makes hot chocolate, tea, cappuccino and lattes. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I do. Homer has added it to the “Things that Must be Immediately Replaced if it Breaks” list (along with the stand mixer and his PSP).

What about you? What’s in your kitchen that you wouldn’t want to be without?

We're so proud!

2009-12-23T09:20:00.009-05:00

I've been off work since Friday and don't have to return until January 4th! I've been enjoying lots of reading and games and performances by the kids. So far, there hasn't even been much bickering or tears.

Speaking of performances, I need to tell you an awesome story about Lisa.

The number one comment I have received from all of Lisa's teachers since JK has been "she's painfully quiet." She's so quiet at school that her teacher this year counts it as a victory that she says anything to him outside of what is required for her schoolwork. Two years ago, I talked to her doctor about getting her tested for Selective Mutism because I was just baffled by how my funny, loud child could be so quiet at school. She is often labelled as shy, which drives me crazy. She happily goes to school, has lots of friends and participates in any club, sport or activity offered. Anyway, my point is that she's very, very quiet at school.

One day a few weeks ago, she brought home a form for me to sign. She wanted to audition for a lead part in the school's spring opera production. She's in grade 4 now and this is the first year she is eligible to try out. For her audition, she had to sing O Canada and do a speech in front of a panel of teachers. I'll admit, her singing was not great. But! Here's what she came up with for a speech:

You're probably sitting there thinking, 'Lisa
Simpson is trying out for the opera? Shy, quiet, Lisa?' Well
I'm here to tell you that I was born to perform!

[She goes on to list her performance credentials, both with
dancing parts in previous opera productions, her Highland Dancing and violin lessons]

So set aside everything you think you know about Lisa Simpson.

Put me on stage and let the real me shine.

According to an email from one of the teachers on the panel, she delivered it in a strong, clear voice. She was "animated and intriguing." After they picked their jaws up off the floor, they made the unanimous decision to give her the role of narrator in the production. She got the part!

This child never ceases to amaze me. We are all so proud of her.

Nine!

2009-12-15T09:15:00.008-05:00

Today, my big girl, the one that first made me a mom, turns 9. NINE!

Nine years ago last night, my water broke while standing in line at The Future Shop. Luckily I was wearing a long coat and boots, so the water just kind of trickled into my boot allowing me to continue standing in line until I had made my purchases. "When are you due?" the cashier asked. "Soon," I said casually.

I got in the car and drove home. Homer was out of town at his company Christmas party. I called him to let him know that I thought my water had broken, but I wasn't yet in labour. I hung up the phone and called the hospital. The nurse asked me some questions, then advised me to come in for an assessment. I asked if I could wait the two hours it would take for Homer to arrive home. She said that would be okay.

While I waited for Homer, I had a shower, wrapped Christmas presents and packed my hospital bag. At the hospital, they confirmed that my water had broken, but that labour had not started. They advised me to come back in the morning if nothing developed overnight.

The next morning, I stopped in at work to wrap up a couple of things, then Homer and I walked over to the hospital. The thought was that they would induce me, but apparently there were a rash of babies to be delivered, so they hooked me up to an IV with antibiotics (because my water had broken) and I sat in a hospital room all day waiting for labour to start on its own. Friends from work stopped by to see me, I finished all my Christmas cards and Homer and I played card games.

At 5:45 PM, I felt a little cramp. It went away quickly, but then returned. When a nurse popped her head in, I mentioned it to her. She told me to get ready for a long night, because it sounded like labour was about to start. At 6:10 PM that same nurse came back and I was up on the bed on my hands and knees panting like a basset hound. She was shocked, did a quick assessment and called for a delivery team. The team arrived about 10 minutes later and I started to push.

I continued to push until 9:15 PM. Everyone in the room cheered as (with the help of forceps) my little baby girl finally entered the world.

She's a fantastic kid who never ceases to amaze me with her intelligence, wit and kindness.

Happy Birthday Lisa!

Fun holiday recipes

2009-11-30T22:10:00.005-05:00

If you're hosting any parties, putting together a goody tray or packaging up some treat bags for the neighbours, I have a few easy/impressive ideas for you.

First up, Spicy Crab Dip in Wonton Shells:

Have you ever made these wonton shells? They're super-easy and make a great little cup for any kind of dip. To make them, you'll need some wonton wrappers (my grocery store has them in the produce department, about $2.59/package of 48), a mini muffin tin and some cooking spray.

Spray the muffin tin and push the wonton wrapper into the cups. Bake at 400* for 3-4 minutes (watch them, they start to get brown quickly). Remove them from the oven, let sit for a minute, then just pop them out of the muffin tin. Voila - fancy wonton shells.

For the crab dip, mix together:
1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 tins of crabmeat, drained
1 cup mayo
3 green onions (white & green parts), finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper (it has quite a kick with 1 tsp, so use a little less if you're not into spicy)

Put the mixture into a large ziploc bag and cut one corner. Squeeze the dip into the shells. Garnish with chopped green onion. Makes 48.

Next up, Chocolate Covered Toffee:

I used this recipe from Zoe Bakes, except I didn't have instant coffee granules, so I just brewed some really strong coffee and used that for the water. Don't be afraid of the candy thermometer - I bought one specifically to make this recipe ($3.99) and now I'm anxious to try other candy recipes. Seriously, nothing to fear.

Anyway, this recipe is delicious. It's a little time consuming with the stirring of the toffee and the dipping of each piece, but it's not at all difficult.

And finally, Chocolate-Dipped Pretzel Sticks:

There was some chocolate left over after making the above recipe, so I made these super-simple dipped pretzels. Just dip them in melted chocolate, then roll them in your sprinkle of choice. The one at the back of the picture has crushed peppermint candies. They're quite good with the bitterness of the chocolate, the salt of the pretzel and the sweetness of the sprinkles. And heck, they'll look great on a goody tray!

Quick Halloween pics

2009-11-03T06:40:00.002-05:00

Everyone had a great time. Despite being in an "Outbreak School", all my guys were healthy and ready to beg for candy. The idea for the costumes was all theirs; the execution, of course, was all me!

Super Girl

Super Mario

Cupcake

Homer finds the whole thing painful

Halloween challenges

2009-10-27T18:31:00.015-04:00

I really love making Halloween costumes. I like thinking of what to make, then thinking about how to make it happen with as little expense as possible. Lisa has never wanted to be a princess or a fairy or even an animal. She always likes to give me a little challenge.

2004 - she was c-r-a-z-y for Thomas the Train - we already had the Thomas hat and she is wearing Thomas shoes.

2006 - Of course we all love The Simpsons and she wanted to be Marge.

2007 - Little Miss Muffet. Note that Bart is wearing the same dragon costume from 3 years earlier!

2008 - A butterfly

Which brings us to Halloween 2009. "Mom, how about if I be cotton candy?" Sure! I say. I got a pink hooded sweatshirt from the thrift store and covered it in 2 lbs of pillow stuffing. Then, I painted it pink.

Pretty cute, right? She loved it.

HOWEVER...

I thought I would try it on for size. That thing was hot. I mean, steamy, sweaty HOT. Maybe great for trick-or-treating, but there's no way she could have worn it to school or to the costume party we're going to attend. But that wasn't the only problem. Homer had the responsible idea of testing its flamability. The pillow stuffing on its own was not bad - it was slow to ignite and then just burned slowly and the flame eventually extinguished on its own. But, after I added the spray glue and the spray paint... WHOOOF! It erupted into giant flames. So, cotton candy is now in the garbage and we had to go with a new idea. I'll post pictures after Halloween.

What are some of your favourite Halloween costumes from past years?

Proud parenting moments

2009-09-29T16:56:00.001-04:00

Maggie pitched a giant fit when I picked her up from the babysitter’s yesterday. After I wrestled her into her carseat, then forced her out of her carseat at home, she proceeded to hit me, kick me and even tried to bite me. I laughed, which made her angrier. I carried her up to her room and closed her door. After she had calmed down a bit I held her and talked to her about her tantrum. We both felt there should be a punishment for the hitting and screaming. We agreed that the punishment would be… pants. Today she wasn’t allowed to wear a skirt or a dress to school; she had to wear pants. The horror.

Lisa has one kid in her class (“Joe”) that is wicked smart. Lisa does really well too, but just accepts that Joe will do better. She got a test back where she got 88% - the second best mark in the class. Joe got 94%. I told Lisa about how, when I was a kid, there was a boy in my class (“RJ”) who was just like Joe. I made it my mission to do as well as or better than RJ; that competitive spirit made me work harder and get better grades. Lisa’s response? “Not everything’s a competition, mom”. “Sure it is,” I replied. As I kissed her goodbye this morning, I whispered in her ear, “Beat Joe!”

The kids are always asking to help me bake, but when I do let them help they’re often dissatisfied with the tasks I assign to them. So, for the past three weeks I’ve been giving them baking lessons. During the lesson, they put on their aprons and make a simple recipe themselves from start to finish. Along the way, I’ve been teaching them about measuring tools, the science of leavening agents and some basics of food safety. I’m having so much fun coming up with new lessons and the kids are loving their Thursday night sessions.

Bart is picking up some great language at school. He’s always been fond of saying words like ‘fart’ and ‘crap’, but now has put ‘shut-up’ and ‘stupid’ into regular rotation. I am constantly asking him to not to use those words and have shortened my plea to “LANGUAGE!” Maggie has decided to help me reform the boy and shouts “ENGLISH!” when he utters one of his choice words. I have to say, it’s adorable coming from her wee mouth.

Am I alone here?

2009-09-17T15:36:00.000-04:00

*I roll my eyes when I hear someone say their kid is so smart that he’s bored at school (usually an excuse for bad behaviour). Smart kids can entertain themselves in such a way that it doesn’t disturb others. Poorly behaved children need more discipline.

*My kids watch The Simpsons. We buy the seasons on DVD. Most of the inappropriate stuff goes over their heads. The stuff that doesn’t becomes a ‘teachable moment’.

*We have a portable DVD player, but it has never been used in the car. Long car trips are a great opportunity for kids to learn how to entertain themselves with colouring, reading, trivia games and small toys. I may reconsider for a trip longer than 5 or 6 hours.

*I don’t think a kindergarten teacher needs to change her voice to something that is slow, high-pitched and squeaky to speak to her pupils.

*I don’t really appreciate Canada being presented as a third world-ish country in the American debate over healthcare reform. Trust me, we have it pretty good here. We ALL have it pretty good here. Do we pay higher taxes for the privilege and peace of mind? Yes we do. Do I care? No I do not.

*Most competition-based reality shows bug me. I may give American Idol another chance now that Ellen will be one of the judges. I predict that whoever Ellen favours will win.

*Fall shows I am watching or will give a shot: Glee, Flash Forward, The Good Wife, Bored to Death and (maybe) Cougar Town.

Things accomplished this weekend:

2009-09-14T10:09:00.002-04:00

Saturday:

Did some meal planning for the upcoming week
Went grocery shopping
Registered the girls for dance
Registered Bart for basketball
Soccer tournament for Bart
Went to a street festival
Grouted the tile in the shower (we’re renovating our bathroom ourselves)
Date night with Homer (Inglorious Basterds – good!)

Sunday:

Made Ginger Snap cookies
Made Cinnamon loaf
Soccer tournament for Lisa (she scored the winning goal in her last game)
Laid out the floor tile in the bathroom – there were approximately 8 tiles that DID NOT need to be cut.
Cured and cleaned the shower wall tile
Installed the shower curtain rod
Did three loads of laundry (because I didn’t do any on Friday or Saturday – I hate it when I get behind)
Made a roast beef dinner
Gave the kids their baths in the brand new bathtub (our only tub/shower – we’ve been washing up in the laundry tub for 2 weeks)
Put the kids to bed
Had a 15-minute hot shower
Slumped into a very deep sleep

I hope YOU had a relaxing weekend!

Disconnected

2009-08-18T14:49:00.000-04:00

I’m not much of a people person. I’m okay with that. I could spend days upon days alone, not speaking to or seeing anyone and be perfectly content. I live inside my head a lot. I think more than I speak. I don’t do small talk. I would rather phone than visit. I would rather email than phone. I would rather stay home than go out. I would rather sit in my backyard than go on vacation. It’s a wonder I have a husband and friends. But, I have a blog, so I can’t be a total social dud.

There are just so many ways to be connected. The students around here are in constant contact with each other and, for many, with their parents. I had to make a “no cell phones” rule to keep them from chatting on the phone/texting while I was paying them to work. MSN messenger is not allowed on the office computers. I think it’s crazy that I have to explain to them why this is inappropriate. Why do they need to be so connected?

I’m sure I’m just showing my age, but here are some things I could definitely live without:

Cell phone: I now have one because my husband insisted. Two people have my number: my husband and my assistant at work. I don’t even know the number (I have to look it up on the phone, if I can remember how). Right now, it’s sitting on the kitchen counter. I am sitting at my desk at work. When I get home, there will no doubt be a message from Homer saying, “WHY DO YOU HAVE A CELL PHONE IF YOU NEVER HAVE IT WITH YOU?” Why, indeed.

Facebook: Even though I swore I would never have an account, I do. I mostly signed up because I was missing invitations to events, etc. because everyone (including MY PARENTS) is on Facebook. I used my maiden name and set my privacy settings so no one at work (i.e. students) would find me, but hadn’t counted on gooby guy that I rarely talked to in high school wanting me to be his friend. Many of my cousins are friends, which is fine, but I find I don’t really care that they “had a great time at Sherry’s party”. So, now I rarely look at it and I’m still missing the invitations.

Twitter: I guess it’s the “I don’t do small talk” thing, but I still don’t get Twitter. I’m on it, but don’t post anything, rarely respond to anyone who has posted and… yeah, I just don’t get it.

