Busy bees

I am

2010-04-30T20:53:00.000-07:00

I AM feeling better at 38 than I did at 28
I WANT my girls to grow into strong, happy women
I HAVE wonderful parents
I KEEP my guitar with the intention of getting going on it again
I WISH I COULD take the girls to Japan

I DISKLIKE eating leftovers
I FEAR loss
I DON'T THINK I’m going to beat my time from last year’s tri (though I’ll try!)
I REGRET not taking the Co-op program at University
I LOVE learning
I AM NOT GOOD AT saying “no” to people who need a favour
I DANCE only when I’m “socially lubricated”
I SING when I’m driving

I NEVER get up the first time the alarm goes off (who invented the snooze button anyhow??)
I REALLY love meeting new people

I HEAR Japanese in my dreams sometimes
I HATE TO THINK that my kids might be bullied at school
I CRY easily
I AM NOT ALWAYS using my time efficiently

I AM CONFUSED ABOUT what to do career-wise
I NEED to have people around me
I SHOULD stop criticizing my body

F is for ...

2009-12-20T13:56:00.000-08:00

FRIENDS

Remember your early teenage years? The ones during which you pledged eternal friendship to four or five really close friends and you could not imagine ever not being friends with them? Remember Ann (or is it Ann with an 'e'?) and Diana? "Bosom friends".

As we get older, I think it becomes harder and harder to find those special individuals that we would do anything for. The ones we can say anything to. The ones we can call on when we need them the most. The ones we trust with our children (and our husbands). The ones who could walk into your house without knocking, find you in your tattered pyjamas cleaning goodness-knows-what off of the floor under the kitchen table and help themselves to a cup of coffee leaving you to think only, "I'm SO glad you stopped by and saved me from myself this morning!"

When we had our children in Vancouver, thanks to a great baby group, I made some super friends. Some went back to work, some introduced me to other wonderful friends, some we met on random rock-picking walks. It took a bit of work, but 4 and a bit years later, I could safely say that I had some fantastic friends.

And then we moved.

No university classes to meet people at. No baby groups (whew!) to have to attend. Half the kids in Jordan's class took the bus and I never met their parents. How on earth was I to make friends?? That was a rough first year. Gradually, I met people, but I still felt like something was missing. Bosom friends.

I made connections, to be sure. And then one fall day, a bunch of us were standing around at the school and were, probably, all fed up with mothering. Someone tossed out a, "Hey, we should all go away for the weekend sometime soon...."

And we did.

And it was awesome.

And we keep doing it.

And I have 4 bosom friends.

Whether we show our bosoms or not ;)

Of course, I have great friendships that have endured 25+ years.

Ones left from university.

Ones that I cherish from our time on the coast.

And some new faces, too.

Love you all!

E is for...

2009-12-11T09:24:00.000-08:00

EIGHT

Eeeeek...she's eight. Really. Three days later and I still find it hard to believe. I think that the kicker for me is that I really remember being eight. Going to summer camp, moving cities and schools, my grade 4 teacher, my grade 4 art project that I loathed (art was my very very least favourite subject in school), my friends and so many other things.

Never having fallen in love with Nancy Drew, I remember being really into Trixie Belden. Not Jordan - she's completely taken with Miss Drew and all of her fantastic adventures. Not having read the series at all, I wondered if it was appropriate for someone who was only seven. I was told that Nancy was old enough to drive, so she must be a teenager. She also has a boyfriend, Ned, that she goes to dances and stuff with. Innocuous enough, I suppose. Needless to say, the party theme this year was...any guesses? None other than Carolyn Keene's loveable heroine.

The invitations were done as a boot print on argyle paper, written in code.

The cake was just cupcakes decorated with and arranged in the shape of a question mark.

The guests numbered only 3, but they all received an argyle headband and a N.D. book.

Dinner was served on our good dishes, with tablecloth and candles...and argyle napkins (bien sur!)

The difficult task was customizing a "real mystery" for the little sleuths to solve. I decided that "The Case of the Missing Sister" would satisfy Jordan's request for a puzzle and her need ot have Maya out of the way for a bit. Our dear neighbours agreed to feed Maya dinner while Jordan and her friends tried to solve the mystery. I wrote clues out and had them around the house, with the final clue being "It just doesn't compute". They found their clue on the computer in the form of a video message from Maya.

Her hint had them looking on the back of the clues they had collected where the letters written in lemon juice spelled out "IT'S FRANK". I had to candle the clues for them to get the invisible ink to show up, as a house fire was not in my plans. After the missing sister had returned, we went to the basement to play Clue (possibly the longest game ever). One slept over and the other two headed home. Good times.

At any rate, the birthday festivities have drawn to a close with a homemade sushi dinner and "champagne" to celebrate Jordan's turning 8 on the 8th. Maya instisted that it was a "propane birthday", but we don't drink that in this house. Far too cute. Here comes Christmas!!

"D" is for...

2009-11-06T10:09:00.000-08:00

DARN IT!!!!

I was happily knitting along when the increase was encountered...6 more stitches...12 more stitches...

My needles are too short.

So are my legs, but that's another story altogether.

Thinking I was being clever, I thought I could squeeeeeeze the stitches on and hold them with my finger as I neared the end of a row. It worked for a while and then I noticed something else. I was running out of yarn. I know I'm supposed to knit a 4x4 swatch to check my tension, but it honestly seems to be a waste of time even though I read, "Even a variation in half a stitch makes an obvious difference in the finished size."

Blah blah blah...darn it. I used more colourful language (to match the wool, you know), but for family readers and almost eight year olds with a propensity for over-the-shoulder lurking, we'll agree that I said, "Darn it!"

I purchased one size smaller needles (yes, they are longer) and will commence frogging this item. "Frogging" is my favourite knitting word...know what it means? Think ribbit ribbit ribbit. Got it? Try rip it rip it rip it. Ahhhh...now you've got it!

Now try to guess what I'm knitting!

"C" is for...

2009-11-05T09:34:00.000-08:00

CHICKEN

I love chicken. Alright, I love the versatility of chicken. I don't really love the skin, the bones, the rubbery texture of microwave-defrosted chicken, the wiggly bits that require trimming...you get the idea.

The trouble is, as much as we love chicken around here, I don't have a great go-to chicken recipe. Each and every time I take chicken out for dinner, I spend an inordinate amount of time searching my recipe books and the internet for THE chicken recipe. Part of this problem stems from the fact that I really dislike repetition in my cooking. Many a time we have sat at the table with a delicious meal in front of us - a meal we ALL like - and Mike will comment, "This is so good! Guess we won't be having it again for a while..."

Last night that pile of frozen chicken breasts was magically transformed into coconut curried chicken. With tomatoes. The leftovers consist mostly of a pile of tomatoes, a little sauce, a spoon of rice and maybe if I dig really deep, a piece of chicken. But they all liked it...see you in a few months, coconut curry chicken. But what a great recipe to cook the night before my "C" entry, eh?

The rest of the family adores chicken legs. "Drumsticks, drumsticks!" they beg in the meat aisle at the supermarket. I cannot think of anything chicken I would rather NOT have...well, chicken wings are right up there, actually. I do have some chicken thighs (wiggly bits picked off before being put in the freezer of course) and perhaps I will get them in the slow cooker in time to produce this:

Baked Chicken with Mustard Barbecue Sauce (from 300 Slow Cooker Favorites by Donna-Marie Pye)

12 skinless chicken drumsticks (I used thighs)
19 oz / 540 mL can tomatoes - drained
1/4 packed brown sugar
3 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp prepared mustard
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Place chicken in slow cooker stoneware.
2. In a blender, or food processor, puree remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on Low for 5 to 7 hours or on High for 2 1/2 to 4 hours until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork.
4. For a thicker sauce, transfre chicken to a serving platter and keep warm. Transfer sauce to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil gently until reduced by half, or until sauce reaches desired consistency. Serve over chicken.

"B" is for...

2009-11-04T08:47:00.000-08:00

BOOKS

I ventured solo to the library yesterday for the first time in ages. I usually spend time with one or the other of the girls while one or the other of them is dancing across the street. Jordan is still too sick to be out in public, so off I went. A full 45 minutes and I didn't step foot in junior fiction, flip through the orange binder of kids' DVDs or touch the carousel teeming with Raffi and his cohorts. Freedom.

I looked through each and every CD and came home with Blue Rodeo's "Small Miracles" and Loreena McKennitt's "To Drive the Cold Winter Away". I checked out the entire "NEW FICTION" section and lingered over some old favourites deep in the stacks without once hearing, "Mom, can we get....?!" Liberating.

In the end, I came home with only 3 books - okay I ordered one on inter-library loan, too. Oh, and I bought one from the $2 used rack. Fairly ambitious for the next 3 weeks, but there are always renewals, right?

Testimony - Anita Shreve

The Bone Cage - Angie Abdou (written by a friend of a friend)

Signora da Vinci - Robin Maxwell

The Sportswriter - Richard Ford (coming soon, I hope)
All Aunt Hagar's Children - Edward P. Jones (a good score for $2 if I do say so myself!)

There were some disappointed faces when I came home without anything for them, but then I pointed out the basket teeming with their library materials and they agreed that it should last them ... until next week.

"A" is for...