What about you? Do you like to be super-connected to the world, or are you content to unplug and miss some of the chatter?

Sore losers

2009-08-12T15:25:00.002-04:00

Lisa has a couple of girls in her soccer league that are real brats. They gloat when their team wins; they scowl, kick things and blame team-mates with their team loses. Their parents sometimes try to reign in their behaviour, but more often than not, these kids’ attitudes are chalked up to “intense personalities” or “fiercely competitive”. You probably know how I would cure these brats, but I’ll tell you anyway: I would not let them play. It would start with pulling them from one game, but if they kept it up, they would be pulled from the season.

I think all kids want to win. Each of my kids has cried because they have not won a board game or a round of checkers. The first time it happens, they get a talk about being a sore loser. The second time it happens, we stop including that kid in the game. It doesn’t take much to train them to be good sports.

It’s a valuable life lesson that not everyone learns. I’ve had encounters with the following grown-up sore losers just in the last year:

*A medical professional in his mid-40’s vying for retail space on campus who low-balled his rent offer and was not granted the space. He thought it was unfair that I didn’t inform him that his offer was lower than the winning bid so he could adjust his offer. There was yelling involved (by him – I’m not a yeller).

*A job candidate in his mid-20’s who was turned down for the position. I spent about 10 minutes with him by phone talking about his interview and offering tips and advice for future interviews. That night (when he knew I wouldn’t be in the office to answer the phone) he left me a voicemail message telling me that I had made a misinformed decision, one that I would surely regret. He added that I shouldn’t come begging him to take the job when my candidate of choice failed to pan out. No problem.

*A furniture salesperson in her early 50’s who has been given over $200,000 of business from me in the past 3 years, but missed the mark and was not awarded a recent contract worth about $45,000. She criticized the competition’s product, questioned my ability to recognize quality merchandise and implied that I owed her something because of all of the work she had done for me in the past.

Not surprisingly, I treat these adult poor sports the same way I treat the kids: they don’t get to play anymore. The next time there is available retail space, medical guy will not be invited to bid. Job candidate guy will never work anywhere near me. And the furniture lady? I called the company’s owner and asked for a different rep… she will not get another cent of commission from me. Their parents really should have beat them at checkers more often.

July in pictures

2009-07-27T18:37:00.019-04:00

Isn't this getting pathetic, this once-a-month blogging deal? I do most of my blog writing/reading in quick breaks at work, but my schedule just hasn't allowed for much downtime lately, so it is what it is.

So... July! The weather here has just sucked. We have a pool. A big, expensive, hazardous, kidney-shape pool. Guess how many times we have used it in the summer of '09? ZERO! It's been so cool and rainy that it hasn't warmed up enough to even take a quick dip (or even want to). We also have yet to turn on the air conditioning. Boo.

July started out with Canada Day (Happy 142nd birthday to my home and native land!) I usually try to do something special for the day and had thought about just getting some strawberries and whipped cream (red & white theme). All the strawberries in the store were from California. Nothing against California, but there should have been some great local strawberries available. Alas, too much rain, not enough sun made for a small crop this year. Instead, I made these fancy rice krispie treats.

Now that's talent. Hee.

Homer and I also celebrate our wedding anniversary in July. It's been twelve years since the big day (vintage photo here).

He still looks pretty good, no?

We finally hit on a really nice day and headed out to the Toronto Zoo. It was a really great day. The kids are all asking to go back soon.

We also hit the water park. Maggie was a little afraid of all the sprayers, so Bart walked her through to make sure she had a good time.

Homer calls them Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum. These two are the best of friends.

Lots of crappy weather meant the kids had to find ways to entertain themselves indoors. Maggie loves to make up songs and perform for us. The other two have become very good at all the Wii games.

We got rained out of a couple of barbeque events, but did manage to make it to one with some of my oldest and dearest friends. I've been friends with L. (in the middle) since we were 4 years old and with J. (on the right) since we were 14. That's a loooong time.

I need a haircut - suggestions?

To cap off the month, we decided to go camping. Here is the weather forecast for our trip:

But we went anyway! It was a little soggy at times, but it was still a great trip.

We couldn't have fit in one more thing in the car. The kids and I had sleeping bags, pillows and other miscellaneous items on our laps. I almost wished we had a minivan. Hahahahaha. Not.

Maggie was thrilled about the nature walks. Here she is, refusing to take even one more step.

She wasn't kidding. She was done. Homer carried her back to the campsite and the rest of us continued our walk - 4.2km!

Looking for the frog that hopped by.

Despite the wet weather, we still managed to make it to the beach a few times. The beach itself was a little muddy, but the water was warm and not at all crowded (go figure).

Despite the weather, July 2009 holds some good memories. Now, let's see what August can do about bringing some summer weather. I could totally go for a heatwave right now.

Family Scrapbook - June

2009-06-29T19:05:00.014-04:00

Although it wasn't my intention, I've become a once-a-month blogger who only manages to post content that's interesting only to me (and Homer) (and Grandma). The one thing I love about blogging is that I have this journal of my life (part of it, anyway) that allows me to go back and reminisce about the little things we did, places we visited and things the kids said. So, until I can find more time to get back to some writing, I present our June scrapbook:

June started out with the winter activities (Brownies, dance, school, etc.) ending while the summer activities were shifting into high gear.

Here are the kids in their soccer uniforms on Super Soccer Saturday. The faces were entirely their idea:

June also brought school picnics and fun fairs. Of course the fairs for the big guys and Maggie were on the same night, which meant we were flying, as usual.

Yes, it is mid-June here and we're still wearing jackets and tights.

Lisa won the grand prize at the fun fair: a new bike! It's too big for her, but it will likely be perfect for her next year. She was kind of hilarious; not one for much attention, she couldn't get away from that fun fair fast enough! All those people offering their congratulations was making her skin crawl.

Fathers Day also falls in June. Homer was invited to Bart's school for a pool party and pizza. On Mothers day we got tea. Hmph. Do you like the tie Bart made for dad? That brings Homer's tie count to 3.

We also had a Fathers Day bbq at my parents' house, where my cousin pointed out that my mom had pictures of all the grandchildren in her bay window, except Maggie(!). Because she didn't have room for another picture frame, she requested that we try to get a good picture with Maggie and Baby S. together.

Just down from Maggie's daycare centre is a frozen yogurt place with umbrella tables outside. Maggie asks every day if we can go there, so on the first sunny day when we didn't have to rush to soccer, a fun fair or some other obligation, we went. I let her pick whatever she wanted and she was thrilled. She ate that whole cone!

To celebrate the last day of school/the first day of summer vacation, we picked up a bucket of chicken for a picnic at the lakefront park last Friday night. When we got there, we discovered a small fair was set up. After the picnic, we ventured over, bought some tickets and let the kids ride whatever they wanted.

I haven't seen one of these potato sack slides since I was a little kid.

We ended the evening with a treat from the ice cream truck by the lake.

When we were walking back to the car, Bart asked, "Was that Marineland?" Yes, son, it was.

Family scrapbook - May

2009-05-31T17:14:00.012-04:00

Taking in some major league action at a Toronto Blue Jays game. We like the cheap seats... less chance of getting hit by a foul ball.

Entertaining the baby cousin. It's nice to borrow a baby for a couple of hours. It's also nice to give that baby back, knowing changing that next diaper is not your problem.

Maggie likes soccer. She comes running for a hug every single time she even touches the ball.

Homer will love that I added this picture. He has some surgery on his sinuses. Despite taking 4 hours to wake up from the anesthetic (it should have taken 1 hour), everything seems to have gone well. He's still in a lot of pain/discomfort, but hopefully he'll suffer from fewer sinus infections. He may even get his sense of smell back.

Bart turned 6! This year I went the easy route and planned a bowling party. Soooo much less work than last year's superhero party, but they still had a blast. He wanted a cake with "Spiderman having a fight with Batman" and I actually considered giving it a shot. In the end I got lazy and just made this one. I also made some basketball and baseball cookies for him to take to share with his class on his actual birthday, but failed to get photo evidence.

May was fun, but a crazy, busy month. I'm hoping June lays off a bit.

Well hey there...

2009-05-17T10:58:00.003-04:00

As I write this, I am sitting in a big, comfy chair beside Homer. My kids are amongst the 30 or so screaming children enjoying the giant indoor playground (a relatively small crowd for such a large place). My kids are getting exercise and having a great time doing so. I'm (finally) able to get on here to do some writing thanks to the WiFi these clever business owners thought to include. Homer is listening to his audio book about String Theory(!) And the coffee is free. Best.family.outing.ever!

Hoo boy I've been busy. Work is always kind of nuts with meetings and things, but I'm on a couple of new and interesting committees that have been taking away from my precious blog time. I'm also working on a renovation project that is at the same time fun and exasperating. I might write more on that sometime later.

My trip to NYC was just perfect. I was with my four oldest and dearest friends. We spent the whole weekend laughing and shopping and touring and eating. We saw a show, toured Central Park, stayed in a great hotel and spent more than we should have on merchandise sold from under a tarp. We're already planning the next trip, probably something less commerce-driven and more relaxation-driven.

Next week we start a new soccer season. Maggie will be playing for the first time. Of course, she's all about the uniform. We don't know yet what colour she'll be, but God help them if they give her something ugly or boyish. Anyway, Lisa's playing Mondays and Wednesdays, Maggie is on Tuesdays and Bart is on Wednesdays (same time, but a different field than Lisa). Meanwhile, the winter activities haven't quite wound down yet, which means we still have other Tuesday night obligations, as well as dance on Saturday mornings. So yeah, busy.

I suppose I should get back to watching my little monkeys (or playing on Pogo, which I also never have time for anymore). I'd hate to let this great family time pass me by...

Brother Slobber

2009-04-22T12:11:00.001-04:00

This morning as I was getting ready for work, I heard Maggie wailing from the kitchen. Thinking she had been somehow wounded, I flew down the stairs to tend to her. She was perched on her chair, just where I left her, her cheese and banana breakfast laid out before her. She was crying too hard for me to understand what the problem was, so I asked Bart what happened. He told me he blew a raspberry in her direction and she just started crying. With a nod of her head and outstretched arms looking for a hug, Maggie confirmed that this was indeed the reason for the tears.

When she had calmed down enough to speak, she revealed that she was covered in “brother slobber”. Poor thing.

I’m going to NYC for a girls weekend this week. I’m really looking forward to spending time with my best friends (my high school friends!) and taking a bite out of the Big Apple!

There’s so much work involved in making sure the house will run for 4 days without me; a sampling:

- make an detailed itinerary so the kids make it to their lessons/social engagements/school on time
- lay out kids’ clothes for specific events (dance clothes for dance lessons, appropriate birthday party clothes, school clothes for Monday); neither the kids nor Homer show good judgment in this area
- buy and wrap birthday presents for parties
- teach Homer how to do the girls’ hair (he is overwhelmed by this task)
- catch up on all the laundry so that I won’t have such a massive pile when I get home
- leave out coupons for pizza, food delivery. Remind Lisa to remind Homer to make sure they are getting enough fruits and vegetables

I don’t mean to make Homer sound incompetent, because he’s not. The kids’ schedules/home organization have just always been my domain (and I like it that way), so we all panic a bit when the leader of the pack takes a little break. They’ll be fine... maybe a little hopped up on junk food and too much TV, but otherwise fine.

Easter treats II - not as pretty!

2009-04-12T10:07:00.007-04:00

Ha ha! So I have some photos of my own efforts in the Easter treats department.

Easter Eggs:

Cake Pops:

This was my first attempt at making these. They are so easy to make and so much easier to transport to school than cupcakes.

Cookies (final decorations by the kids):

Happy Easter everyone!

Easter Treats

2009-04-08T10:21:00.007-04:00

While I have no idea what chocolate and candy and bunnies have to do with Easter, I do love to make Easter treats.

Once again this year, my mom and I will be making our Easter Eggs. I love this tradition of ours and I know I'll still be making these eggs with my kids while my grandchildren sit at my kitchen and decorate eggs. One of these will go home with each of the dinner guests from our family Easter celebration on Sunday.

I'm also going to try my hand at some bunny and egg cookies. I have the cookie cutters to make these:

From www.wilton.com/cookies

Mine will not look nearly this cute. I really like decorating cookies, even though it's quite time- consuming. These will be on the dessert table after Easter dinner.

I'm also going to try Bakerella's cake pops. She is incredibly creative and patient. I plan to just do the egg shapes, dipped in dark chocolate with some coloured chocolate drizzled around. These are Bakerella's. Mine will NOT look anything like these! These will go to the kids' friends at school tomorrow.

I still have to come up with an adult dessert for Easter dinner. I'm thinking of either Pavlova (which I have never made, nor eaten, but I've heard is amazing); or this Almond Toffee Tart (for which I will have to buy a new pan). Unless you have a suggestion...

I was born in the wrong era

2009-03-18T19:57:00.007-04:00

Photo credit

Is there anything more excruciating than shopping for a bathing suit?

We're going away for a couple of days (kids are on March Break). The hotel we're staying in has a pool, so I thought I should get a new bathing suit. My current suit was purchased when I was still nursing Maggie (i.e. when I still had boobs). Now it's just pathetic.

My issue isn't even with my body. I mean my body is not great by any stretch, but for someone my age with three little kids, it's not that bad. My skin, however, is awful. I would really prefer to be as covered as possible without looking like a grandma. I know my arms need to be exposed, but do I also need to show my whole back as well as my whole chest deep down to my (non-existent) cleavage?

I ended up getting something kind of hideous, but it comes up a little higher on the back and has wider straps so I don't feel quite so exposed. The downside is that it almost flattens my boobs entirely. Do you think I can stuff a bathing suit?

Stuff that's bugging me.