2009-11-03T09:30:00.000-08:00

ADVENT CALENDAR

When I was little, I was always so excited by the cardboard and chocolate advent calendars that marked the beginning of December. A chocolate with breakfast? Should I save it until after school? The surprise of what shape was hiding under each flap continued to amuse me well into my teen years (though I was far too cool to admit it, I'm sure).

Since Maya is unable to indulge in chocolate, I have been wanting for a couple of years now to make an advent calendar that will (hopefully) become a family heirloom. Sadly, I always think of it around the last week of December. This is what we fashioned last year (not my own idea...I believe it came from Craftzine's fabulous website)

While the idea of chewing a piece of gum each and every day in December definitely appealed to the girls, I longed for something a bit more traditional.

Our local quilt shop has a birthday sale every year where you are offered a one time discount equivalent to half your age the week before & after your birthday. Let's just say that my discount is getting significant enough that I couldn't resist! Along with some great spring fabric for a quilt for myself, I picked up a panel for an advent calendar. With the flu nipping at our heels, we stayed in on Sunday and I managed to get all the little pockets sewn on in one go!!

This still leaves the sashing and quilting to do, but I'll get to that - hopefully before November 30th! Jordan is already planning the goodies we can put in there...

A rocket scientist I am not

2009-11-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

I can sew. Nothing fancy or complicated, but I can sew. I can also read a pattern thanks to Miss Eppinger in Grade 8 Home Economics. Once upon a time, I spied a great book in the bargain bin at (I admit it) Wal Mart. I had visions of crafting Halloween costumes for the girls for years to come. It sat on our shelf, moved to Trail with us and now, 5 years later, I endeavoured to make my little Maya a "bat hat" that she spied in there. Piece of cake, right? The book did come with a"Full-Sized Pattern Sheet" after all. The singular "sheet" should have alerted me to the fact that there might be more than one pattern on a page. I was not prepared for what I saw when I opened that sheet...

Holy smokes! I found the pattern, highlighted it, but still had to tape it to my kitchen ceiling flourescents to trace it out. The directions were simple enough, though, and my little bat looked just as cute as a bat can be - see for yourself!

The witch was store-bought this year as I couldn't have bought the fabric for the price we got the costume for. She was a beautiful witch, if I do say so myself...

Winter goodies

2009-10-27T10:24:00.000-07:00

There are certain things that make me feel cozy in the cooler days of fall. My favourite fleece vest, the lovely felted wool slippers made for me by a good friend, the crackle of a fire...and food. Almost anything stewy, soupy or casserole-like will do. Food is seasonal, for sure, but I find myself wanting to replicate the cozy goodness from my youth. Cabbage rolls and corned beef are up there in the "have to make before Christmas" category. Perogies, too. You might almost think we had some Russian/Ukrainian heritage, but we don't. Not that I'm aware of anyhow...

On the cold, clear Saturday that found us out and about last weekend, I stopped by my brother-in-law's butcher shop to satisfy Mike's craving for "Uncle Pasquale's sausages"...it also struck me right then to buy a roast (which I cook about once a year) and a brisket to make corned beef. Funny how the weather can make you impulse buy!

At any rate, I knew that if I left the brisket in the freezer for later (an undetermined amount of time that usually translates into many months from now), I would be kicking myself come the real wintery days that are just around the corner. I rolled up my sleeves and got it started that very same day - how proud I am of myself!! In 3 weeks it will be corned beef sandwiches, reubens (minus the sauerkraut) and hash galore around here.
It's not pretty now, but it will be soon!

Oh, and I'll get to try out that new slicer mom & dad brought us on their last visit...who'd have thought appliances and pickled meat would get me so excited??

Giving credit where credit is due

2009-09-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

All too often I finding myself telling the kids that they're too young to try the myriad things they see us doing - sewing, crocheting, knitting, cooking, fly tying...you get the idea. It breaks my heart to see diappointment on those little faces. I think, more often than not, it's not the fact that they're too young that prevents me jumping in and letting them try. It's the fact that I'm not patient enough (and that I don't want to pass on my perfectionist nature).

Last spring, I told Jordan that she was too young to learn how to crochet. She spent one afternoon with her aunt and lo and behold - crocheted circular coasters for her teacher gift. Knitting was next. I am no expert knitter, to be sure and told her that I wasn't sure she had enough coordination for TWO needles when I was only beginning to get the hang of it. Home from school comes a blanket for a Barbie doll. Apparently, Miss K could teach 18 of them to knit all at the same time. J then proceeded to teach Maya how to finger knit (we have many, many bracelets now).

In the spring, I begrudgingly told Jordan I would help her quilt a centerpiece for her aunt's birthday. She did beautifully (thank goodness for the speed control on the machine!).

Mike has been teaching the girls how to tie flies. I love it when Maya says, "wooly bugger"!

Jordan did make a point that the girls in "Little House on the Prairie" could sew at a very young age and that I just have to let them TRY. That is my goal for this fall and winter.

Oh, and more knitting than just scarves. I can't wait to wear this one that I made from some great wool that I picked up in Colville. The baby poo yellow colour doesn't do it for me, but I love the feel of this and the hurdle stitch was super easy. Knit 2 rows, seed stitch 2 rows, repeat until the end of your rope!

We can do anything if we TRI!

2009-07-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

It arrived - June 28th. The day circled in red on the calendar since my friends and I decided in January that this would be something fun. It was bigger than fun, it was AMAZING. The location (Christina Lake, BC), the volunteers, the "goody bag" (we were digging in there before the pre-race meeting even started), the spectators and good friends all served to provide a great first sprint triathlon experience.

The day before, I picked Rachelle up and we checked into our motel at Christina Lake. I didn't feel very nervous at all, surprisingly. We kept telling ourselves that we were well prepared and that it would inevitably be what it would be. Went to the package pick-up down at the lake at 5:30 and, due to the alphabetization of the racers' surnames, I found my race number to be 1. Irony. Sarah was 69...more laughter. How old are we?

The pre-race meeting was informative and reassured us that we weren't the only newbies in the crowd. I think we figured about 1/3 of the field raised their hands when the race director asked who was about to do their first triathlon. Went over the rules, routes and we were off to find supper. Finding supper was almost as hard as the race...Saturday night at 7:15 and it would be an hour and a half wait in the nearly empty pub. The adjoining family restaurant with maybe 6 tables was full with an hour wait to sit. The grocery store was empty of anything that was remotely dinner-like and neither of us was thinking that pizza would be a good choice. Same for the perogies from Cecil's Perogie hut across the road. We drove down to the outdoor burger & ice cream joint where Rachelle narrowly dodged a corn dog, but had a lovely inexpensive dinner and managed not to get indigestion. I told Rachelle about Mike's half-marathon dinner and the wrath it incurred on him on race morning. Apparently, hot chorizo sausage in jambalaya is NOT the way to go. Got us killing ourselves laughing and singing The Carpenter's "Jambalaya" all the way home at his expense, though.

Race morning was beautiful and sunny - cool in the shade, but already very warm in the sun. We got up at 7, showered and had bagels and peanut butter for breakfast. Sipped an electrolyte drink and tried to swallow the nerves that had surfaced. So close to being sick. Got our stuff loaded - after checking and double checking - and went off to the races, so to speak.
Found a nice spot to set up on the curb of the parking lot that the transition area was in, so we managed to put our gear out of the way beside the curb and not right under our bikes. Filled a bucket with water to wash our feet, laid out our towels and shoes, helmets and glasses, extra water and went off to body marking. Checked in, got our numbers on and went to the beach to watch the kids do their swim leg. Very cute & they were just as nervous as we were it seemed. After they got through transition, we were back up to get wetsuits, caps & goggles. Met the husbands and kids at the beach for a visit and then went for a dip in the lake. A balmy 21 degrees in the water. Did a little swim and then got out to join the masses (106 swimmers) for the beach entry swim leg. Wished each other luck with hugs and high-fives and we were off.

Off is right. Nothing we had done had prepared us for that open water swim. I got a snort of lake water in the first half a minute and was coughing and sputtering. The woman next to me was gasping for air and seeming like she wasn't getting any. Legs, arms, heads, splashing. Tried to get my face in and relax, but the body was having none of that. More of a panicky feeling set in very quickly and I flipped to my back to try and get a handle on things. This got me kicked in the top of the head rather than in the face, but it was a bit better. The crowd thinned out and I gave the freestyle another go. No go. My brain was not cooperating with the slow relaxed breathing I had visualized. Face out, breaststroke, gulp of the lake and more burping than is ladylike to describe. Back to the backstroke. That's how I finished the swim. All the while, I was more than upset with myself and actually contemplated bailing out. I then realized that I was on the home stretch and that there were several people (not 105, mind you) still behind me. Got out of the water to the cheers of the spectators and attempted to get the blasted wetsuit off. Hats off to those who opt for a full arm, full leg suit. I had more than enough trouble with a shorty. Got to transition, calmed down a bit and hit the bike.

The slight uphill on the way out saw my legs cramping and my heart racing, but I was feeling on top of the world at that point with what I figured would be the worst behind me. The 6% grade, 900m hill loomed large and I geared down a bit too fast. The cramps left and I put my head down and didn't look up until I saw a friend coming from behind ... on her SECOND lap of the 4 lap 20km course. She's a crackerjack swimmer, though, and I suspected she'd be waaaaay out ahead of me. Got to the top of the hill and started down. The beauty of the course was that there was a good portion of downhill back to the lake that allowed the body to recover a bit from the climb. Took the last 90 degree corner a bit too fast and heard cries of, "Oh no!" and many many gasps as I narrowly missed the hood of a van that was moving to the side of the road. That was the same corner that later saw a very experienced cyclist spill and be taken away in an ambulance unconscious. Got the adrenaline going, however! Second lap was good until I heard a funny rubbing noise and wondered why my legs weren't extending all the way in the downstroke. My seat had come loose somehow and fallen to the bottom. The rubbing was my "toolkit" on the back tire. Had to stop to pull it back out and realized that not only was it not a quick release, but it took 2 sizes of allen keys to tighten. The only thing NOT in my kit (I even had a crescent wrench should the back tire need removing). I just gave it a good wiggle back up and did my best to stand on the downhill and push back on the uphill. It held and I finished the bike in fairly good time, I thought.

T2 was quick, as I didn't have to change my shoes for the run. Just had to park the bike, take off the helmet and go. It was a 5 km out and back course along the lake with water stations at 1 km, 2.5 km and 4km. The one hill had the first (and third) water station and I hesitated to stop lest I not get going again, so I grabbed, sipped, doused and kept going. Saw Rachelle coming back around the 2km mark and felt so pleased that she was having a good race. Passed a couple of people on the way back, and I was surprised at the pleasure that gave me. Got a large burst of energy around 3km that only gave out the last hundred meters or so as I came around the corner to see the cheering crowd and my little family with their arms out for hugs. They settled for high-fives and I got across the finish line feeling fantastic at about 2 hours even. I lost track of the splits on my watch, so I'm not sure of my exact times....will have to check them when they're posted.

Post race hugs, laughter, cookies and then it was time to pack up to head home. Fell asleep in the car, had a shower and a couple of phone calls and then fell asleep in a lawn chair in the driveway watching the kids ride their bikes. There they left me and I'd probably still be there were it not for the ants that made their way up my leg into my shorts.

Do it again? Hell yes!

Recent "doings"

2008-12-12T10:25:00.000-08:00

What I'm doing these days...obviously not blogging much!

enjoying the break in winter driving

marveling at the girls' abilities to craft, skate, ski and do so many other "grown up things" on their own

listening to far too much CBC Radio 1. Those program hosts are starting to feel like family!!

anticipating the hard training sessions to come as the June triathlon draws near

loving the book I'm reading (Outlander by Diana Gabaldon)

thinking of my parents on holiday in Mexico and hoping that they are happy & safe

wishing the kids and I could find a bit more peace and harmony in our days

The back of her

2008-11-19T08:47:00.000-08:00

Just the other day (or so it seems)
Fuzzy, chubby, giggling at fingers creeping up oh-so-slowly.

Yesterday (I know it was)

First position, just so, chin up, that same back so disciplined and straight.

Still giggling as a tickly moment is stolen after her bath.

This morning (I can't believe)

Walking ahead, down the street, backpack over winter coat.

Stolen peek and a little wave as she reached the crosswalk.

Not today, mom, I want to go alone.

Moving forward

Looking back -

At the back of her.

Thankful

2008-11-11T10:19:00.000-08:00

"If we are to reach real peace in this world,
if we are to declare war on war, we must start with the children."
Mahatma Ghandi

I know Thanksgiving has passed, but today I am feeling thankful. Thankful for our freedom, thankful for the fact that we don't live in fear of war, thankful that we don't worry daily about family or friends fighting overseas.

Maya and I attended the Remembrance Day assembly at Jordan's school yesterday and I found myself unexpectedly teary. And thankful.

The primary students sang "Just One Candle" (lyrics below), the intermediate students sang "Where Have All the Flowers Gone", and Terry Kelly's "Pittance of Time" video was shown. The clincher indeed.

Just one candle shining in the window pane
Gives a light for all to see a shining flame
Shining through the darkness it helps to show the way
Light your candle for peace today

Shine your light for peace
Shine it all around the world
Sing to everyone
Let your voice be heard
Shine your light for peace
Shine it everywhere
Show the people in the world you care

Like we need more sugar

2008-10-31T21:21:00.000-07:00

Alright, I will admit that posting a dessert recipe on Hallowe'en seems a bit much. I cannot resist, however, and this is SO easy and SO good that I'm almost tempted to whip one up tonight to savour without little chocolate beggars hanging off of me!

This came to my mom via email, so I can't reference the source, but it's delish...

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

In a LARGE coffee mug, mix:

4 tbsp flour

4 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp cocoa powder

Beat one egg, add it to the mug and mix well.

Add the following to the mug and mix well:

3 tbsp milk (soy works fine, too)

3 tbsp oil

3 tbsp chocolate chips (totally optional!)

1 small splash of vanilla

Now put the mug in the microwave, uncovered, and zap on high for 3 minutes.

If it puffs over the top, don't worry...just let it do it's thing.

Let it cool slightly, tip out onto a plate and share if you like.

Here, in all its glory, is my first attempt. I see a spooky face in there, don't you?

A Most Unusual Lunch

2008-10-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

For a kid who will eat almost anything, the littlest monkey is stuck in a lunch rut. The usual request is for a "nibbly lunch". This involves crackers, vegan cheese (though we're not vegan), olives (black, not green), fruit, some form of protein (hard boiled egg is the preference) and sundry other things scrounged from the pantry.

I know smoothies are commonplace in many households, but Jordan loathes bananas, I'm allergic to them and I can't think of how to thicken a smoothie otherwise. I did, however, spy some frozen mango in the freezer yesterday (and actually remembered it was there today) and thought that the spotty banana could meet it's maker in the blender with some soy milk and aforementioned mango cubes. Broke out the blender and, well, broke the blender. This means that the food processor is now kaput, too. I suppose that 8 years and gallons of baby food took their toll, but I will miss it the half dozen times a year that I pull it out & dust it off. Thank goodness for the immersion blender that found its way under the Christmas tree last year.

The smoothie was a HUGE success and the remainder of the mushky banana was rolled up with some peanut butter for a "rolly sandwich". Now the odd part....spinach salad with honey curry dressing. The orange chunks in it were the appealing part, I suspect, but the spinach is sliding down as I type this, so it must be another hit from the awesome cookbook "Whitewater Cooks".

The food groups are all there, loads of colour and variety but I can't get past mixing sweet and savoury. I despite any fruit/meat combination and I think the onion in the salad would so completely not go with the sweet in the smoothie that my nose is wrinkling up even as I write this. Ah well, she's happy (with the straw for the smoothie mostly) and I feel good that loads of goodness landed in her tummy. Let it go.....just let it go.....

Things that make you go, "Hmmmm..."

2008-09-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

In my never-ending quest for a clean kitchen countertop, I was marvelling today at the variety of stuff that has been deposited there in the past few days. I would like to claim that none of it was put there by me, but I can't.

A Betty Go Hard sticker, a dead beetle in perfect condition, an acorn, a very cool wooden top from Auntie Rose & Uncle Al's trip to Europe, an unpainted clay flower, a crocheted bracelet from Jordan to daddy and a box of mineral bath salts by Elemi Aromatherapy courtesy of Natasha at Betty Go Hard.

There was more - lots more - but I'm afraid that even lots of it would have to be claimed as mine. And let's not even get started on the junk drawer...

Thursday draws a blank

2008-08-28T13:58:00.000-07:00

I have nothing to write about, or so I think today. I have decided, therefore, to dig out my "Writing Out Loud" notebook and share tidbits on days like today. This spring I was part of a very small group who got together every week and wrote on various topics brought to us by our facilitator. Some were greatly interesting to me. Some were struggles. All were valuable in getting pen to paper and thoughts flowing. Each topic was alloted a mere 5 minutes and we wrote like mad, shared, laughed and complimented. It was fantastic. Here is my entry from June 23rd. The topic: The person I am most like

I got photos back from Christmas last year and I had to look twice. Really hard. "Is that me??"

No. It was my mom. Granted, the photo was taken from a distance, but it was a tough call. Even the kids did a double take.

Aside from our facial features, we are physically less alike than she and my sister. Emotionally, however, we are as close to carbon copies as you can get. We both cry when angry or find ourselves having to confront someone. We both resort to the same self-depricating humour when in an awkward position. Our kids mean the world to us and our spouses drive us crazy in very similar ways. We'd both dearly love to do something meaningful during our time on this planet. We have had, or in my case, would love to have careers in the medical field. The list could go on and on and on...

I used to look at her and marvel at how she is getting more set in her ways and (sorry, Mom) stubborn as she ages. "This surely won't be me in 20 years," I thought. I honestly believed at one point that if she complained once more about having to show her Costco card at the door on the way in that I was going to lose it. And then, as I grumble about the library not taking "just my number** without my card" for what must be the billionth time, Jordan says, "Mom - they'll never take just your number. Try to remember your card next time." The apple is still not far from the tree I see...

**Mom and I both have an odd knack for remembering numbers...driver's licence, credit cards, library cards...

This assignment could just as easily have been about a person I admire. I'd still pick you, Mom.

xoxo

Lauren Tewes I am not

2008-08-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

You remember her, don't you?? Julie McCoy?? The Love Boat's cruise director??

I have a friend, whose children are a smidgen older, who refused to play cruise director this summer. I need to read that chapter in the book because I feel like a lot of my time has been finding things for all of us to do, for them to do, for me to do and, when all else fails, for nothing to do.