2009-03-12T13:53:00.002-04:00

1. The sign at the cafeteria that reads:

THIS LINE IS CLOSED!
Another cashier will only be
to pleased to serve you!

(too wordy, “too” spelled wrong; unnecessary! exclamation! points!)

2. Smartfood. I love Smartfood, but not the gross thing is does to my fingers. Squishy, milky, cheesy, guck. I’m going to have to start eating it with a spoon.

3. Daylight Savings Time. Kids go to bed when it’s light (when their bodies think it’s 7:00) and get up when it’s dark (when their bodies think it’s 6:00). How do you think that’s working out?

4. Student politicians. NO ONE thinks you’re as important and cool as you do. (Sorry to anyone who actually ran for student government in college/university. I’m sure you were cool.)

Behaviour Modification Program

2009-02-27T10:26:00.001-05:00

I’m a strict mom. I like my home life to be harmonious, happy and conflict-free and I don't put up with much crap. I definitely do the “reward the good behaviour” method, but when that doesn’t work I basically have three weapons in my arsenal:

1. Ignore them completely. I don’t respond to whining, fussing or yelling. I sometimes have to remind the little guys that I don’t understand them when they talk in “that voice”, but Lisa knows that when I’m ignoring her, it’s because of her tone. Ignoring them can initially make them more angry, but eventually they get it.

2. Take Stuff Away. A couple of weeks ago Lisa was AWFUL. After one particularly horrendous night, I wrote a list of all the privileges she had. The list had about 20 different things on it, including having friends over, watching TV, playing Barbies, going to friends’ houses including birthday parties, …and the list goes on. There’s another sheet that lists chores and behaviours that will help her earn back the privileges. She knows that if her behaviour is bad enough, The List will be back and she does not want that. Bart will instantly snap out of his tantrum if I threaten to take away his movies for any amount of time. This one isn’t quite as successful with Maggie because she doesn’t have that much that she really cares about losing. One time I told her I would take away all her princess clothes (which she plays with every day) and she went and got a bag to help me gather them up.

3. Time outs. I still do time outs for all the kids, but something I’ve been doing lately is leaving them in all their tantrum glory, going to my room and telling them that I’m taking a time out from them. It freaks them out.

What works for you with your kids? Did your parents do anything that you remember being effective?

What’s going on at your workplace?

2009-02-26T11:38:00.001-05:00

I work in a weird place. Today in my building:

*There is a guy in a giant bubble promoting getting a certain vaccine. When I saw him last he was eating his lunch and talking on his cell phone in the bubble.

*There is a disaster demonstration with people screaming, crying and bleeding with fake bricks burying various body parts, some attached, some not.

*There is a bird trapped in the building, chirping and crapping all over the walls.

*There is a breast cancer awareness bake sale where they are selling, among other things, boob cupcakes.

*The chandeliers in the new dentist office are being installed.

*There’s a group offering free popcorn to entice random people into their free lecture on epidemiology.

New appliances!

2009-02-18T06:57:00.003-05:00

We finally got our new kitchen appliances on the weekend! We've had the fridge for a few weeks, but the stove took a little longer to arrive.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

True to form, I researched the new appliances, checking pricing and reviews. I knew what features I wanted and knew how much I could get them for at various places. Then, when I got to the store, I changed my mind.

Instead of the fridge with the freezer on the bottom, we got a fridge with no freezer - it's all fridge! We bought a small chest freezer to put in the basement and it has turned out to be a good decision.

The range is the same one I had researched, except that instead of a warming drawer, we went for a full baking drawer (so the bottom drawer is another oven!) It is just so nice to be able to bake again!

Kid watching

2009-02-17T12:59:00.000-05:00

I love the chance to just watch my kids.

Like when Bart watches Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for the 6,712th time, but he’s tired, so instead of getting up and dancing to the songs, he just subtly does the hand motions and head nods.

Or when Maggie is at a birthday party at one of those indoor playground places and she goes toe-to-toe with some bratty older boys who won’t let her get on the slide.

Or when Lisa plays school with her Webkinz and Barbies and she’s so serious and officious about the whole thing.

We’ve gone through a bit of a rough patch with Lisa. She has been kind of awful and we have been a little unforgiving. I actually told her on one particularly bad night that I couldn’t stand the sight of her. It was true in that moment. Her crossed arms, her foul expression, her stubborn body language – they all made me so angry, so exasperated, so overwhelmed with thoughts of ‘I can’t do this’.

Of course, as time softened the impact of that moment, my anger settled, her anger settled. We hugged and spoke softly about the things that were bothering us. I apologized and so did she. I cupped her face in my hands and told her how much I love the sight of her and how my heart skips a beat when I first see her in the morning and when I check in on her when she’s sleeping. She gave me a weak smile, then stuck out her tongue and did some googly eyes. “How about that face. Do you like that one?” She’s got a lot of me in her, that girl.

Entering a new phase

2009-02-06T10:01:00.009-05:00

Just a little over eight years ago, I painted the nursery. I chose "French Blue" as a gender-neutral colour that I could live with.

When Lisa was born, the painting was the only thing that was done in the room. I came home from the hospital, surprised to find that Homer had gone out and purchased a change table, a tallboy shelf, baskets, a diaper pail and a baby bath. A couple of months later, we added the crib, a gift from my parents.

The room stayed essentially the same for each addition to our brood. The nursery is the smallest room in the house, so as a new baby moved into the nursery, the big kid would move into his or her own big kid room.

This week, we said goodbye to our nursery and goodbye to our baby days. Our baby is too big for a crib, too old for a nursery.

It was a family affair transforming the room. Maggie's only request was that the room be purple and pink.

It was more emotional for me than I expected, painting over that French Blue. Taking apart the crib, knowing that my baby would never sleep in it again was agonizing.

But then, the new room started to take shape. The purple walls, the bed linens I had found months ago, the little butterfly carpet my sister gave her - they all worked together to create a pretty, fun room. Maggie squealed with delight when she saw it all set up.

She told her friends and teachers at daycare that she had a big girl room that was only hers. This room, the way it's decorated and accessorized just screams MAGGIE. She deserves that.

Sweet dreams, big girl. You'll always be my baby.

And then…

2009-01-27T12:45:00.002-05:00

*Instead of working on my massive pile of work, I was dicking around the Internet and came across this post on Cake Wrecks. Picture me, sitting in my office, trying (unsuccessfully) to stifle laughter with tears rolling down my cheeks and my nose running. And then… the Dean of Students shows up at my door. He thought I was crying.

*The always delightful Maggie was especially fun to deal with this morning. The last straw was when she refused to get in her car seat. There were arms and legs everywhere as she protested (her beef: wrong hairstyle). So, I placed her on a snowbank beside the driveway and told her I was leaving her there. I walked around to the other side of the car and opened and closed my door as if I was getting in. By the time I got back around to Maggie’s side, she was banging on the door screaming, “Please let me come!” And then… the (childless, friendly) neighbour calls over, “Having a good morning Lori?” I swear I am the reason he and his wife have no kids.

*A student group is running a Locks of Love event today. A very nice salon has brought in five stylists to cut the hair of people willing to donate a minimum of 10 inches of hair to the cause. I watched one girl as she cut off about 14 inches and came out with a really cute little bob. As she left the chair, I told her how great she looked (she did). And then… she burst into tears. Where the heck were her friends? I almost started bawling myself.

*A friend here at work was going for a new position. Today a “staffing announcement” went around introducing the new person hired, and it wasn’t my friend. I sent her a reply that simply said,
“:-(”
And then… a copy of that reply came into my inbox. Why? I was confused until I realized that I had hit “Reply All”. I had done it intentionally so that I could just extract her email address, but had failed to actually extract her email and instead just sent it off. The sender of the original email called in a panic, “Do you know [new person]? Is there a problem I should know about?” I hate having to explain my idiocy.

Really, the whole post is pathetic.

2009-01-22T12:18:00.003-05:00

*I just came back from the washroom at work, where I stood (only for a split second) with my wet hands underneath the automatic hand dryer wondering why it wasn’t turning on. It was the paper towel dispenser.

*Homer is sick (again… still) and he spends a lot of the night coughing, sneezing, blowing his nose and thrashing about the bed. I think he coughs extra loud just to make sure I know he is suffering. Truthfully, the extra drama makes me ignore him more than I would if his suffering was authentic.

*For the first time in awhile today we’ve had a break in the frigid temperatures, although they promise to return by Saturday. It’s still minus 3c, but believe me, it’s a nice break. I’m betting the neighbourhood skating rink will be packed tonight.

*We’re buying our new fridge and range this weekend. The oven part on my range has been broken for almost a month (no baking for me - waaah ), so I’m really excited to be getting something new. The model we picked has a gas top with the extra burner in the middle and a griddle attachment, a convection oven and a warming drawer. The fridge is bigger than the one we have now (22cu.ft vs. 18cu.ft) and has an automatic icemaker. We were going to get the kind with the water dispenser in the door, but decided that the extra expense wasn’t worth it and that the kids would probably abuse it and we’d constantly have a puddle of cold, filtered water on the floor.

*Homer arranged with the bank to take out enough cash to make the appliance purchase. They’re very curious as to why he needs so much cash. I just prefer to not buy these types of things (anything) on credit, but Homer is having fun with the bank people and acting all shifty-eyed and evasive.

*This morning I let Lisa choose between two different soups for her thermos. She chose one, saying it looked the best and that Mrs Teacher said that she always had the best-looking lunches. Thank you. Thank you. If only there were a prize. Seriously, why am I so proud of this? Pathetic.

Small pet alert

2009-01-15T10:34:00.015-05:00

So, it’s another freezing cold day here. On days like this, we get “Small Pet Alerts” which remind owners of cats and small dogs that they should stay indoors, lest they freeze. Did you know that once the temperatures reaches –25c with the windchill that exposed skin can freeze in less than 20 minutes? Once you get down to –35, it will take less than 10 minutes. The forecast for today is –25 and tomorrow is –30, so that will be fun.

I’m amazed to see a very large number of people here on campus walking outside without a hat, their poor ears exposed to air that literally burns. Hats are so cute and fun, I just don’t get it. We have vendors here on campus who sell 100% wool hats with fleece lining from Nepal, like these:

and they’re only $15. I bought one for each of my kids and they are the best hats they’ve ever had. They also have mittens that look like little animal puppets. So cute.

Most of the time, I wear a hat like this:

I bought it years ago and, even though I’ve bought several hats since, this is still my favourite. It covers my ears, is very warm and doesn’t do a number on my hair. When I dropped Maggie off at daycare earlier this week, one of the little guys in her class said, “I like your cowboy hat.” Hmph.

I also have a hat like this (not in pink):

It’s more for weekends, because it can give an amazing case of hat head.

There are a million different styles of hats and each one says a little bit about the hat-wearer:

Confident, warm. Wears a great hat, then pairs it with Uggs, which leave her feet cold and wet.

Skier. No-nonsense, practical, athletic.

Criminal.

Elementary school teacher. She also wears a puffy coat and sensible shoes.

More money than brains. Running from PETA.

From Alberta. Those rosy cheeks and perfect teeth are authentic.

So what's your hat style?

Who’s in Charge Here?

2009-01-12T10:19:00.003-05:00

Maggie is kicking my ass.

This kid. She’s not like the other two. Lisa is 8 years old and I still lay out her clothes for school. She never has an opinion one way or the other; she just puts them on. Bart doesn’t give me any grief either. But Maggie, she’s a different personality altogether. We fight every morning about what she will wear. She always wants a dress, will sometimes settle for a skirt, but despises pants of any kind, even if they’re girly colours or adorned with hearts and butterflies. Why not just let her wear a dress/skirt every day? This morning it was –12c, -20c with the wind chill. It’s too cold for just tights under snow pants. She needs tights and pants. I offer her choices, but unless one of the choices is a dress, she screams and cries and stamps her feet in a fit of fury.

This morning, I dropped off the big guys at their babysitter, then Maggie and I proceeded to her daycare. I noticed the snow plow heading down the street I wanted to turn on, so I went a slightly different route. Maggie freaked out, insisting I was going the wrong way. She WAILED “You’re going the wrong way!” for the entire 12-minute ride to the school, then refused to get out of the car. I finally grabbed her by her coat and pulled her out. In the process, she had kicked off one of her boots, so I unknowingly plopped her in a snow bank in her socks. I had to carry her snow pants and backpack in one hand and a punching, kicking, screaming Maggie in the other. Good times.

Oh sure, she seems sweet...

I find myself negotiating, bargaining with this child all the time... about breakfast, books, toys, going to bed, getting out of bed, tv time, going to school, leaving school… everything! She’s still in a crib because sometimes the only thing I can think to do when she’s being completely stubborn and unreasonable is to throw her in there and close the door to her room.

I don’t want to break her spirit, but I also can’t face another 15 years of her fighting me on everything. I’m used to being in charge; I like being in charge. Maggie seems intent on making me prove my worthiness for the leadership role.

Saving my nickels

2009-01-06T16:58:00.001-05:00

My friend’s parents used to save all their nickels in jars. Sometime around mid-November, they would empty the jars, roll all the nickels and cash them in. This was their Christmas money.

I love dealing in cash. As a general rule, I don’t use credit cards or cheques. All bills are paid online, an amount is transferred to savings, then I withdraw cash from the ATM once a week and dole out what I need to for babysitters, dance lessons, groceries and other miscellaneous items one might need in a typical week. I always know how much I have spent and how much I have on hand.

Homer is not quite as disciplined. He’ll stop by the ATM several times a week, play online poker, stop by the beer store and buy himself a new video game without even thinking about it. He agreed when I suggested that this arrangement was, in fact, punishing me for my discipline. I show a lot of self-restraint and do without; he shows none and wants for nothing.