We have camped

swum

biked

had a road trip to Vancouver & Kamloops to visit aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends

And then there were the crafts...never-ending crafts...they have a love for cutting, pasting, sticking, painting and colouring. Jordan has a fondness for diving into the craft books to find things we have the stuff to make and then getting down to business.

Experiments are likely my least favourite activity. I suppose that the notion of having baking soda and vinegar volcanoes erupt on the kitchen floor is directly conflicting with my type-A personality. Go outside...I know. I did allow Jordan to set up the water at different levels in several glasses to hear the different sounds they made. Maya was keen, but she eventually got tired of the noise (as did I). A short lived experiment to be sure.

Although summer was heaps of fun, I have to say that I'm looking forward to the routine of school days starting up next week. I'm not that anxious to be rid of the offspring, but I think the little break from one another will do them worlds of good. My highly coveted 5 hours a week to myself will hopefully see me on some end of the season rides and some long walks through the soon to be falling leaves.

Bliss...

Do NOT try this at home

2008-08-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

Seriously. If you have little children, that is. Or a lentil-loathing spouse. Or an aversion to curry. Or a predisposition to gagging on spinach.

I made what I thought was a wonderful supper the other night, but the shine was taken off by the gagging, sighing, eye-rolling, moans of "Do I have to finish this?" and general stirring around of quickly cooling off "mush" (this was not my word, by the way).

Does it really look that bad?? It was rather delicious if I do say so myself...I'll stick the recipe at the bottom of this post for those of you brave enough to try it.

Conversely, last night's dinner was a roaring success - oh, except for my contribution to it. Who would dare complain about penne with Nonna's sauce?? Squishy fresh French bread from the store?? Cold glasses of milk & soy milk from the cow & the fields?? A couple of glasses of robust red from Mike's dad?? Homegrown basil, zucchini & tomatoes sauteed with store-bought olive oil, garlic & mushrooms?? Bingo. That was the one. I would have happily traded all other parts of dinner (except for the wine...you knew that!) for a big dish of that zucchini. And a wee piece of bread to mop up the juiciness. And a nibble of the penne. I had milk on my cereal, so I wouldn't have to have that...

At any rate, Jordan piped up between mouthfuls of yumminess, "You should put your recipes into a cookbook, Mom!" Yeah, the shovelling in of the zucchini saute and washing it down with a gulp of milk by one kid and the plugging of the nose and minutes long chewing of the zucchini by the other would be ringing endorsements for my new book. We joked about what we would call it...Stuff Not to Feed Your Kids and Don't Use These Recipes if You Want Your Kids to Eat were clear winners. Peals of laughter and general silliness ensued - not a bad thing. Sure beats the tears and bribery that have accompanied several other of my creations as of late.

I don't recall, but I am told that I wouldn't eat my liver one evening and was, therefore, not allowed to join my mother on a neighbourhood walk canvassing for the United Way. Apparently, I was sobbing about her going off to the United States and leaving me behind. Not wanting to break tradition we told Maya that she was not allowed to go casting in the green space the other night until she finished at least some of her dinner. Through tears and wails of, "I...want...to...go....caaaasssstiiiinnnngg....", she managed to gag down some of her cold supper and daddy relented. I sit here and wonder why we forced the issue. To prove a point? To avoid throwing out yet another plate of food? It certainly wasn't to get the peace and quiet I was craving!

Here, as promised, is the loosey goosey recipe for my Curried Chickpeas and Lentils. I promise not to make it when you come to visit :)

1 cup dried green lentils - rinsed and sorted

4 cups of water

3 cups of vegetable or chicken stock

a splash of canola oil

1/2 small onion - diced

2 cloves garlic - diced

2 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 tbsp curry powder

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp coriander powder

1 can chickpeas - rinsed and drained

1 can diced tomatoes (I used Muir Glen's Fire Roasted)

1/2 bag of spinach - destemmed & roughly chopped

Cooked basmati rice

Soak the lentils in the water for an hour. Drain and place in a large saucepan with the vegetable stock.

Bring the lentils to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and let cook about 45 minutes until tender.

When the lentils are cooked, saute the ginger, onion and garlic in the oil until the onion is translucent. Add the dried spices and saute another couple of minutes.

Add the tomatoes (undrained) and chickpeas.

While those simmer, use an immersion blender to roughly puree the lentils and stock. Add these to the pan when you like the consistency.

Toss in the spinach and stir until wilted.

Serve over bowls of basmati rice.

Wordle Fun

2008-07-30T22:18:00.000-07:00

I was spending time this evening perusing blogs that I like and came across a neat link at How About Orange...

The link sent me to the Wordle site and I had some fun creating this "Just Us" image

You can click on the image to see it appear bigger in another window (I can't figure out how to make it bigger here).

Funny, after a day like today and a night like last night, I was still able to come up with some pretty great ideas about our little family...words from the heart ring true while words from the mind of an over-tired mommy are not suitable for print!

Sisters

2008-07-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

I think it took me until my mid-20's to realize just how lucky I am to have a sister. We are 4 years apart (she being the younger) and I left home for University when I was 17 and she was just starting Grade 8. I would come home for the summer and, thinking my s**t didn't stink, stir the pot for a few months and head off again to the land of fun. I don't know that I ever felt very close to her during those years and I think I missed out on a great deal of a very wonderful person's life.

When we were kids, I know we had fun together camping or playing in the pool when neither of us had friends around that we had to act cool in front of. I remember lots of fun games and crazy times, but those grew fewer and further between as we got older.

When I moved to Japan is when I really started to miss her. I would call and chat and try to figure out what was going on in her life and wish that I could be there with her. It was when I moved to Vancouver and knew nobody (except for Mike) that I really started to feel connected. It was odd, I thought, to have to rely on your little sister for a social life, but I did. Many late nights at her basement suite catching up and getting to know each other. I fell in love all over again with my baby sister during those few years and I cherish her friendship and unwavering support now. Living at the other end of the province and seeing each other only a couple of times a year is terribly difficult for me, but I know she's only a phone call away most of the time.

Now, my own little monkey girls...They are close in age (2 and a bit years), completely different in character, and have a love/hate thing going on this summer that I just am unable to handle. Some days they play soooooo nicely that it's almost scary. Other days they are at each other from the minute they get up until they go to bed. I am being driven slowly insane by the bickering and tattling that is recently dissolving into name-calling and physical damage (mostly small towards big). Big doesn't retaliate, which I am SO proud of, but there are times when I feel like telling her to give it right back to the little one and both barrels at that. That, however, would be poor mothering, don't you think?

Just the other day when I was beginning to think that I wouldn't hold out much hope for a happy afternoon, we were invinted to Nonno & Nonna's for a sleep-inducing, calorie-laden Italian lunch. I was just going to tell them for the zillionth time to stop using all of Nonno's Post-It notes when Jordan stopped me to tell me she was writing a song for Maya. Since there has been no lyrical creation to top "JollyMan" yet, I waited it out and asked her to kindly use both sides of the paper then if it was to be long. Here is her creation, called "You Are My Sister". Not sure if it's a song or a poem yet. You decide, but it makes me teary each and every time...

You are my sister.

You keep a secret.

You come when I call.

I love you and you love me,

And when you call I come.

I can only hope that they continue to love and cherish one another (oh, and that they stop stealing one another's Barbie shoes).

A sling fit for a queen

2008-07-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's fit for my mom, but that wasn't a jazzy enough title!
After my mom had a wee spill down in Oregon, I was struck by this NEED to do something nice for her. A visit wasn't in the cards and really, what does a broken-winged, golf-playing, kayaking mom really need??

A dressier sling, of course!! Who wants to go out in the same boring blue, hospital issue sling day after day? I came across some nice fabric on a trip to the US and thought it would make great quilted placemats...or a super groovy sling!

My nephew's collarbone met a similar demise late this past ski season, so I borrowed his sling as a template for this one:

I put a layer of quilt batting in between the 2 layers of fabric, stipple quilted it and then made a slightly wider, padded strap. My husband fretted a little about the possibility that the stitching wouldn't hold, but a good amount of backstitching and reinforcement seemed to do the trick...

I consider myself an overly cautious person when it comes to my kids, but I think I get my love for the adrenaline rush from my mom. She might slow down a little after this, but I know her heart will always be tossing herself off the bungee jump at Lake Taupo, NZ!
3, 2, 1...Love ya, Mom!!

Mountains and musings

2008-06-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

It's a LOT steeper in real life...really...well, it looks steeper from up above.

Okay, maybe I am a little bit nervous about wiping out in a big way. A LOT nervous, truth be told, but that won't stop me wondering when I can get out on my bike again.

I don't know if it's the challenge, the adrenaline, the fresh air, the view or getting out with my friends that does it for me, but I strongly suspect that it's a combination of all of these things. I'm all for taking up new sports and, at 37, I think I'm doing pretty well. In the last year, I've tucked ice hockey, x-country skiing and mountain biking under my belt and I feel great. I am getting more fit than I've been in many years and am enjoying our Kootenay lifestyle to the absolute maximum.

There are days when I long for the convenience, variety and hustle-bustle of the big city, but I've come to appreciate the quiet, relaxed pace of our little town. It's true, shopping can be a bit inconvenient and living on "Kootenay Time" is periodically frustrating, yet the benefits continue to outweigh these little issues.

Quaint venues for great concerts, being in the wilderness in a matter of minutes, a bounty of beautiful towns merely a stone's throw away...

I thank the powers that be (oh, and my husband) regularly for bringing us here.

Life is good.

The demise of Mayanese

2008-06-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

It seems I spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about my children's development be it physical, mental or social. I tend to want to hurry them along whether it's to get the training wheels off so we can do some "real biking", learn to swim underwater, wipe their own bottoms or tie their shoes.

I know that I will be kicking myself when they're grown up and I am grasping to remember all the things about them when they were little. "Time rolls quickly - remember that!" my little Italian nonna-neighbour reminded me this morning when she saw Maya and her boy buddy walking hand in hand. We were laughing about her holding hands with a boy when she's 16. This time be upon us before I know it whether I like it or not.

We were shopping for underwear for the big monkey last week and Maya spotted a training bra adorned with sequins and some print or other. "Look, Mom, it's a Hi Ho Musical bra! Oh, I mean High School Musical...silly me!" For months, she's been referring to that highly-desired-but-mommy's-too-mean-to-let-them-watch-it movie as "Hi Ho Musical". I was actually saddened to hear her correct herself.

It brings a smile to my face every time I recall Jordan telling me that some men have long sidebrains. What??? Well, those would be sideburns, of course. And her picking pine noodles on our walks and complaining about their prickliness in her pockets brings back the days when we would visit our neighbours in Richmond and scoop all the pineneedles her chubby little fists could hold.

Time rolls quickly...it surely does. At least the Baby Alive is still cuddled lovingly and called "Live-a-baby" - for now anyways.

By the seat of my pants (or, with a little skill and a lot of luck!)

2008-06-10T09:36:00.000-07:00

What the hell have I gotten myself into?? It's fine to talk the talk, but now it's time to do this and my guts twist with fear. A deep breath and I turn my attention to the beautiful view of the town below...far below. I try to listen to the wind through the evergreens thick in their splendor just in front of us. I see the trail markers and feel somewhat reassured - at least we're unlikely to get really lost. My eyes drift to the scat of unknown origin and I'm reminded that we're never alone in the wilderness despite the intense solitude felt on a quiet hike. This is not a quiet hike.

"Are we good?"

"Yep."

"Ummm...uh-huh."

Mike's off. I see his back, broad and confident, disappear around the first corner and I can hear his bike rattling and thumping away down the trail. A quick backwards glance at Greg with a stern reminder to give me LOTS of space, a big push of my steely cold pedal and I'm gone. No turning back.

I grab handful after handful of squealing brakes, feel my back tire sliding, hear my chain bouncing, sense my pedals hitting rocks and work to swallow the sense of doom working its way up my throat. I try desperately to remember all the little tips I've been gathering these past days - 60/40 front and back brakes, keep the front tire straight, look ahead, DON'T hit your brakes before an obstacle...

Mike's voice cuts through the clutter in my brain, "Hairpin turn!" and that's when I realize that I'm doing it. I'm letting go and allowing gravity to do its work. I call back to Greg to make sure he's good and finally I see Mike waiting up ahead.

I stop, legs absolutely quaking with adrenaline, but I'm all smiles and I can't wait to finish the other 2/3 of the ride. Greg catches up and we're off again.

Fun on a rainy Friday

2008-06-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

My goodness, you would think it was March in Vancouver rather than June in Trail. It is freezing and alternating between pouring and hailing...no camping for these monkeys this weekend!!

In my travels around the web this dreary day, I kept coming across something rather entertaining...a mosaic made of pictures that you choose from the results generated by searching Flickr for your answers to 12 questions. By the way, no matter how many times I rewrite this, it makes no sense, so here's what you do:

Open three windows. One with the list of questions (keeping this blog open will suffice), another open to Flickr and a third to Big Huge Labs' Mosaic Maker and on their page, choose to create a 4 column by 3 row mosaic.

Answer the first question, type your answer in the search field on Flickr and choose one of the images from the first page to represent your answer. Click on the photo then copy and paste the url into the #1 spot on the Mosaic Maker. Do that for all 12 questions, then click create!

Here is my mosaic:

And here are the questions, with my answers:

1. What is your name? Carolyn

2. Your favourite food? Pizza

3. What high school did you go to? KSS

4. Your favourite colour? Turquoise

5. Your celebrity crush? Hugh Laurie

6. Your favourite drink? Cafe latte

7. Your dream vacation? Galapagos

8. Your favourite dessert? Cheesecake

9. What do you want to be when you grow up? Satisfied

10. What do you love most in life? Laughter

11. One word to describe you? Reliable

12. Your Flickr name? Kootenay mama

To see the credits for these great pictures go here and then let me know what you come up with for yourself!

The Jolly Man

2008-05-31T15:06:00.000-07:00

As of late, I have not spent much time thinking about writing - with the exception of my weekly writing "group", that is. At any rate, Jordan has been more than creative, so I thought I would share her "song". It is tuneless, but I think each of us has our own favourite way to sing it!

Once there was a jolly man who went to the store.
He got a jolly jolly cat and he wanted no more.
But next time jolly man went to the store,
He brought a sad lady
And the lady got a sad dog
And soon they got married
And lived in a house.

I was impressed by the first rhyming couplet, but that rhyme scheme was short-lived for reasons only known to the author. Cute nonetheless.

A, B, C, D, E, F, G....

2008-04-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

I am an alphabetizing maniac. My CDs are organized alphabetically, and I would do the same with my books, except that I like to separate hardcover from soft, fiction from non-fiction and arrange them by height. Maybe I should stop confessing in case it's starting to sound a little compulsive. Okay, it IS a little compulsive, and I seem to be unable to keep my uptight paws off of the girls' bookshelves now (Chirp magazines together, Little Golden Books together, Phoebe Gilman books together....you get the idea).

When I have trouble falling asleep at night, I alphabetize. Some nights it's trying to name all of the states alphabetically (I rarely remember to include Rhode Island). This is no small feat for a Canadian girl! Other nights I try to think of, say, a country, an international city, a Canadian city and a BC city for each letter of the alphabet. Still others require a band, a musician's first name and a musician's last name that begin with each letter. Again, that's starting to sound a bit strange.

I thought I'd share my taste in music with you alphabetically (of course!)

A - Jann Arden
B - Jimmy Buffett, The Band
C - Crash Test Dummies, Cat Stevens, Holly Cole, Harry Connick Jr.
D - Dixie Chicks
E - Melissa Etheridge
F - Stephen Fearing
G - Great Big Sea
H - Hard Rock Miners, Housemartins
I - Indigo Girls
J - Norah Jones, Jack Johnson
K - Diana King
L - Gordon Lightfoot, David Lindley, Amos Lee
M - Matchbox 20, Van Morrison, Chiharu Matsuyama
N - Anna Nalick, Willie Nelson, Paolo Nutini
O - Oak Ridge Boys
P - Prince
R - Rankin Family
S - Spirit of the West, Michelle Shocked, Paul Simon, Sting
T - Trooper, KT Tunstall, James Taylor
U - U2 (old, not new)
V - Violent Femmes
W - David Wilcox
Y - Neil Young

Growing up...a bit at a time

2008-04-20T18:07:00.001-07:00

I've discovered that 6 is the magic age of imbalance. Want to be big, but want to be little. Staying up late is fine, but morning is he** on wheels. Can do everything myself, but need your help with so much. Able to debate like a democratic candidate, but need to be carried screaming irrationally to my room every now and then (perhaps also like a democratic candidate!).

The fights have been coming faster than I am equipped to deal with them these days and I despise each and every second of our time spent at each others' throats. It saddens me that my sweet little girl, brimming with kindess and empathy can be so ANGRY sometimes. I don't like chalking it up to age & stage, but the more I talk to other parents, the more it becomes apparent that it is what it is. We just need to come out whole and somewhat adjusted on the other side, I guess.

I've found, though, that giving J really important BIG jobs to do is key to her happiness. She doesn't want to clean her room, or put away her laundry; however, she will gladly load the dishwasher, cut vegetables, or cook at the stove. Yes, I've taken off my "Captain Safety" badge and let her cook at the stove this past week. Supervised (heavily), of course, but mostly on her own. Last weekend it was blueberry sauce for waffles. This weekend it was pancakes. She read the recipe, measured with complete Type-A accuracy, stirred, poured, flipped and served. She even ate at the counter as she cooked, just like Mom. If she starts pouring her own coffee, though, I'll be worried. And hey, with a cute new flipper like this, who wouldn't volunteer to make breakfast??

MMMMM....Muffins & Moomins

2008-04-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

I adore muffins. Now I've said it and come out of the baked goods closet, as it were!

I love making muffins, eating them with coffee, quick-breakfasting my kids, feeding them to my friends....love 'em!

Looking at the sad bowl of untouched bananas on the counter this evening, I decided to root about for one of my all time favourite muffin recipes. "Zachary's Favourite Muffins" are named for Mike's former colleague's son (you guessed it) Zachary. They are super healthful, super easy and super delicious!! Here is the recipe:

1 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 to 1/2 cup wheat germ

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

5 - 6 mashed ripe bananas

1 egg

1/4 cup canola oil

a splash of vanilla

1 cup frozen (or fresh) blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 and prepare about 16 muffin cups (silicone or paper-lined).

Whisk the dry stuff together. Whisk the wet stuff together. Mix it all together and fold in the blueberries. Bake for 23 - 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes before removing from the tins. YUMMY!