So, we agreed to each take out a budgeted amount each week for personal needs. I will also withdraw grocery and babysitter money and manage those. The result is that he’s wondering how he’ll live on his allowance (which is not small) and I feel like I’ve just hit the jackpot. It’s so much more than I’m used to, that I’ve set aside envelopes to divide my money into four categories:

*Sports - to cover the cost of the kids’ sport/social activities, which usually need to be paid in big chunks at the most inopportune times (about $30/week)

*Charity - to cover anything from school fundraisers, to sponsorships, to outright donations (about $10/week)

*Fun - to cover bigger expenses, like trips, a new camera, Christmas 2009 ($100/week)

*Now - to spend… now! (the amount left over, which is still a lot (for me))

Homer will be saving all of his change in a jar “for a rainy day”. I suppose that’s some kind of (non-specific) system. The man does not like to be tied down.

Looking forward

2009-01-01T09:45:00.004-05:00

Last year I did a meme in which I listed (among other things) 4 things I was looking forward to in 2008. Here's what I said and the results:

1. My girls weekend in Chicago - done (and it was so fun)
2. Lisa dancing in her school’s opera - done (and she was awesome)
3. A new dishwasher (because I have suffered long enough) - done (and I can't believe I washed dishes by hand for more than a year)
4. Hearing my sister is pregnant. No pressure. - done (and the story and baby are both spectacular!)

So... given my success in 2008, I'm going to try it again for 2009.

4 Things I'm looking forward to in 2009:

1. New appliances!
2. My girls weekend in NYC.
3. My high school reunion.
4. Collecting my huge lottery win. Hee.

What about you? Anything you're looking forward to in 2009?

Merry merry. Happy happy.

2008-12-30T08:30:00.015-05:00

Well hey there. How rude of me to write a post about feeling much darkness, then checking out for a few weeks. I’m fine, we’re all fine. I appreciate the concern. I hope everyone has been enjoying the holiday season.

I have been super busy, even though I’ve been off work since December 12th and I don’t return until January 5th. Sweet.

So, since I last updated...

We’ve had a birthday (8 – gulp)...

.... and a birthday party (Pop Star Karaoke theme):

We’ve had a lot of snow:

Christmas was in there somewhere:

And, just the normal goings-on at Casa Simpson:

Coming up this week... shopping for appliances. Fun, right? My oven died this week (I had to take those ducky cookies to my mom's to bake) and my washing machine has been in bad shape for awhile. I could just call a repair shop, but they’re both more than 12 years old, so I think we’re better off with new (SHINY) models. Of course a shiny range requires a matching shiny fridge, so if we can swing it, that will be in the shopping cart too.

Happy New Year to all my bloggy friends! See you in 2009!

Darkness

2008-12-10T10:07:00.001-05:00

Bart had some surgery yesterday. The surgery itself was not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but he had to be put to sleep. The ‘putting to sleep’ part has had me freaked out for several months, ever since I was told that would happen.

On the weekend, my mind was consumed with dark thoughts. I found myself studying his face, his smile, his gestures. I had a heightened appreciation for his energy and sense of humour. On Monday night, I didn’t sleep at all. The darkness was overwhelming. When a very sleepy Bart appeared at my bedside at 2AM, I pulled him into bed with me, held him and stroked his hair.

For more than two hours in the waiting room, I aimlessly flipped through years-old magazines. I couldn’t tell you what was in even one of them. I know I had a conversation or two with Homer. Again, no recollection of what we talked about.

This morning, Bart was bouncing off the walls. He thinks he went to sleep to get his superhero powers installed. He was going around the house giving everyone “Hot Fire” to make them do things for him. He’s back and he’s fine.

I am so grateful to be out of that darkness.

Cookies and Crafts! - Edited

2008-12-08T11:59:00.006-05:00

The kids are doing a bake and craft sale at school. I don't buy most of the fundraising crap they bring home, and I don't have time to volunteer for things, so this is how I contribute.

I made 30 of these: Cinnamon ornaments

And 16 of these: Sled ornaments

And 3 dozen sugar cookies:

The stockings say "Naughty" or "Nice"

My work here is done.
--------------------------------------------
Edited to add:

1. Sugar cookie recipe

2. Royal Icing recipe

Bad date

2008-12-03T14:29:00.003-05:00

I usually do my grocery shopping at 8:00 AM on Sunday. I often have a kid or two with me, but it’s still relaxing because it’s usually just me and a few senior citizens in the store at that hour. Other events prevented me from getting there on this past Sunday morning and I had to go in the afternoon instead.

Both Bart and Maggie insisted on coming with me, so off the three of us went, list and bags in hand. At the first store (my usual store), the aisles were a little crowded, but not too bad. They were out of several of the sale items I had on my list, which put me in a bad mood. The line-up at the cash register wasn’t too bad, but the kids were misbehaving when it came time to bag the items (just goofing around, getting in other shoppers’ ways, etc.), which worsened my mood.

At the next store (across the street from the first store), I grabbed a cart and made both Bart and Maggie sit in it. The store was crowded beyond belief and I kind of hate this store anyway for its small aisles. After putting one item in my cart and getting bumped several times by carts and people, I finally said to the kids: “mommy has to get out of here or she’s going to snap.” I got a sideways glance and a smirk from a lady in the aisle. I plucked the kids out and left the cart right there in the aisle (adding to the congestion problem, I know, but I really was going to snap).

There were a few things I had to get before returning home, so I tried the Zellers next door. Apparently Sunday is the day to pull out boxes, leave them in the middle of the aisle and walk away. It’s also the day to use only three of the 16 available cash registers. After fighting with the aisles, I couldn’t face the line-ups at the cash register to buy 3 measly little items. For the second time in 20 minutes, I gathered up the kids, left the cart in the aisle and walked out empty-handed. Bart asked, “Why do we just keep leaving carts in stores?”

I got home and was so flustered that Homer didn’t even question the $40 in groceries I had managed to buy in the 2 hours I was out. It's only Wednesday and we're out of cereal, out of cheese and low on bread and milk. Needless to say, I have an 8:00 AM date with Food Basics this Sunday.

Brownie Points

2008-11-25T16:38:00.001-05:00

Most of the time, Lisa is a pretty sweet kid. She’s nice to her siblings, helpful around the house, polite and appreciative. Except when she’s not. And when she’s not delightful, she is most definitely frightful.

The worst is when she hasn’t had enough sleep. When she is overtired, she’s whiny and shouty and stubborn and just generally difficult. As it happens, she’s overtired when she goes to Brownies*. Her meeting only goes until 8:00 PM, but she is usually in bed by 8:00, so Brownie nights are tough. Last week I told her that if she couldn’t control herself after one late(ish) night in the week, there would be no more Brownies. Well, she didn’t control herself and I told her that her Brownie days were over. Around Saturday, she started talking about the play she would be doing this week at Brownies and the sleepover in December. I reminded her that she wouldn’t be participating in those events. Do you know what she said? “Oh, I just figured you would forget about that.” Burn. Also? Brat.

I don’t know why, but I started to feel guilty about the punishment. When she, completely unprovoked, helped Bart sweetly and patiently with a computer game he was having trouble with, I told her, “You just earned a Brownie point!” And so began her four days of butt-kissing, dripping with sweetness, random acts of kindness and helpfulness. This morning, she earned her last of 10 Brownie points by setting out all the coats, snow pants, boots, hats, mittens and backpacks for herself and her siblings. These Brownie points have been a wonderful thing!

So tonight, after the meeting, she’ll start with 10 Brownie Points (meaning she can go to next week’s meeting), but she’ll lose points (at my discretion) for bad behaviour and have to earn them back with good behaviour. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m hoping she needs to do a little grovelling this week. Hee.

*I just had to Google “Brownies” to see if it’s a Canadian thing. It’s not, except in the US they’re called Brownie Girl Scouts and here they’re just Brownies, then they become Girl Guides at the appropriate age. Huh.

Penicillin

2008-11-14T10:21:00.006-05:00

A long time ago, I read about the Penicillin method of decluttering your house. I’m almost certain it was from this site, but now I can’t find it when I go searching. Anyway, the Penicillin Method is this:

Look at your cluttered home in small areas: the kitchen table, the front entrance, the computer desk. These are the areas that collect and attract all that stuff that eventually drives you nuts. Thoroughly clean one area at a time. Don’t just push the clutter aside, but really look at what you’re clearing and figure out a way for it to never be a problem again. Once the area is clean, treat it as though it has been cured (with penicillin) and never let it get that way again.

I have three penicillin areas so far:

The kitchen table/island:
This is the most multi-purpose piece of furniture we have. It’s where we eat, where the kids to homework and crafts, where I bake, where Homer and I have our computer. It was always covered with papers, mail, school forms, and every other bit of random crap in the house. We made this our first penicillin area last spring.

We got those hanging basket/cup things on the wall for mail, coupons, school work, small tools, batteries, pens etc. Just having a place to put those things has made a huge difference. Also, the baskets aren’t huge, so we go through them frequently to purge what we don’t need and find a more permanent home for those things we want to keep. The rule is that the only things that can be left on the island are the fruit bowl, the computer and the turntable thingy. Everything else gets filed or moved to another area. By the way, we’re planning on painting the kitchen over the holidays, so ignore the hideous wall colour and spackled bits.

The front closet:
Five people, one small front closet. This closet was always jammed with stuff, which most often spilled out to the front entrance. It's embarrassing to admit that I would hear a knock on the door, panic, and shove a pile of coats, shoes and backpacks behind the door to hide the mess. We tried baskets and shoe shelves, but nothing really worked. The kids couldn’t reach the baskets or the hanging bar, so they never put away their own stuff.

Just after school started, I reorganized this closet by raising the original hanging bar and shelf by about 6 inches and buying a new hanging bar and sectioned hanger (both of which actually just hang from the top bar – no installation tools required). I took a couple of the plastic cubes I already had and screwed them into the wall. One holds backpacks, the other holds kid shoes. The kids can reach the lower bar and hang up their own coats and they each have a section of the shelf thing at the side where they deposit their hats, mitts, sunglasses, etc. The very top shelf is for the grown-ups.

I know you’re looking at this thinking “this is the AFTER shot?” But really, it’s a vast improvement. It’s still jammed, but now everything has a place and the kids can do their part to keep the place tidy.

Old dining room/new den:
This room has gone from dining room to playroom, back to dining room, back to playroom and now den. The kids were putting more and more demands on the TV and computer, so when we upgraded the kitchen computer, the old computer went to the kids. This room is used for TV/movie watching, video games, computer, crafts, fort building and playing. And it was always a mess.

The first step to cleaning it up was getting proper shelving and a desk. We bought those cube shelves from Ikea with a desk to match. We bought a few of these storage boxes and used them for things like paper, arts & crafts supplies, etc.

We learned that the things that were kept in the boxes were always neat and tidy and the things that were just open on the shelves were a hideous mess. So, we went back to Ikea and bought enough of the boxes to fill the shelves. Each box has a specific purpose, labelled with words and pictures, so even the non-readers can tell where things go.

The final thing we did for this room was to make a no eating rule. We used to allow them to take drinks and snacks in there, but it just left too much mess in there with crumbs, wrappers, empty cups, etc.

The transformation in this room is fairly recent, so we’ll see if it becomes our newest penicillin area.

Do you have any areas that could use some penicillin?

Fall Colours

2008-11-11T06:21:00.006-05:00

Jumping

Loving the Fall

Going to her first "friends" birthday party.

Homer said that if she was a doll in a box, he would buy her.

My Super Guys

Strange days indeed

2008-11-06T16:00:00.006-05:00

Barack Obama is going to be President of the United States! Of course, I didn’t get a vote in the matter, but I’m still thrilled that my guy won. That hardly ever happens in the elections I do get to participate in.

Last Thursday, a guy wearing full combat gear and carrying a gun was spotted walking briskly through the community toward campus. The moment he stepped foot on campus he was taken down by 4 police officers and 4 campus police officers, guns drawn. It turns out that he was hurrying to catch a bus to a Halloween party.

Here's how my guys looked on Halloween. No chance of them being taken down:

Another student was arrested this week for setting a fire in the elevator of one of the campus residence buildings at 4:00 AM on the Saturday of Homecoming Weekend. The fire resulted in four non-life-threatening injuries and the displacement of more than 550 students from their home. The accused lived in the building.

My sister lived my worst nightmare and did not make it to the hospital to have her baby. Mom and baby are doing fine. Dad? Suffering a little post-traumatic stress. She’s a doll though. Look:

Homer has been miserably sick for more than two weeks, unable to sleep because of an unrelenting cough. He hasn’t missed a day of work. When he finally went to the doctor yesterday, he was given an inhaler for bronchitis, and a nasal spray and antibiotics for a sinus infection. I really need to take better care of him, since he’s clearly not very good at taking care of himself.

I let Lisa do her own hair before school yesterday. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either. She told me after school that they had their class picture taken that day. Lovely. The school calendar said “Picture Retake Day”.

Speaking of pictures, my mom said that all she and my dad want for Christmas is a framed professional picture of the three kids together. In the course of the two minute conversation, she said the word "professional" at least 10 times. What qualifies as professional? Because, there seems to be two price points for portraits: $20 for the Sears/Walmart/Supercentre deals (much less than I'm willing to spend) and $250+ for the rest (much more than I'm willing to spend). Is there a $100-ish option I'm missing?

These girls are made for birthin'

2008-11-01T08:34:00.003-04:00

I'm an aunt... again.

My sister gave birth to a little girl this morning, her first child.

She was delivered by my BIL on their bathroom floor - no time to make it to the hospital they had so thoroughly researched and meticulously selected.

Gotta love my gene pool!

Three!

2008-10-30T06:56:00.008-04:00

Well of course I didn't get my act together yesterday. SO, one day late, here are pictures of all three kids at age 3:

Lisa - almost 5 years ago

Bart - 2 years ago

Maggie - yesterday!