Moomins - how can you resist?? Finnish in origin, I met the Moomintroll family while living in Japan. In their quest for all things cute, the Japanese have "adopted" these little critters and they adorn everything from pocket tissue to backpacks, t-shirts to fine china (as the mug behind the muffin). I miss them, though, and wish I could find Moominstuff here (not expecting to find anything in Trail, but somewhere in Canada would suffice!). My former student and good friend was kind enough to bring some Moomin goodies to the girls when she visited in 2006 and I am near to asking her to send some more!

A little heart from the heart...

2008-04-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

The formula for a relaxing eye pillow (made with a friend for some other friends) + some great silky soft fleece = a snuggly sleepy pillow for the girls.

This little "sleepy pillow" is about the size of your two hands put together side by side and is filled with flax seed and lavender buds.

Maya sleeps with hers right on her cheek and Jordan stashes hers farther away from her in her bed so that it doesn't make her cough....ah well...it was the thought that counts!

A great little bag

2008-03-26T13:26:00.001-07:00

And I don't mean ME!

I had a piece of heavy blue cotton left from our IKEA curtains of many years ago that was just crying out to be used. Then I came across a great sale and this cute fabric and voila! Two handles slipped in between the lining and the outside, a patch pocket to show off some of the inner fabric (though it's not big enough to hold anything of much consequence!) and there you have it. The magnetic snap closure I bought for it was far too heavy-duty for the light lining, so it remains open...I double-dog dare a pick-pocket to rifle it! Perhaps as I become braver, or better at sewing, some inner pockets will develop. For now, though, this is it!

It carried the crochet project to and from Kamloops along with a book, a camera, children's Gravol and some gum...there was still room for more!

First hat!

2008-03-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

So, I've done it (and done it 3 more times since!)...

A crocheted hat and it was SO easy!!

I got this great pattern from http://crochetme.com/cranium and I have been trying to figure out my head size ever since.

The tension, hook size and type of material all, not surprisingly, affect the size of the finished product - imagine that!

At any rate, it was good fun and a great way to keep me from nibbling snacks in the evening. I do like to start and finish a project all in one day, however, so it was a couple of cross-eyed hours later that I came out with this!

A slightly longer blue version was created on the drive to Kamloops this Easter weekend. Again, necessity is the mother of invention and crocheting requires me to keep my eyes DOWN instead of on the snowy roads. I think Mike should be eternally grateful, don't you??

Dogs, blogs & togs

2008-02-26T20:51:00.000-08:00

I have to say, first of all, that I LOVE dogs. Even the little yappy ones can squirm their way into a scratch behind the ears...okay, the bug-eyed pug-type ones, not so much. I had two dogs growing up - Mindy and Muffin. Not at the same time, mind you, but there were two. Mindy entered my life when I was eight. I wasn't at an age where scooping poop could be delegated to me, but my parents got us a dog. Our neighbourhood is riddled with dogs. Big & loveable, small & jumpy and one that I don't trust as far as I could throw it. Needless to say, J & M see NO reason at all why we shouldn't get a dog. I have to run down the following list daily: shedding, pooping, scratching wood floors, throwing up, dragging butts on carpets (okay, I don't really throw that in there, but I think it), travelling, etc etc etc. Seriously, I had to go through this at least 4 times today. "How do you like dinner, Jordan?" "I wish we had a dog...." Thankfully, Mike is around to snap me out of the "maybe we could swing it" daydreams I have.

I have been spending way too much time on the internet these days - NO, I'm not looking at dog stuff, Jordan! I spied a magazine the other day called "Craft". It has a great website www.craftzine.com and I am absolutely HOOKED on it. Even worse than Facebook it seems. I think I am a secret crafter at heart, but I have a big problem. I don't know what to do with all the stuff I could make! Give some away, I suppose. Keep some, too, but there is so much to do!! Even worse is that the links to different projects usually lead to someone's blog. Then I get reading the blog, envying the craftiness of the blogger and saving their patterns. I now have a folder with a whack of patterns for quilts, crochet projects, tote bags, wallets, Christmas ornaments and any number of other strange, but unique goodies. Anyhow, it has inspired me to get back to this blasted blog and maybe jazz it up a little...add photos, links etc. There is some really good stuff out there!

Speaking of sewing the other day, someone asked me if I sew clothes....HA! No.
I do need some new clothes, however, but I'm inclined to wait until our Vegas trip and the outlet stores before I deck myself out in new goodies :) Spring does seem to be on it's way, though, so I need to think on ditching the jeans and fleece!

Kinda makes you wonder

2008-01-09T20:25:00.001-08:00

So, I was walking home from dropping Jordan off at school today and grumbling (mostly) to myself about having to push the stroller up the icy, slushy hill with aching legs from hockey and yoga. Also grumpy about not having given myself enough time to take a shower and get decent - jam the toque on and go (did I brush my teeth?). I was mid-grumble when Maya asked, "Mommy, why is that lady sitting in the middle of the road in her wheelchair?" I looked up and, sure enough, there was a young woman sitting very close to the intersection in her wheelchair waiting for the bus. The snowbank at the bus stop was HUGE and there was nowhere else for her to wait. We got closer, I said good morning to her, and all I could see was that she was perfectly dressed, perfectly coiffed and perfectly cheerful. What on earth could I possibly be grumping about? My sore but working legs? The fact that I have 2 lovely kids? The long slushy hill that I had to walk up? I felt mighty small right then.

Off we went to buy a birthday present for the weekend and a few other groceries. We got to the till and I was again grumbling to myself about the price of groceries and sundry other tidbits that had worked their way into my cart. One aisle over, I heard a woman trying to explain to a small child that there was no money for anything but groceries this month. No money. In fact, she was hoping that there was enough in her account to cover what she was buying at that moment. And I was lamenting the cost of magazines these days. The second reality check of the day.

Why can't we be thankful for what we have right in the moment without having to dwell upon what others are lacking? I find it fascinating that, all too often, we need to find our happiness through someone else's misfortune. If there is a resolution that I should have made, it is to be grateful each and every day that I have a bounty of assets and I should not continue to look elsewhere for a light to shine on them. My health, my family, my friends, my home and the abundance of material things that surround me...how lucky am I? I can't begin to explain.

Future music critics

2007-01-25T13:55:00.000-08:00

My most recent favourite album is "Yellowjacket" by Canadian folk artist Stephen Fearing (www.stephenfearing.com). We listen to it fairly often at home and in the car, so the girls are getting familiar with the lyrics.

Maya likes to listen to the title track because her favourite colour is yellow and she figures that S.F. must have a yellow jacket. She sings pretty much all the words, blissfully unaware that he is singing about a road trip that he took to Nashville and the caffeine pills ("yellowjackets") that he and his buddy were popping to make the long trip home to Ontario.

The second track is "The Man Who Married Music" - a lament about being tied to his chosen profession and the fact that it takes him away from home a great deal of the time. "I sing them 'cause I have to, and I love them so I do. The man who married music, and the man who married you." Jordan has deemed this song "rather silly", as who can really marry music anyhow? Point well taken.

The third on the CD, "One Flat Tire" brought moans from the back seat one night. Since I had been unable to listen in peace to the first two songs, I was silly enough to ask, "What now?!" "Well," replied Jordan, "it seems like he's just run out of things to write about if he has to write about his flat tire."

"Goodnight Moon" is a lovely closing song and it is taken from the book of the same name, inspired by reading to his granddaughter - "Goodnight moon, goodnight stars, goodnight old broke down cars, I'm goin' away, leavin' soon, goodnight darlin', goodnight moon....". You do realize, of course that is NOT how the book goes. NOT AT ALL and if you ask them, they will recite the book to you as you are trying to listen to this song.

Now, if only I could come up with some witty comments about their beloved Fred Penner (the cat can't come back from the North Pole all by itself...it would freeze!), or Raffi (if you thought I could really clap my crazies out, don't you think I would have done it by now, hmmm??), or Laurie Berkner (who really believes that goldfish have a desire to ride bicycles, or take a shower, or brush their teeth?). But then I would be in trouble for talking over their music - heaven forbid!

Happy New Year!

2007-01-23T19:50:00.000-08:00

Wow .... delinquent blogger, or what??!
My thought for the day has been niggling at me for a week now and I don't know that it's worthy, even, of having people read it, but here goes!

Why are our kids forced to grow up so ridiculously quickly these days? I don't mean that time is flying past us all blah blah blah enjoy your kids while they're little blah blah blah. I mean that they are pelted with so much adult material at every turn that I, as a responsible parent, have to come up with some answers that I am simply not prepared to give a 5-year old. I envisioned all of this coming when she was 10 or so. Not the case, apparently.

J came home with a "please sign and return" form regarding their upcoming unit on personal safety. Very personal safety if you know what I mean. I very nearly didn't sign it, but Mike pointed out that we would then have to do all the teaching rather than just answering some potentially awkward questions and that most of the other kids in the class would be likely to be talking about it anyhow. I understand that our kids have to get this information somehow, but I can't believe that it's in Kindergarten. I suppose I have my head buried in the sand, but it infuriates me that this is NECESSARY. That chances are statistically good that something terrible will happen to someone we know or know of and it just pisses me off.