Can you say HAIR? They don't get that from me. *pout*

Oh look... another random list.

2008-10-28T10:42:00.004-04:00

How did it get to be Tuesday again so soon? One of these days I'll post something organized and coherent... but not today! A few random items:

Friday night for Bart and Homer was spent in the ER. Bart split his chin on the monkey bars just before we picked him up from the babysitter's house. After waiting for almost three hours, they simply cleaned the wound and glued it shut. One minute of care. Next time, I'm buying a tube of Krazy Glue and calling it a day. While the boys were at the hospital, I fed the girls and cleaned the whole main floor, including washing down the walls and doors. Cleaning is my form of pacing, it seems.

Homer spent the rest of the weekend sick in bed. He is a terrible sick person. He moans and complains and demands. If he's awake he's grumpy, snapping at everyone to be quiet and stop bugging him. If you call him on it he says "I'M SICK!" Duh. He's much better today, which is good news for all of us.

In a very uncharacteristic move, I bought a Pashmina shawl. I KNOW! I'm not one to accessorize much, but everyone around here is wearing scarves, shawls, etc. so I bought one for my friend who I thought could totally pull off the trend. The one I bought is a teal green colour and when I was showing another friend, she convinced me to keep it for myself. So I did. The first time I ventured out in it, Homer asked me why I was wearing a tablecloth, but he's mean that way.

Lisa and I are off to the Opera tonight. You may remember that she performed in her school's production of The Magic Flute last spring. Tonight is the dress rehearsal for a professional opera company's version of the play and they gave Lisa's school access to tickets for only $5 each. She's pretty excited, especially because it ends at 10:30, which is way WAY past her bedtime. On a school night.

Friday is Halloween, which of course means Halloween parties at school. Lisa's teacher sent a note requesting healthy contributions to the snack table (e.g. fruit, veggies and dip, pretzels). Bart's teacher's note said that the children should bring their own healthy snack and then would be allowed to pick one treat from the snack table. Anything left over would be sent home with the children in baggies. Is it just me, or does this suck? Halloween is not supposed to be healthy. What's next, raisins in their treat bags? I think a better solution to cut down on the potential gluttony is to ask parents to only send enough treats for about 5 kids. That way there wouldn't be so many options on the table, but it would still be more fun than veggies and dip. By the way, I'm sending them with Rice Krispies squares. I'm such a rebel.

Tomorrow is Maggie's birthday. If I can get my act together, I'm going to post pictures of all three kids at age 3. *sniff*

Tuesday night timeline

2008-10-22T11:59:00.002-04:00

Tuesday nights are a little crazy at our house. Bart has Beavers and Lisa has Brownies. They both start at 6:30 in different places, so getting them there is always kind of fun. Here’s how it all went down last night:

5:45 – Arrive home from work after picking up Maggie from daycare and Bart and Lisa from the babysitter’s. Start to get dinner ready while Bart and Lisa change into their uniforms.

5:55 – Maggie announces that she has had an accident. Take her upstairs to change her pants.

6:00 – Dinner is on the table. I set the timer for 10 minutes and tell the kids to EAT!

6:10 – Timer goes. Bart and Lisa spring into action (ha!) brushing teeth and washing faces. They put on their coats and shoes. Homer arrives home in the nick of time.

6:15 – I’m out the door with Bart and Lisa. Bart is still eating some of his dinner.

6:25 – Arrive at Brownies with Lisa. Confirm that there is adequate supervision and fly back to the car with Bart.

6:30 – Arrive at Beavers with Bart. Drop him off with his popcorn money and pumpkin-carving tools in hand. Chat briefly with my friend who is dropping off her Beaver.

6:40 – Stop in at the Dollar Store to get some Halloween decorations. The same friend is there doing the same thing.

6:55 – Arrive home to put up the decorations – a surprise for Bart and Lisa when they come home.

7:20 – Back in the car to pick up Bart.

7:30 – Pick up Bart at Beavers. He has carved a little pumpkin. I’m told it has an “invisible mouth”.

7:40 – Back home with Bart. I quickly help him put on his jammies.

7:45 – Back in the car. Homer wanted me to pick up a couple of things from the grocery store.

7:50 – Arrive at the grocery store – fly through and grab what I need.

8:00 – Pick up Lisa (and cookies!) at Brownies.

8:10 – Back home with Lisa.

8:30 – All three kids are in bed, heading toward sleepytown.

What did Homer do in this time? I’m glad you asked. He put on Dora for Maggie and had a little nap. But guess what? Next week, it’s his turn to do the driving!

Me. Me.

2008-10-20T09:33:00.004-04:00

After a rather chilly non-weekend of chauffeuring kids to dance lessons and birthday parties, hocking apples with Bart, baking, raking and cleaning, I'm glad to have a post topic handed to me by Astarte. Do you read The Muddled Sage? If not, you really should. She has a lovely writing style and a humorous outlook on life. So anyway, Astarte tagged me for a meme. The deal is that I need to tell you six things about myself that may be news to you. I know, you're quivering in anticipation. Me too.

1. I am embarrassingly anti-social. I don't have social anxiety or anything; I would just much rather spend an evening at home with my family than go to a club or a dinner party or other such event that should be fun. It pains me to be offered tickets to a game or concert.

2. I love to watch TV, but I never seem to be watching the shows everyone else is watching. I have never seen SYTYCD, Survivor or any one of the CSI's. Shows I'm currently PVR'ing are: The Mentalist, Dexter, Entourage, Life on Mars, Pushing Daisies and My Own Worst Enemy. I also like medical shows like Dr. G., Medical Mysteries and Big Medicine, but I don't record those ones.

3. I don't have a cell phone. I've probably mentioned that before, but people always just assume everyone has one, so it's worth repeating. I had a cell phone when I was pregnant with Bart (I have *fast* labours, so I need to be able to communicate quickly). About 2 weeks before he was born I got a flat tire and my cell phone didn't work. Instead of putting through my call, they put me through to Accounts Receivable, who said my bill hadn't been paid (which I found out after waiting on hold for 1/2 hour). I explained that I was 9 months pregnant and stranded at the side of the road and that the bill had been paid. She didn't care/didn't believe me. A kind stranger helped me with the tire and I sorted it out the next day. They had applied my payment to Homer's bill (their mistake). When I finally spoke to a manager, I was released from my 3-year contract on threat that I would take my big pregnant self to the local TV station and tell them my story (I kept it for just one more month, just until his due date). I love pregnancy hormones, but not cell phones.

4. I'm not overweight. The way I talk on here sometimes about finding new work outs, obsessing about fiber and fat, you might get the impression that I am. But, I'm 5'6, 125-ish lbs and wear a size 4. I do, however, have an extremely poor body image (the reason pictures of me on this site are rare), so I just ordered the 30 Day Shred - not to lose weight per se, but to tone up and look better.

5. I can't ice skate. Well, I can skate a little, but not well enough to skate with a child that's learning to skate. I actually took adult skating lessons in my early 20's, but they really didn't help me much. I think it's just a lack of confidence and cheap skates. I'm a cheap skate. Hee.

6. I'm pretty clumsy. I have scars all over my arms and legs from falls, burns, tumbles and literally running into stationary items. Just this weekend, I burned myself with a cookie sheet (on my elbow - think about that) and stubbed my toe on a door frame.

So how about you? I've read this meme a few places, so if you haven't done it yet consider yourself tagged (but only six of you! Those are the rules!)

Close call

2008-10-17T11:24:00.001-04:00

I arrived at work today to a flurry of activity and police tape blocking off a large section of my building. Just moments before I arrived, a large piece of glass (3’ x 4’) that formed part of a railing fell from the second level into a large open space on the main level.

Three things prevented someone from getting killed by this mishap:

1. It was 8:15 AM, about 10 minutes before a lot of staff pour through the area and about an hour before the area becomes populated by students.

2. It is Friday. Thursday night is pub night, so Friday mornings are always a little quieter than other days of the week.

3. This weekend is Homecoming, so the area, normally bustling with fairs, vendors, speakers and fundraisers, was empty in preparation for a large set-up.

Whew. After I get the other 500 pieces of glass inspected, I’ll be ready for a couple of days off.

Have a great weekend!

Longing for more long weekends.

2008-10-14T10:49:00.003-04:00

We had a really great long weekend. The weather was beautiful, the kids were well-behaved and the meals were awesome. We got in lots of outdoor time, lots of family time (thanks in part to my gift to Homer: Mario Kart for the Wii - FUN!)

After planning and executing a nice birthday for Homer on Saturday and then cooking and baking all day on Sunday for a nice Thanksgiving meal, I declared that on Monday I would "do nothing". As it turned out, "do nothing" included doing a craft with the kids, going to the field to play soccer, going on a hike through the nearby woods, baking some whole wheat cinnamon bread, playing Mario Kart and reading individually with each of the kids. And it was great. The kids were bathed, in bed and sleeping like angels by 8:30, leaving me lots of "me"time (with Homer, of course).

The thing about long weekends is that I have a lot of time to think and dream about the way things could be. I've said before that I like working. I do. But, working full-time while managing a home life with three kids, trying to keep some order in the house and offering healthy meals isn't always easy. In addition, I have parents and extended family that I like to see regularly, I have friends that are important to me and every once in awhile it's nice to have some time to myself. The ultimate solution is to win the lottery. Then, I can start my own charitable organization, set my own (reduced) hours and have all the time I need for myself and my family. Since Option A is a tad unrealistic, I'm dreaming about Option B, which would have me working my own job on a reduced schedule. One extra day off a week would make such a difference. Can I swing it? Sigh. I just don't know.

Gobble Gobble!

2008-10-10T10:36:00.003-04:00

It’s Thanksgiving Weekend here in the True North, Strong and Free. Why do we celebrate a full six weeks before our American counterparts? I’m sure somebody knows, but I don’t even have enough ambition in the matter to Google it. Let’s just say we celebrate earlier because our harvest comes earlier. Makes sense.

Canadian and American Thanksgiving celebrations are similar in many ways, but different in a couple of ways too.

Similarities:

1. The holiday is centred around family and giving thanks for our blessings. For a lot of families, there are two or three celebrations over the course of the weekend.

2. Our traditional meal includes turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. In our family, it also includes Broccoli Casserole. We do our meals potluck and someone responsible is always in charge of the BC, lest we have a repeat of ThanksgivingGate 1993.

3. We have football too. It’s the Canadian Football League playing two games on Monday afternoon. That’s half the league playing on one day. Special. Also, sucky for the football players and their families.

Differences:

1. Thanksgiving Day is actually a Monday, not a Thursday.

2. Christmas isn’t really on the radar yet for most of us… we still have to get through Hallowe’en in a few weeks. So, we don’t put out our plastic Santa’s and twinkling lights, we don’t line up at Macy’s for the Thanksgiving Weekend door crashers. In fact, most of the stores will be closed on Monday.

I’d have to say that Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday. There are no expectations, except a good meal and nice company. Unlike most other holidays, it’s not kid-centric. There’s no shopping, no wrapping, no cartoon icons.

Homer’s birthday is also this weekend (tomorrow). Homer’s birthday is the complete opposite of Thanksgiving – he wants to Do Things! and Go Places! and Be Entertained! and Get Great Gifts! He’s very much a child that way. But, I think he’ll enjoy our plans, so it's all good.

Have a lovely weekend everyone and Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends.

Understanding the grown-up world

2008-10-06T09:20:00.006-04:00

Last week I won some passes to meet Abby Cadabby and Elmo and then view their new DVD movie, Abby in Wonderland on the big screen. I won the passes from Ali over at Juice and I was to pick them up at the box office on Saturday morning.

As it turns out, the box office was closed, so when I saw Ali, I went over, introduced myself and received the tickets.

As we were climbing the escalator to the theatre, Lisa looked up at me and asked, "Is Ali your friend?"

"Not really," I said, "she's someone I know from the computer."

Brief pause for processing.

"How can you know someone from the computer?" she finally asked.

"It's kind of like Webkinz for grown-ups."

Processing...

Processing...

"So, did you adopt her?"

Bonus picture of Maggie enjoying her first movie theatre experience. She liked it!

Nelson!

2008-09-30T15:59:00.005-04:00

Since last February when we changed our babysitter, things have been going really well on the childcare front. Bart and Lisa had a great summer with a nice bunch of kids from their classes at school. Now that school is back in session, the babysitter does half-day care for Bart and after school care for Lisa, and also looks after some of the other summer kids. She also took on a new kid from Bart’s class who we’ll call Nelson. Nelson is a jerk.

It’s not easy for me to call a 5-year-old a jerk, but he is. On his first day, he intentionally bit Bart on the face, breaking the skin. When the babysitter brought it up with his mother, the mom said, “Nelson, that wasn’t nice.” Now, maybe she’s not one to tip her hand in the presence of the new babysitter, but wouldn’t you think that such a revelation would require more outrage? If my kid were the biter, I’d be on the phone to the other mom apologizing and letting her know what the punishment for my kid would be. My kid would be made to apologize to the other kid, probably with a box of Superman Band-Aids as a peace offering.

Both the babysitter and Bart are constantly telling me the rotten things that Nelson does on a daily basis: purposely excluding one or two of the kids from a game; upending a board game or puzzle others are working on; licking another kid’s treat when the babysitter turns her back; hurtfully mocking something another kid likes (like a toy or tv show).

I asked Lisa what she thought of Nelson. Her response? He’s a twit AND he has an older sister and brother, who are also mean little jerks. It makes you wonder what’s going on at their house.

As Bart told me another Nelson tale this morning, I said, “Bart, I don’t think you should play with Nelson anymore.” But what if he yells and says I have to play with him? “Tell him your mom said he’s too mean to play with.”

Bart just giggled.

Nelson Muntz. Not to be emulated by a 5-year-old.

The Competitive Spirit

2008-09-25T14:47:00.003-04:00

Lisa joined the cross-country team at school. At her age, they’re only expected to run 1 km, which isn’t far at all, not even for a 7-year-old.

After her first day of training, I asked he how it went. She reported that it went well and that she and a classmate had run most of the way and walked the rest. I asked her who had finished the run first. She had no idea.

In this way, she is a very different kid than I was. I loved competition and loved winning. I was more successful as a mathlete than an athlete, but even if I wasn’t the best at something, I always had the finish line in sight and at least knew who it was that I needed to beat. I blame my father, who is a good-natured guy, but also likes to be number one. I would come home and excitedly announce that I got 97% on a test and he would ask where I lost the other 3%. It sounds terrible, even as I write it here, but I never felt demoralized or angered by his comments. He was proud of me, but wanted to ensure I didn’t rest on my laurels, so to speak. My dad and I always had a relationship where he could joke around with me like that and I never felt slighted.

I explained to Lisa that the teachers would be selecting a cross-country team from those that went to the training and that only the first few finishers from each grade would be allowed to go to the city-wide meet. We discussed a strategy to see if she was capable of: 1) running the whole distance; and 2) being a top finisher. After each training day, she would report her progress. As I suspected, running the distance was not an issue, and she now finishes first among the girls, second overall. Next week, she’ll compete in the city-wide event and she is ecstatic. She expects to win. We’ll have to have a good talk about that.

It’s a tricky thing encouraging a competitive spirit in your child. On the one hand, you want your child to achieve his or her best and, of course, you want them to succeed when they do so. On the other hand, there will be many, many times, when even her best won’t be good enough; when she’ll train and try and run her little heart out, but someone else will be better. Will she be crushed? Will she say “better luck next time” and keep trying? Is either of these reactions right or wrong?

Maggie-speak

2008-09-22T16:11:00.002-04:00

I DID make the cinnamon buns and they ARE amazing! And easy! Maggie wasn’t so sure about them as I was rolling them out and spreading the butter, sugar and cinnamon. She kept saying, "cinnamon buns are yuck!" But, when they came out of the oven and I poured on the maple glaze? “Mmmm. I wuv cinnamon buns berry berry much.”

Maggie is at that amazing verbal stage where she speaks very clearly, but when she says something that seems “too old” for her, it’s hilarious. Examples:

Me: Maggie, what would you like for breakfast?
Maggie: I’ll have cheese and crackers, I guess, if it’s not too much trouble.

***************

Maggie to her siblings: You guys are driving me nuts and I am sooo not kidding!

***************

Bart: Guess what chapter I’m on?
Maggie: What chapter?
Bart: Sixteen.
Maggie: Sixteen? Are you serious?

*****************

Maggie: Do you want to play Barbies wif me?
Lisa: Maybe after I’m done with Webkinz I’ll play.
Maggie: Don’t you think you spend enough time on that thing? You need a break!

I can’t believe she’s only a month or so away from being three. *Sniff* my little baby's getting so big.

A Toast

2008-09-21T19:00:00.004-04:00

Dear Jess and Torsten,

In lieu of the traditional champagne toast, I offer an old family recipe. The components of this recipe are said to represent the intricacies of marriage.

Matrimony Cake

The Solid Foundation:

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Combine in a bowl:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
1-3/4 cups rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine

Press HALF of this mixture into the pan.

The Sweet, Smooth Core:

Combine in a pot:
1lb pitted dates
1 cup water
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

Bring mixture to a boil. Continue boiling, stirring occasionally, until softened.

Cool slightly and spread over the base.

The Rough Bits:

Take the remaining oat mixture and crumble it through your fingers to top the dates.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes until browned. Cool and cut into squares.

So now, raise your dessert square with me:

Congratulations, Jess and Torsten. May your new life together be filled with sweetness, laughter and love. Cheers!

Go here for more toasts to the happy couple...

Greetings!

2008-09-18T10:57:00.004-04:00

Hey! Nice to see you! My network was down at work this morning, meaning no email, no Internet and no access to the files that reside on the server, so I found myself with a little time to work out a post. Lucky you.

*Homer bought us a Wii on the weekend. I’m not usually too keen on the video games (because I suck at them), but the Wii is FUN! We only have Wii Sports right now, so I’ll take any recommendations you have for more games (preferably active ones). Also, if anyone has Wii Fit, I’d love to know what you think.

*Bart is hilariously awesome at Wii bowling. His high score is 249. Mine is 137. It’s humiliating when he rolls his eyes and says, “Do you want me to show you how to do it, mom?”

*We’ve been battling with some pretty serious skin issues with Bart. The Dermatologist is pretty sure it’s Psoriasis. I’m more upset about the diagnosis than I thought I would be. If you Google Psoriasis, along with information about the cause (unknown), prevention (unclear) and the treatment (dubious), there is a lot of information about the emotional side effects of the condition. I don’t think anyone wants their child to have a condition that produces emotional side effects.

*We currently have five bottles of creams/lotions/potions for Bart’s skin. I am so grateful that, in addition to having universal healthcare, I have a drug plan paid for by my employer that gives me free prescription drugs. These things are not cheap.

*Tonight is Meet the Teacher night at Lisa & Bart’s school. Because we’ll only have a short time for dinner, I whipped together some crock-pot scalloped potatoes this morning. I didn’t have a recipe (or rather I didn’t have all of the ingredients for any one recipe that I could find), so I made one up. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

*Fall must be on its way, because I find myself wanting to bake and make soup and chili again. I saw this recipe on The Pioneer Woman Cooks, and I have since been looking for nice, ceramic pie plates (like this):

for less than $10, so I can make these for teacher/neighbour gifts at Christmas. Of course, I’ll have to try out the recipe first to make sure they are gift-worthy. Mmmm.

Hope you’re having a great day!

First day of school!

2008-09-07T17:16:00.009-04:00

2004 - Lisa starts Junior Kindergarten

2005 - Lisa in Senior Kindergarten

2006 - Lisa in Grade 1

2007 - Lisa in Grade 2, Bart starts Junior Kindergarten

2008 - Lisa in Grade 3, Bart in Senior Kindergarten

Some random items for a Monday

2008-07-28T13:57:00.001-04:00

While in the Wal-Mart parking lot, walking to my car with my three children at 10:00 AM, a thirty-something, muscle-head guy smiled and said hello. I nodded politely and proceeded to strap in three kids, then I went back to transfer my purchases from the cart to the trunk. As I turned to return the cart, the muscle-head was right there. He said: “I just had to come back and tell you that you’re absolutely gorgeous.” Creepy?

Lisa scored a goal in her soccer game last week. It was her first official goal in a game (she has scored a couple in scrimmages). This is her fourth season playing. It was the game-winning goal and it was spectacular… first a breakaway down the field, then some fancy manoeuvring around two defensemen, then a strong kick to the top right-hand corner of the net. The (awesome) coaches and other parents elevated her up and over cloud nine. We celebrated with ice cream.

We’ve officially changed our dining room into a den. We don’t do a lot of formal dining, and the room is far more practical as an art/computer/gaming/tv room. We just need to take down the damned chandelier before Homer or I knock ourselves unconscious.

Maggie insisted on wearing a silver tiara with pink, fluffy stuff on it to daycare today. Insisted. I was prepared to explain the accessory to the teacher when she said “Maggie, you remembered to wear your crown for fairytale week!” Maggie is two.

We’ve had A LOT of rain this summer. The flowers in my garden have never looked better. Note to self: watering required for nice flowers. The sad part of this is that we have underground sprinklers. All I have to do program the little box to water the flowers, but I could never be bothered before. I get it now.

I have a pile of papers that need to be filed/dealt with on the corner of my desk. The pile is 8 inches tall and I plan to tackle it by dealing with one inch a day. The pile has been building for weeks, so 8 days is a reasonable goal, I think.

What is The Plan?

2008-07-24T09:37:00.002-04:00

It’s been a very difficult week. A little girl from Maggie’s daycare passed away on Tuesday after a 7-month battle with a rare form of cancer. She was adorable and vibrant and 4 years old. The daycare is awash in tears; no one can enter without becoming overwhelmed with emotion for the loss of this tiny girl and the devastation that has been thrust upon a family that is the very definition of normal… people just like us.

I overheard a mother talking with one of the teachers saying, “It’s hard to understand what The Plan is when God takes someone who has not yet lived a full life.” It is hard to understand.

If I were in charge of The Plan, babies would be born with an 80-year expiration date. The last few years of a person’s life would be celebrated and cherished, knowing these would be the last. Children would always outlive their parents. Tears would be reserved for scraped knees, missed opportunities, broken hearts and joy. Childhood illnesses and injuries would build character and shape futures, but would never claim their lives.

I respectfully submit that the Current Plan sucks and a New Plan is in order.

Life With Homer – In the beginning…

2008-07-17T12:00:00.003-04:00

Jess said she wanted to know about my relationship with Homer. As you know, we just celebrated 11 years of marriage, but we’ve been together since the World Series of 1992.

I knew Homer casually and he kept telling me that I would be a good match for his good friend Bob. I agreed to go on a blind date with Bob. When I arrived at the designated meeting place, Bob was not there, nor was Homer’s girlfriend of 3 years. Turns out, they were never invited. Nothing happened that night romantically, but Homer and I bonded over our genuine interest in The Toronto Blue Jays. In the next couple of weeks, Homer broke up with his girlfriend and pursued me relentlessly.

For our first real date, he agreed to go mountain biking with me. We lived in Toronto at the time, so we had to navigate the city streets before getting to the trails. Homer wasn’t a big cyclist and he’s the nervous type. All I remember is him yelling from behind me “You are NOT A CAR!”

He was so funny and different and not at all like the jocks I usually went for; I was surprised how attracted I was to him. He was a real cutie, so I was even more surprised that he was attracted to me. He’s the type that you would expect to have a leggy, giggly blonde on his arm. Yet, here he was with an athletically-built, sharp-tongued brunette.

To be continued.

11 Years

2008-07-14T20:57:00.002-04:00

July 12, 1997

What my kids are not named...

2008-07-14T10:27:00.004-04:00

Awhile back, I made a list of 50 names I considered. As per Misty's request, here are the top five serious contenders from that list that didn’t get used:

Ava – this would have been Bart’s name had he been a girl. We like fairly short, simple names and this one fit the bill nicely. Funny enough, my mom was not a big fan. She asked me one time if we had narrowed down names. Yes, I said. It will be [Bart’s real name] if it’s a boy and Ava if it’s a girl. “Oh, I hope it’s a boy,” she said. THIS is why people don’t tell other people the names they are considering! We didn’t give Maggie the name Ava because by the time she came along, another baby Ava had been born, and it would have been awkward. In other news, I think my sister is considering this if her little bean is a girl. Woo hoo!

Knox – Yes, believe or not, before Brangelina came up with this name, we strongly considered it when we were pregnant with Lisa. I’m a huge fan of Dead Poets Society and I love the Knox Overstreet character. Love him. It’s a good Scottish name (I’m Scottish) and would have sounded nice with our last name. Alas, we decided that we weren’t quite cool enough to have a kid with a name that was kind of ‘out there’.

Shae - I really liked this name for a girl and put it on the table with each pregnancy. Homer liked it, but didn’t love it. It was always the fall-back, if we couldn’t come up with something else that he liked better. My sister’s sister-in-law named her baby Shaye, so at least I get to enjoy it on a very cute little girl.

Rhys – This was at the top of my boy list when I was pregnant with Maggie. Homer was not as sold on it and was pushing for Charlie. I like the way Rhys looks and sounds. It’s monosyllabic, which automatically makes it masculine sounding to me, but it has soft edges. Homer didn’t like that the most famous person with that name is female, even if it's homonymic. It didn’t matter in the end, because Maggie is most definitely not a boy.

Cabot – Toward the end of my pregnancy with Maggie, we were getting desperate for a boy name (see the Rhys/Charlie debate above) and I actually started looking through the phone book for inspiration. I only got as far as C when I found Cabot. I really like the look of this name in print. It’s a strong name in the same family (to me) as Colin, Calum and Connor. John Cabot is a Canadian historical figure, which was one of my selling points. As we were in the elevator, in strong labour with Maggie, Homer was still fighting for Charlie, and I was offering Rhys and Cabot.

What do you think? You can tell me what you really think; I'm done having babies, and therefore done naming (my own) babies!

Favourites

2008-07-11T12:21:00.004-04:00

Another one from Misty: Tell me your favorite color, ice cream flavor, and perfume.

Colour: blue. I have to stop myself from buying blue clothes, painting rooms blue, choosing blue for EVERYTHING. I like all blues, but Navy Blue is my favourite.

Ice Cream Flavour: I like chunks of things in my ice cream, with either a chocolate or vanilla base. Think Rocky Road, Cookie Dough, Oreo Cookies and Cream. I don't like little bits of things (like nuts or chocolate chips) that make the ice cream taste sandy.

Perfume: I can't wear perfume without coughing up a lung, but I gravitate towards fruity scents for my shampoo, soap, hairspray and deodorant.

Pirate: (What? You didn't ask about Pirates? Surely an oversight) It was Dress Like a Pirate Day at Maggie's daycare yesterday.

Aargh

Kid ages and stages

2008-07-09T11:10:00.002-04:00

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the content suggestions! My plan is to just do them in the order in which they were received, unless I feel otherwise inspired.

First up is Misty, who said: Tell me about your favorite age/stage of your kids.

It’s no secret to anyone who visits here regularly that I think my kids are pretty awesome, so I was surprised when this question was more difficult to answer than anticipated. The short answer is that I haven’t met a stage I don’t like (so far).