I am equally annoyed that I can't listen to the CBC news while the kids are within earshot. "And now to the Middle East...." (machine gun fire in the background). Pickton's trial which "may not be suitable for many listeners". High school massacres. You name it, it's about to become dinner conversation. J made a grand point the other day as I turned down the news on the radio in the truck. "Why doesn't the news ever have any good news, or happy news, mom?" I wish I knew.

Then there's the hair salon where they are thumbing the magazines. (A cute aside, though, as Maya licks her left forefinger oh-so-daintily and proceeds to turn the page with her right hand.) Jordan says to me, "What do those ladies have under their shirts, mom?" Right. I glance over and see that she's looking at "MAXIM". "Ummmm....well....they're breasts, love." Yeah, all shiny and brown and huge and round and hard-looking and I can barely choke back the words "they're not real, I'm sure!". "Why would they want them to look like that anyways?" she asks so innocently. "Not too sure, honey, why don't we see what's in Canadian Living?" "Well, I suppose they like their breasts like that so they can get on the front of this magazine." Bang on, I think.

And why, would one need to choose from three styles of Fruit of the Loom underwear for small children? Can you believe they make "low rise bikinis" in size 4? Sadly, the pants are all cut that way now and any other variety of undies hang out the top and propmt one's little sister to chant, "I see France I see France I see your underpants, Jordie!!!" Never mind that Jordan has discovered that if she wears her too small underwear backwards and pulls them up just a bit too high that she will have a thong. I suppose it's my fault for folding laundry while they're awake, but honestly....

So, as I brushed J's teeth tonight and gently wiggled her nearly wiggly tooth for the 100th time today, I got a little lump in my throat laughing at how I thought that the first fallen out tooth would mark the start of growing up. Instead it has turned out to be boob jobs, crazy undies, bad news and permission slips.

Neat "gifty" stuff on the web

2006-12-09T21:37:00.000-08:00

So, while perusing the latest issue of "Chatelaine" (an indulgence, as I have found it a bit trashy as of late...), I saw the cutest Christmas ornaments. I flipped to the back and the "Where to Buy" guide and came across this website. Very cute stuff, worthwhile cause and very reasonably priced. You know, here in Trail, there just isn't a lot of access to neat things like this...I am undoubtedly destined to become a savvy online shopper!

www.tenthousandvillages.ca

Check it out!

Whatever shall I do??

2006-11-13T21:13:00.000-08:00

How pleasant it is at the end of the day,
No follies to have to repent;
But reflect on the past and be able to say,
That my time has been properly spent.

What does "properly spent" imply? I have been mulling over my current at-home situation with a heavy heart these past weeks and find myself a unable to say that I spend my time "properly". Sure, the housework is done, relatively healthy meals hit the table many times a day, the kids are clean and growing and (I think) happy; however, I really have to wonder what else there is.

I know there is work. There is always work, but the girls are still so small and I can't fathom sending them off to a babysitter for hours every week. I also can't imagine working every night and not seeing Mike. Greedy? Perhaps.

I know there are a pile of hobbies that I would like to delve deeper into - quilting, photography, drawing - but there are definitely creativity deficiencies that prevent me from doing art. Note that these are strictly personally perceived and likely a load of hooey.

I have started a 30-day dumbell exercise program (with dumbells, not for dumbells) and am on day 3. I am also resting my elbows on my knees as I type this as I seem to be unable to suspend my quivering arms in the air long enough to maintain proper keyboarding posture. Note to self: blog BEFORE working out! I have managed to become relatively inactive since our move, as my fave sports just aren't happening here. This has contributed to a fine layer of, ahem, winter insulation to put it nicely and I am extremely bothered by this. Now that the gallbladder is out, though, I have a green light to resume exercise and am doing my best to get at it.

That leaves education. Though it gives Mike nightmares (seriously), I love to study, write papers, take exams and engage my brain. Online makes the most sense to me, so I have started to explore my options. I think I will be taking a 6-week writing for children course in January. There is also a freelance magazine article writing course that I am eyeing. I would dearly love to do some ecology stuff, but I think I will start slowly and see how this distance ed thing works out.

Perhaps, then, this will become a place to "test out" my new material, so to speak. Keep your eyes open after the holidays!

Were we ever THIS busy??

2006-09-26T09:02:00.000-07:00

People typically associate larger centers with more to do; I know I always have. The problem we always had in Vancouver was that we never did very much because of the hassle factor...too many people, not enough parking, fear of losing the kids in a huge crowd, kids not being able to see because of all the people, the time it takes to get anywhere, yadda yadda yadda. Since we have moved to Trail, however, it has been one busy weekend after another, one festival or event after another and I can honestly say that there have been no hassles and no stress. Everything is 5 or 10 minutes away from home, there is always TONS of parking and the crowds here aren't nearly as ominous as those down the coast (Kootenay-speak for "Vancouver"!).

A few of our highlights (and some pictures)...

Teck Cominco's 100th birthday party:
Apparently, there were 4000 people in Gyro Park to celebrate and, for a town of 7000, that was considered pretty darned great! They had all kinds of stuff for everyone to do and fantastic entertainment. The girls especially liked Norman Foote and Jordan even braved the big crowd to get on stage and sing with him....needless to say, we have a new CD to add to our collection! Oh, and her hair looks the way it does because it was spray-painted hot pink and backcombed in the "Funky Hair Tent"... hopefully she won't cultivate a fondness for that look. Talk about ring around the bathtub!! We also saw Canadian Idol runner-up Theresa Sokyrka and she was absolutely terrific. We spent 6 hours there (unheard of for us), so it was a raving success needless to say!

This past weekend, was the Festa Italiana. A little bit more like an excuse to eat corndogs at 10:30 in the morning than a true "festa", but there you go. Friday night we took the kids to see their very first fireworks display. I am not normally a big fan, but we had such a good time and it was terrific fun to see their awe. The added bonus was that they were finished by 8:00, so bedtime was not too far delayed! Saturday morning we got them revved up for the Parade of Masks. Keep in mind, Jordan's parade experience to date has been limited to the nearly 90-minute long Canada Day parade in Richmond with dozens of floats and "paraders", elbowing her way to find a seat on the curb and walking forever to even get to the venue. This parade started (without blocking traffic even) and when the 25 or 30 masked singing Italian ladies walked by, Jordan was left looking up the street behind them for "the rest of the parade". Obviously not what she had had in mind. We did manage to go around the block and catch them a second time, though, and this time, one of the ladies gave Jordan her mask. That took the sting out of the 30-second parade!

Saturday evening saw us at the Warfield Family Picnic complete with BBQ, three legged races, potato sack races, egg on spoon races and lots of fun with the kids.

Sunday Mike was helping Pasquale with all the wine grapes that have started coming in, so I took the girls down to Gyro Park again for BC Rivers Day on the mighty Columbia! It was a really good event with quite a bit for the kids to do. Jordan tried her hand at the climbing wall and we decided that there was good reason that rock climbers don't wear flip flops! Then the kids just hung out and played in the sand for a good hour before we decided to hit Nonna's for some cookies and a visit on the way home. A good sleep was definitely had by all on Sunday nite!!

At any rate, we are happy and busy and enjoying things here. If we were bored, though, it could only be our own faults!!

Bookish bookworm dishes on books

2006-09-07T18:32:00.000-07:00

Summer reads...
Surprisingly numerous, considering the upheaval in our lives.
Thankfully, I have a couple of good friends who share nearly the same taste in books, so I have managed to keep rather up to date. Perhaps this should be my "since my birthday" list? All highly recommended, by the way!

Lewis deSoto - A Blade of Grass
Ami McKay - The Birth House
Anita Shreve - The Weight of Water
Anita Shreve - Resistance
Miriam Toews - Summer of My Amazing Luck
Yann Martel - Life of Pi

And while I'm at it, here are a bunch of my all time favourites:

Margaret Atwood - The Robber Bride
Barbara Kingsolver - The Poisonwood Bible
John Irving - A Prayer for Owen Meany
Bryce Courtenay - The Power of One
Rohinton Mistry - A Fine Balance
Audrey Niffenegger - The Time Traveler's Wife

Happy reading!!

Sensitivity is NOT a 4-letter word...or is it?

2006-08-28T12:52:00.000-07:00

So, in all honesty, do you care where your name appears on a bulk email address list? Do you look to see who was listed in front of you, or behind? Do you think other people do?

See, I don't really give a flying fig and, in fact, never look (though now that I've given it this much thought I might!). Before marriage, I was a "Z". Back of the bus was my home. Marrying an "A" sent me soaring through the alphabetical ranks at a dizzying pace. I actually didn't respond the very first time I was called on first. "Couldn't be me, I'll be at the end!" My sister enlightened me to the fact that I was now at the top of the pile and that I should really pay more attention. Poor Jordan is just getting used to being the first called. "Do you think I'll have to go first for everything at school?" My point being, we are all used to our position in an alphabetical list.

Sending an email the other day to some of my women friends, I scanned my list wondering if I had missed anyone. Then I realized that I had put one of my very best friends at the end of the list. Could've left her there, but I didn't. I cut and pasted her to somewhere near the beginning. I don't keep an address book because of a fear of passing viruses around, so I just type in addresses as they pop into my head. Problem is, I didn't want her to think that I had thought of her last. Would she care? How about the person that replaced her in last place? I don't like her any less, but someone has to be last, right? I've spent an inordinate amount of time mulling this over...obviously without many other pressing things on my mind!