Newborn: I love how they’re just so small and so comfortable sleeping in your arms or on your chest. I love that they don’t do anything and yet are so engaging. I love the way their hair smells after a bath. I was lucky to have three really good babies. They all nursed well and slept well. When Lisa was a newborn, I painted the bathroom, thoroughly cleaned the garage and basement and worked on my thesis while she did her sleep three hours/awake one hour routine.

Infancy: I love the first smile, all the new discoveries, the pleasure they get from such simple things, like a rattle, a swing or a silly toy. I like the look of new teeth, the crazy hair and the baby belly laughs. Bart was the best baby ever. He hardly ever cried, was happy and sweet, never had separation anxiety. I could take him anywhere, any time of the day and know that he wouldn’t be a problem. Dream child, for sure.

Toddler: It’s crazy and frustrating and exhausting, but so, so funny. Maggie’s at this stage right now and I could regale you with countless tales of funny things she says and does. She likes to categorize things into those she “wuvs” and those she “does not wuv”. Do not attempt to make her wear/eat/play with things in the latter category, for she will surely scream at the top of he lungs, “NO! I DO NOT WUV DAT!” You don’t have to love it kid, you just have to like it a little.

Little kid: From toddler to little kid, you really start to see the unique personality of each kid. Lisa was always fiercely independent and very imaginative. Bart needs more attention, but is easy to please and very physical. Maggie is emerging as feisty and bossy, but still very lovable. It’s neat to see the friends they choose and the things that interest them.

Big kid: I only have one big kid so far, but she’s pretty cool. I like that she understands teasing and sarcasm and that she can dish it out as well as she can take it. We often share an eye-roll or snicker when one of the little guys says or does something funny/weird/disturbing. I think some kind of hormones must be kicking in, because when she gets moody, LOOK OUT! It’s seriously like a PMS kind of moody that seems beyond her control, and yet she’s only seven. Luckily those moments are few and far between, and in the meantime we have some great times together, bonding over a book she’s reading, a show we watch together or a game of checkers.

All is not perfect at Casa Simpson, of course. We have our battles and frustrations, our worries and illnesses, but for the most part, this parenting thing has been pretty awesome. I’m sure I have what’s coming to me when my guys are teenagers.

**********************************
I was a big baby-wearing momma with my kids - I'd love to win this contest for my sister, who is due with her first baby in November!

YAAAAWWWWN!

2008-07-07T13:08:00.000-04:00

What is wrong with me? I’m so bored with myself these days. I keep thinking I should update my blog, then I think, Why? Really, the stuff on here the last few weeks has been both sparse and boring (You: as opposed to the other masterpieces you’ve written here? pfft). I’ve been trying to think all morning of something to say, a story to tell, but I’ve got NOTHING! Could I really be this dull?

Anyway, I thought maybe you could give me some topics to write about (you know, only if you want to – man, I really hate asking for anything). If you so desire, ask me a question or give me a topic, then I will try to be a more interesting person. Please.

A(nother) job that would suck

2008-07-03T09:11:00.006-04:00

I did my undergrad in business. I did my masters in education administration. I like to have problems that can be solved. I like math. I like puzzles. In my undergrad, I had a hard time picking non-business electives because I had very little interest in other subjects.

Several years into my career, I still love business (the kind of business I'm in anyway). I often look at the professions of other people and think 'how great for you!' but man, I would hate that line of work. Jobs I admire but take a different personality than my own include: Public Relations, Fundraiser, Event Planner, Teacher, Social Worker, Nurse.

But the job that would suck the most (for me) is Children's Photography. I think it would be okay to do babies, but kids who move around, especially if you want more than one kid in the shot? Shoot me now.

We were at a wedding on the weekend. It was a beautiful day in a very picturesque spot. After Maggie cleared a table of all its glassware at the swanky reception before dinner, I decided to take the monsters outside and try to get a good picture of them in their fancy duds. I seriously took over 100 shots. Here are the BEST three:

They're all standing still at least. The smiles are fake and forced.

More fake smiles. Bart is actually airborne in this shot.

I swear, they're normally pretty cute kids with good smiles.

Remember these were the best ones! Children's Photographers: I salute you!

Momma bear, control your growl.

2008-07-02T10:49:00.002-04:00

On the last day of school, Lisa was told that she would be entering Mrs. K.’s class next year; she’ll be one of only 5 kids in grade 3 in a grade 2/3 split class (there will be 12 gade 2’s).

When I first found out, I was fuming. I mean, walking around talking to myself as if I were talking to the idiot who made the decision. My main concern, of course, is that she won’t be challenged enough. She’s a bright girl who does extremely well in school and I’m afraid that being in a class with younger kids will somehow kill her motivation to perform at her academic peak.

Homer was trying to calm me down, but I was having none of it. My plan was to call the school the next day (the teachers had to work) and get her changed into the straight grade 3 class, which only has 17 kids in it.

I should mention that Lisa is thrilled with her placement. The two girls who are joining her in the split class are good friends and also good students. She’s happy that she won’t be the youngest in the class this year. She is friends with many of the kids in the grade 2 side already.

On the way to soccer that night in the car, Homer and I were still talking about the subject. He asked if I knew Mrs. K. I said I knew the name, but not which one she was. I turned around and asked Lisa what Mrs. K looks like and she said, in a deadpan voice, “Why? What are you going to do to her?” Hee. I stopped my bitching at that point.

Anyway, I couldn’t get through to the school the next day, but I did call my mom (a retired primary teacher) and dad (a retired elementary school principal). And guess what? They think it will be GREAT for her! Their reasoning:

- Lisa is really quiet in school, so being in a small group like that will do wonders for her confidence in speaking up and participating

- With such a small number in her side of the split, the teacher will be able to offer more enrichment opportunities and challenges on an individual level than with a larger group

And so, I’ve dropped it. I’m going to wait until September, talk to the teacher then and figure out the plan. I’m sure it will be fine.

Random stuff.

2008-06-24T10:39:00.001-04:00

*We got a $25 gas card from the bank for our troubles on Father’s Day. They also explained that we were treated that way because of our “low rating” with the bank. Why is our rating so low, you ask? Why, it’s because we don’t have a mortgage or credit card with them. So, the fact that both of our paycheques get deposited directly into that account AND we have a large RRSP account AND a few bucks in savings AND we have never bounced a cheque or payment is not good enough because we haven’t accumulated any debt with them. So, just to review: no debt=bad rating; debt=good rating. Uh huh.

*Everyday on the way to work, I peek into the window of the Village Barber Shop. It’s a little (less that 200 sq. feet) shop owned by two mid-thirties Italian friends, who just happen to be HOTT. I call them the Hottie Barbers. Homer refuses to go in there due to my inappropriate obsession.

*Golf was great. The weather was nice and I actually played a decent game. My mom and dad both golf every weekday during the nice weather - without a cart. We golfed with a cart and it took us over 5 hours to do 18 holes.

*I feel so gross after 2 days of eating only in restaurants that all I have eaten since we came home Sunday night is salad, fruit and water.

*Next Tuesday is Canada Day, which is a holiday. I’m also taking Monday off, and looking forward to an extra-long weekend. We have a wedding to go to on Saturday, but besides that, no plans. A no-plans weekend is my favourite kind.

*What should a 5-year-old boy wear to a summer wedding? The girls are easy, but I’m stumped for the boy. I looked through Old Navy and The Children’s Place for ideas, but everything seemed too casual.

*Tomorrow is the last day of school for Lisa and Bart. I’m looking forward to not packing backpacks and lunches every day. I’m not looking forward to paying the extra amount for full-day care during the summer.

*My former nanny is a single mom. The baby’s father, who is a loser in almost every other way, has turned out to be a great dad. He moved more than 100 miles away from his home to start over in the town where the nanny is living (close to her parents). He visits the baby for three hours every single day, giving the nanny some time to herself. He pays more than he has to in child support. I’m so happy it has turned out so well for all of them.

Babies and boys.

2008-06-23T10:28:00.005-04:00

We finally had a chance to visit our old nanny and her adorable *new* baby (born in January). She lives about 4 hours north, so our attempts at a winter visit were thwarted by ice, snow and other typical winter weather conditions.

Lisa liked the baby, but her interest quickly waned and she just talked [nanny]'s ear off. Maggie just kept asserting the she is a "big girl baby", and Baby M is a "yittle baby baby". Bart loves babies, always has, and he couldn't get enough of Baby M. I think it speaks to his gentle, sweet nature.

Of course, he's still all boy...

While there, we visited a little theme park that had rides (where old rides go to die, as Homer put it). Bart ran through the gates and disappeared around the corner. The next thing we see is Bart flying down the path in a golf cart that had been left unattended by one of the park staff. Best ride ever! I thought Homer was going to pass out - his face went white when he saw the spectacle. I couldn't stop laughing. The park staff? Not so much.

Just call me Tiger!

2008-06-18T10:56:00.002-04:00

I'm entered into a golf tournament tomorrow. I have golfed, but I do not consider myself a golfer, by any means. I have my own (cheapo) clubs and I even have a glove, although I'm not sure why I need it.

I've actually golfed in this tournament several times before. It's hosted by the students union here, so there are a lot of inexperienced golfers, which makes my skills look decent. Every other year I have signed up for the tournament and been put in a foursome with either insurance agents, investment brokers or lawyers... all men who routinely do business on the golf course. It was always a source of stress for me, knowing I was bringing down the team. I also had a hard time consuming all the beer they insisted on buying me on the course (Lori + sun + beer = nauseous).

But this year, I put in my own foursome: Homer, a student that works for me and another female colleague. None of us are golfers, but we all expect to have a great time. For the first time, I'm excited about the tournament.

Do you golf? Any last minute advice?

Bad parents, fun ride.

2008-06-17T06:35:00.006-04:00

The instructions specifically state that this should be set up on a flat surface.

But, when you have a slope in your backyard that you hate in every other circumstance, how could we resist? Also?

Yes, we did put a slide at the top to make it extra fun. Don't report us. After all, it's not like we were doing this:

Hee.

Looks like we'll be shopping for a new bank.

2008-06-16T12:28:00.003-04:00

So, yesterday we went out for breakfast at our usual joint. After a lovely meal, I took the kids out to the car while Homer stood in line to pay. When he swiped his debit card, the message "Limit Exceeded" came up. Luckily he had enough cash to cover the transaction.

When he got to the car, he called the number on the back of his bank card, as he had certainly not exceeded his limit. Turns out, they were doing maintenance on their network, but we would be permitted to withdraw $100 from the bank machine at the branch (there is only one branch of this bank in our city). Otherwise, we were SOL.

I ask you, what kind of bank shuts down their network for maintenance on Father's Day (or any day, for that matter), with no warning to their customers? We were both furious with the bank. There are so many things wrong with this.

First, there's the embarrassment of the transaction not going through at a place where we are considered regulars.

Second, there's the possibility that we did not have cash on us and would have had to drive 20 minutes to the branch, then 20 minutes back to the restaurant to deliver the cash. It's a big assumption to make that someone would have a credit card. We have one card between us and we don't carry it with us.

Third, what if we were somewhere else, like Canada's Wonderland or The Zoo, suddenly told that our debit card wasn't working? Or at the gas station? What if my Father's Day gift to Homer was a BBQ that he was going to pick out that day? What if our kitchen faucet snapped off in my hands and we didn't have access of the funds to buy a new one. Wait... that DID happen!

Homer blasted the lady on the phone (not her fault, of course, but squeaky wheel and all that). He made up a sob story about our three children who were suddenly denied a day trip to Canada's greatest theme park, despite having thousands of dollars in the bank (a bit of a stretch, unless you include our RRSP's). "Do you have kids?" he asked. "Then imagine how low I feel right now." The customer service person asked, "do you want me to put you down for compensation?" YES! I'm usually embarrassed when he's a dick, but I was high-fivin' him when he was done. We'll see if this goes anywhere.

Incommunicado

2008-06-12T13:15:00.002-04:00

That's me these days... unable to communicate. Work is flat-out crazy right now, leaving me no time to blog or read your blogs. Home is crazy too, as we're back to 3 nights a week at the soccer field, plus copious amounts of year-end celebrations, recitals, etc. Every weekend from here to eternity (or at least the end of my calendar page) is booked with barbeques, weddings and weekends away.

I'm hoping to turf at least one set of auditors tomorrow (I have 2 sets in here right now), so next week should be back to quasi-normal, blog-wise anyway. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up then!

Superheroes!

2008-06-03T07:06:00.008-04:00

We hosted Bart's first " friends" birthday party with a Superheroes theme. Fastest two hours of my life.

The gang getting their Superhero names. You can see Maggie waiting very patiently.

Finally named. She was Super Macro and her super power was that she could make everything big.

Bart blowing out the candles on his Superman cake.

A better look at the cake, because I even impressed myself with this one!

A little better look at the capes. I made 13 custom capes for the kids.

They made their own masks and power bracelets (I cut out the shapes and they applied glitter and star stickers).

The big difference between girl toys and boy toys: girl toys are made in pastel colours and have millions of itty bitty parts. Boy toys are made in primary colours and make a lot of noise.

On this day 5 years ago...

2008-05-28T09:38:00.019-04:00

A Happy Boy was born.

First Year

He made such an exciting entrance into the world and has been entertaining us ever since. Everyone commented that he was the happiest baby in the world, and we agreed.

Second Year

Happy Boy is still happy, with the added bonus of becoming an excellent climber. Yay.

Third Year

Oy, the curls!

Fourth Year

Such a good big brother, such a happy, funny boy.

Fifth Year

The amazing sense of humour. The sweet sensitive side. The crazy, boisterous boy. The jumping jumping jumping. I love it all.

Happy Birthday Happy Boy!

Green Thumbs Needed [Edited!]

2008-05-22T15:45:00.006-04:00

I stumbled across these "Gardening Bags" on the Ikea website today:

So... do you think you could actually plant things in there (like tomatoes, herbs, etc.?) If so, how cute would that be at the edge of the patio?

Also... how? Just fill it up with dirt and go to it?

****************************************************************

EDIT: I went to Ikea and bought 6 of them ! They're totally cute and they have a plastic insert to put around the top to keep it round. Laural is right - it takes a lot of dirt. Each one takes 1/2 bag of drainage stones and 1-1/3 bags of soil. The best part: they were on sale for $2.49 each! With the container, the stones and the dirt, each one cost $9.47 to set up (13% tax included). I wanted big pots to do my vegetables this year and I think these will be great!

My Favourite Workout

2008-05-20T11:29:00.004-04:00

Last year around this time of year I started walking to and from work. It was a pretty good workout that was easy to fit into my schedule. Back then I had a nanny, which meant I could leave early, secure in the knowledge that Lisa would get on the bus on time and the other two would carry on with their days.

What a difference a year makes. The nanny is gone, two kids now need to get on a bus, the other to daycare and there's no way Homer would be willing to take all of this on himself while I enjoy my morning walk.

So, Plan B still involves this great set of stairs. I run to the stairs, go up and down 3 times (working up to five times, but for now three seems to be my limit), then run home. The whole ordeal takes less than thirty minutes, I feel well worked-out and it can fit into almost any day.

I love this workout because:

1. It's quick

2. It's effective.

3. I can measure my progress (# of flights done, time of each flight)

4. It starts out easy and has some easy bits in between the hard bits, therefore the only real willpower required is for about 3 seconds at the top of the stairs.

I could spit on Marky Mark*

2008-05-16T10:04:00.005-04:00

Mark Wahlberg is HERE filming a movie. HERE WHERE I WORK! I can see his trailer from my window. It's the new Max Payne movie. Ludacris is here too, but whatever.

I'm not usually star struck, but oh my gawd... it's Marky Mark!

Yum

*I would not actually spit on you Mark. Not ever. MWAH!

A mini-rant will have to do.

2008-05-15T13:42:00.003-04:00

You know, I had a whole rant ready to go. Then I nixed it. It was too personal. Too directed at someone I don’t even know who has upset me time after time over the past few weeks. A fellow blogger.

Don’t worry, it’s not any of you. This blogger doesn’t read or comment here.

Here in university-land I deal with a lot of student leaders. Year after year I watch hard-working, nice students work their way up the ranks of student government. At the lower rungs, they are involved in charity work and advocacy, performing good deeds across the land for no pay and little credit. Once they reach a paid executive position, however, there is often a shift. These dedicated servants gradually become egotistical, power-drunk snots who like to give themselves inflated importance. Their behaviour is reinforced by students still working their way up the ladder who need their support and university administrators who manipulate and stroke their egos to get what they want. They get nominated for awards they don’t deserve; they get praised for hard work they haven’t done; they are given descriptors like “bright” and “innovative” as they take credit for work done by people who actually are bright and innovative. I’m not saying all student leaders follow this path (some of my favourite people in the world are former student leaders), just that it is a phenomenon that happens often.

Anyway, that story is kind of related to my original rant. It's about noticing a shift in style that is not flattering. About forgetting what got you to where you are now. I’m done now, but feeling only moderately better.

More Wonka and my muses

2008-05-12T11:02:00.008-04:00

Not much time to post these days. As I write this, my auditor is in the next room trying to figure out how my organization can pay the man more money. Good times.

Mother's Day was fine. I was busy, both as a mother and a daughter. We did our big family celebration at my mom & dad's. I offered to bring the cake to celebrate the May birthdays, my dad's and Bart's. I attempted to fuel the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory obsession just a little more:

Wonka's Chocolate Waterfall Cake, featuring Augustus Gloop.

It looked a little better in real life. Bart was thrilled.

In lieu of anything too barfy, here are my three favourite things about being a mom:

1.

When you wish to be swallowed up by the chocolate

2008-05-05T11:03:00.001-04:00

So I think I’ve mentioned before that Bart is a huge fan of both the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory movies. He’s seen each of these movies many, many, MANY times in the past two years or so and references them often:

*Before putting a piece of gum in his mouth he’ll stop and declare: “I’m the world chewing gum champion. I’m not afraid of anything.” (every. single. time)

*When Lisa is being particularly bossy, he’ll rap her on the forehead and say, “Yep, she’s a bad nut.”

*When playing any game, at some point he’ll say, “You lose! Good day sir!”

*If he asks for a treat from the store, he always requests a Wonka Bar (any chocolate bar). He carefully unwraps the bar, looking for the Golden Ticket.

*He loves to play Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The game involves piling up all the couch cushions, then he dives in wildly flailing his arms and legs while someone (usually me, as the others tired of the game ages ago) says, “Augustus is drowning. Augustus! That is not a good thing you do, my child!”

*His superhero action figures regularly play with his Augustus Gloop action figure. Augustus will also play with Barbies and trains.

It’s all pretty cute most of the time. We laugh and play along, because it’s harmless and seems like a funny obsession for a 4-year-old. However, this weekend, the fixation turned not so cute.

Our next door neighbour is very nice, but a little odd. His property is immaculate, and it should be given the amount of time he spends working on it. His gardening clothes consist of tight red track pants with a red and white football jersey tucked into the track pants. He wears dark green socks over the pants with red gardening shoes and has bright yellow knee pads. He’s not a tall man. Okay, so do you have a good picture of the neighbour?

On Sunday, Lisa and Bart were in the front yard playing and Bart needed a kleenex. I stepped inside to grab one and when I came back out, the kids were at the edge of the lawn talking to the neighbour. I called Bart over for the kleenex and he declared in a loud, booming voice, “I’m just talking to the Oompa-Loompa!”

Oh yes he did.

Weekend baking and kitchen computer

2008-04-27T13:35:00.006-04:00

I tried two new recipe this weekend and they were both so yummy that I just had to post them.

The first was this recipe for Montreal Bagels (the second recipe on that page). Oh my, these are delicious and kind of fun to make. Homer is from Montreal originally and is a bit of a bagel snob. He proclaimed these to be the best bagels he has ever had. It probably doesn't hurt that he was eating fresh out of the oven, but still...

The second was this recipe for Coconut cookies. I was going to make my Ginger Snap recipe, but neglected to buy the required shortening. I didn't have chocolate chips for my go-to recipe of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, but I did have coconut. These were very quick to make and quite tasty.

I did not sub whole wheat flour for the white in the bagels (this time), but did in the cookies with good results. Between the aroma of yeast, toasting sesame seeds and toasting coconut, the house smelled amazing.

By the way, do you have a computer in the kitchen? In our first house, we always talked about how great it would be to have a kitchen computer. When we moved to this house, which has a nice-sized kitchen, we immediately installed our main computer here. I can't think of a better place for it. Homer has "his" computer in the basement, and I have a laptop, but the kitchen computer is used more than any other in the house.

The timer as essential parenting tool

2008-04-23T15:50:00.008-04:00

Bart’s show & tell this week was “something with numbers”. Without hesitation he decided to take a timer. Then, he forgot the timer at school for one whole night and I realized how much I needed it. I use a timer for so much of my parenting that I found myself reaching for it several times that night, only to find it missing.

The timer line-up:

Bob

He’s a clock, he’s an alarm, he tells the date and the temperature and he has a timer feature. It’s not that easy to set the timer, so our Bob is usually preset to 5 minutes. It’s nice to give your timer a name.

Sand timer

Ours is a 2-minute timer. Good for routine tasks. It's hard to cheat with the sand timer.

Watch timer

My watch has presets for 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 45 and 60 minutes. It’s easy to set and very portable.

Digital count-down timer

Mine is on the microwave. We used to have one on the stove too, but it broke. It was nice having two for times when I was baking AND needed to do some parenting.

Dial timer

Old fashioned, but very versatile and portable with a pleasing bell ring.

The many, many uses of the timer:

Time to go: A digital countdown timer is good for this application. Every morning, the kids need to start getting ready for the bus at 8:30 AM. Anywhere between 8:00 and 8:15 I’ll set the timer on the microwave to count down the minutes to 8:30. When the timer goes, whether I’m in the room or not, they know to put their dishes in the sink, brush their teeth and start putting on their outdoor gear. I’ll set it for other deadlines too, like going to dance lessons, leaving for Grandma’s etc.

Brushing teeth: We use the sand timer for teeth-brushing to make sure they brush long enough. Two minutes seems like a long time at first, but they get used to it and become better brushers.

Fair play: When you have two kids wanting the same toy/video game/computer, set the timer for 20-30 minutes and tell the other kid to do something else until it’s his turn. When it is his turn, reset the timer to do the switch again, if necessary. As soon as the timer is set, all fighting stops because now he can see his turn in the near future.

Finish your dinner: Sometimes one or more of the kids is squirrelly at dinner and has a hard time focussing on eating. While I don’t insist that they eat if they’re full, I usually know the difference between full and distracted. Once a reasonable amount of time has passed that they should have finished their meal, I set the timer for 10 minutes. At the end of 10 minutes the plate is cleared from the table; if I’m not satisfied with the progress made, they don’t get dessert. The looming timer deadline usually helps them focus.

Speed baths: The kids usually enjoy a leisurely bath with toys. However, some days I just need them to be in and out quickly. Here’s what I do: fill the tub (only about 3 inches of water), undress kid 1 while filling and set the timer for 5 minutes. Quickly wash hair, soap up, rinse and play splashing games until the timer goes. Drain tub. Dress kid 1 and undress kid 2 while tub is refilling. Reset timer for kid 2. Repeat for kid 3. Baths are done and all had fun in about 20 minutes total. The kids will now ask, “speed bath or regular bath tonight?”

Tidy up time: No kid likes to be shocked into TIDY UP TIME! I ease them into it by telling them I’m setting the timer for 10 minutes, at which time they need to tidy up. It works for GOING TO BED time too. The idea is to make the timer the bad guy, not you!

Homework break: Lisa likes to do her homework in small chunks. If she’s feeling weary, she’ll ask for a break, set Bob and take 5 minutes. She’ll come back feeling refreshed and ready to carry on. When she’s really getting tired, we’ll do 5 minutes on, 5 minutes off.

The audible: When a situation reaches the peak of frustration, we’ll use the audible timer. During training, you need to preface the technique with “I’m counting to three then you better do x OR ELSE y!” Once trained, all you need to say is “ONE!” and they snap into action.

A Night at the Opera

2008-04-22T09:23:00.005-04:00

I mentioned awhile back that Lisa would be performing in an opera at her school. Here are some pictures from the performances (5 sold-out shows) this past weekend:

My handsome date

Lisa with her dance partner and "Papageno"

Lisa mid-dance

My little starling

It’s ba-ak…

2008-04-17T15:40:00.001-04:00

Back in September I was whining about an awful picture of me that was posted not only on the university’s main page for 5 days, but then made a grand appearance in the newspaper that weekend. Well, it’s BACK.

The project for which the picture was taken won an award. Instead of shooting a new picture, they just pulled up the old one. I clicked on the university web page for something else and there I was – still big, still beefy, still looking like a moron.

I was just about to write that yesterday didn’t end up being too bad after all. But who cares about that now?

Mama told me there'd be days like this.

2008-04-16T14:00:00.001-04:00

*Received a phone call from Revenue C@nad@ - I get a tax audit in May (work, not personal… but still YAY!)

*I have a meeting with the Director of [department on campus that keeps us safe and secure]. He’s a wee bit annoyed with me. And he’s big. And loud. That’s okay though. I’m a wee bit annoyed with him and I’m quiet and pretend-nice.

*I just received a letter from a lawyer advising that someone is about to sue us for something that has nothing to do with us (work again, not personal).

How’s your day going?

I think we’ll get an A

2008-04-14T10:07:00.001-04:00

Lisa and I spent a big chunk of the weekend putting together her project on Troödons. The project was to pick an animal (prehistoric, African or endangered), find two sources of information (book, magazine, internet, encyclopedia, dvd, etc.) and write a report. These were the full instructions for a grade 2 project.

We approached it a little backwards by first seeing what sources of information we had on our own bookshelves, then picking the animal. Lisa’s very analytical approach to picking an animal was looking in the dinosaur book we have, noticing that the Troödon has an umlaut (the two dots over the o) in its name [as does Lisa’s real name], then… well, that’s it. That was the extent of the selection process. As good a reason as any, I suppose.

I clearly remember kids bringing in projects in the younger grades that seemed so polished, well beyond the talents of a primary grade student. I would hand in my lame little project with pictures cut out from a magazine or hand-drawn, little labels printed by me and a self-designed title page, bound with yarn. One project on the Olympics in grade 4 had me panicked that I would fail because it seemed so amateur compared to so many of the others. But, I didn’t fail. In fact, the mark given was A++. The teacher, Mrs. Snow, showed it to the class as an example of how the project should have been approached and how she knew that many of the projects had been done by parents, not students. Not that my parents didn’t help me. They helped me every step of the way, but the work was ultimately mine. Mrs. Snow’s lesson that day stuck with me.

So this weekend, Lisa and I worked side-by-side, culling the pertinent facts from our sources, searching colouring books for good pictures to include (like a cute little frog to show what the dinosaur ate), and deciding in what order the construction paper pages should be bound. Lisa had some awesome ideas. My favourite was to show the size of the dinosaur’s tooth by making a diagram that showed the juxtaposition of the Troödon’s tooth and her own tooth. She also used glitter glue to make the title page “extra special”, as only a 7-year-old girl can do.

At the end of the day, that kid knows all there is to know about Troödons and she is extremely proud of her project. I’m hoping we... I mean she gets an A.