I think it's an over-sensitivity to people's feelings. Who gives a rip if they're at the end of the list and, if someone does, isn't it their problem rather than mine?

I now know why the "BCC" option was created for email. Now if I could only figure out how to use it!

What a long month!!

2006-07-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

"Any idiot can handle a crisis - it's this day-to-day living that wears you out."
(Anton Chekhov - Playwright 1860-1904)

And what a whirlwind it has been. We have, since the week before Father's Day, accepted a job in the Kootenays, bought a house, sold our house, toilet-trained Maya, secured movers, started sorting and, sadly, started saying our goodbyes. We are all very excited about the move and the great things that await us in Trail, but this past few weeks have been hectic, to describe them gently.

Let's start with the good...Our house sold with one showing in two days. WOOHOO!! We spent a lovely Father's Day at the aquarium where Jordan finally had the summer butterflies land on her. In fact, she had spent the better part of the ride there lamenting the fact that they never land on her. How is it, incidentally, that a four-year-old can draw out the "never" to sound exactly like a teenager??? Maya was thrilled to share in this as well...see for yourself...

Maya decided that weekend that she was through with diapers (see earlier entry about her "helping" me with that!). She is dry through the night and everything, so I am rather impressed given the fact that things have been quite chaotic and she's only 27 months old. Mind you, her tiny little bottom barely fits even size 2 undies, so it is a challenge just keeping her covered! The realtor, the house inspector and the buyers were all greeted by a naked tush coming down the stairs proclaiming, "Me pee, mom!" The joys :)

My good friend from Japan, Mitsuko, and her granddaughter came to stay with us from the 29th of June through the 7th of July. What a great treat since I hadn't seen her since our wedding 6 years ago. Upon their arrival, however, the real craziness began. Got a minute? Ten? Fasten your seatbelt...

The day prior to their arrival, I locked us out of the house, but had absentmindedly left the kitchen window open, so Jordan got her first experience at burglary. They also got pancakes for supper, as the freezer holding all the meat was behind locked doors in the storage room outside. Keys at girlfriend's...strike one.

On the way to the airport, the car started to sputter. This didn't bode well for a relaxed trip there or back, but we made it home after nearly missing our friends at the arrivals counter (note the potty training in full swing...time spent in public toilets is unbelievable!). Moments after I thought we should head out for a walk before I started dinner, we heard a terrific bang and rushing water. When I got upstairs, I discovered that the pipe under our ensuite sink had let go and the shutoff handle was seized. By the time I got the water to the whole house shut off, Mitsuko was yelling up to tell me that the water was coming out downstairs. Super. House sold. Inspection done. Giant flood. Mike, the saint, came home and got everything reattached, but not before I had to explain to our excessively polite, private, demure houseguests that, although they had been on the plane for nearly 12 hours, there was no flushing about to happen, but they were welcome to close the lid or use the neighbour's. Yeah, that was received REALLY well...but politely!! Strike two.

The next day, it was apparent that the car had to visit the mechanic. I went with Maya in the afternoon for what would be maybe an hour. Well, we got home about 3 hours later after phoning Mitsuko and trying to explain how to turn on the oven and get the roast in. About 10 that night, I figured I should make a sponge cake for Canada Day. You know the kind - 6 eggs, whites beaten stiffly, don't bang the door or it will fall...really simple. Yep. All was good until I licked the spatula and discovered that I had made the cake with baking soda rather than baking powder. Despite Mike's suggestion that I just cook it and hope nobody notices, it went down the sink.

Canada Day started really well with a pancake breakfast at our neighbour's and a trip to the Salmon Festival with a mere 75,000 of our closest friends. Mom & Dad came to visit, so we hustled back home to have a bbq with them. Everyone was catching up and having a jolly time when Jordan wanted to show Grandma the "Classic Red" nailpolish I had painted her nails with for the holiday ("It was a bit gloppy, though."). Grandma gave it a good ol' shake while discussing the merits of the little lead ball that is usually found in nail polish and the lid flung off glopping not only Grandma's white shirt, but the arm of the sofa with classic red. Mitsuko and Arisa looked on in horror (but politely) while a bottle and a half of nail polish remover was employed to get the stain out. Strike three? Are we still counting??

Sunday went slightly better with the day spent at the park and then at the local Japanese temple for the annual Bon-Odori festival. Mitsuko sewed Jordan a beautiful new yukata and hemmed her old one for Maya, so they could both take part.

We went and spent a night at Whistler Monday the 3rd and, although one was carsick on the way up and the other had a "leak out" on the way back, we had a delightful time. Needless to say, the carseats are both fresh and clean and ready to head to Trail in exactly two weeks from tomorrow. YIKES!!

The rest of the visit was spent mostly without incident, and we are happy to be back to a normal routine (whatever that is!). It was great having them here, though, as we got to do some sightseeing that we likely wouldn't have made time for otherwise. I am very curious to know what kind of impression was made on our younger guest. They wanted to experience "real Canadian life" and I think they got more than they bargained for!

Now we are downt to the crunch, so to speak. We are having the movers pack for us, so that alleviates a bit of the pressure, but there is still a crazy amount of sorting to be done. Cries of, "You're such a packrat!" are ringing through the house and the girls feel like it's Christmas time with so many boxes full of goodies to open and explore.

Postings will be short and fairly sparse I would imagine, but I will update everyone with new contact details in an email.

Send happy smooth moving vibes our way!

Quote of the (LAST) week

2006-06-07T10:21:00.001-07:00

"Well it just scared the Dixie Chicks out of me, Mom!" - Jordan

Ummmm...perhaps the dickens, Jordan??

Home again, home again

2006-06-07T10:09:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it! To Trail and back without a single incident...just an awful lot of driving!

The girls traveled SO well and were absolutely thrilled to see all their cousins, aunts and uncles and, of course, Nonno and Nonna. Maya waltzed into their house after an eight month absence as though she owned the place and didn't play shy once. Jordan revelled in her big cousin Angela's graduation and all the frillies that went along with it. When she wasn't talking about the impending festivities, she was hanging out with cousin Jill, or playing with Mikey and Dominic. Lots of fun was had by all, needless to say.

Auntie Rose got Maya a dress so that she wouldn't feel left out of the glamour beside Jordan and her "fancy twirling-whirling dress". Jordan has been DYING to wear this dress since it arrived at our house nearly 2 years ago (gulp...). Trouble is, we don't have many functions that require a fancy twirling-whilrling dress. Boy was I glad it still fit!
Here they are in all their glory:

Jordan was glad to be home and back to preschool. Hard to believe there are only a couple of weeks left and then it's summer. And then it's KINDERGARTEN!!! Where, exactly, did that time go?? All good, but so tough to imagine...

Speaking of preschool, I need to go and gather our little princess and take the other one to music class...sun is shining, kids are happy...what more could I ask for?

Quiet time...or not really.

2006-05-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

Maya is not going to bed well at night these days. She's still in a crib, which contains her, but she can't seem to fall asleep until nearly 9:00. We think, perhaps, that it may be time to give up her nap. Oh, how I love the nap. I really, REALLY don't want to give up the nap, but methinks it must be done.

What then, to do in lieu? Jordan has her 30 minutes of quiet time after lunch (during the beloved nap) and I get a wee bit of time to putter, rest, read or do whatever. It makes sense then that Maya should start having quiet time, too. It doesn't seem fair, somehow, to make her stay in her crib (thereby containing her) and I don't like her to feel like she's shut in her room with the door closed. The gate? I guess I could recruit it from the doorless shoe and coat closet downstairs, but that would entail resizing and affixing daily...yep, too lazy! Shutting the door wins out. Incidentally, Mike doesn't see the problem with closing her in there, but I feel like it's not fair, as she can't do doorknobs yet. Mother guilt works again (see previous post!).

Anyhow, I put her in there today after Jordan "explained" how to do quiet time and all was relatively quiet for a while. She was chattering away and calling for me periodically, but I managed to ignore that for the most part. It wasn't until the calling got a bit louder and more, well, excited that I began to pay closer attention. Turns out she was calling, "Me ba you poo-poo, Mommmmmmmyyyyy!!!" For those who aren't fluent in Mayanese, "Me ba you" means "I helped you" or "I will help you" or "Can I help you?"

Since I wasn't in the bathroom, I could only assume that the poo-poo in question was somewhere in HER room...Never have I sprinted the hallway so quickly. Upon opening the door, I was accosted by the smell of the poo-poo and greeted with a grinning face upside down between two very naked little legs and a, well, less than clean bottom. All was still in the diaper, thankfully, along with 3 or 4 wipes. So proud, but the type-A brain in my head was reeling with the possibilities of where those little hands could have been while she was waiting for me to come to her rescue. Lysol wipes are my friends...

Quiet time. Who thought up THAT name, anyhow?

Mother's Day reflections...

2006-05-15T13:22:00.000-07:00

"The most important thing she'd learned over the years was that there was no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one." - Jill Churchill (writer)

So, Mother's Day was spent in a flurry of way-too-big breakfast, presents, swimming, picnic and the park, barbeque dinner and dessert, baths for two filthy little monkeys and a fairly early bedtime (not for me, though, as "Grey's Anatomy" happened to be on!).

I spent a good deal of the day wondering if I was acting in a manner appropriate to the day - did I appear as though I was relaxed and enjoying my family? Did I manage to curb my eye rolling at Mike's overly organized picnic packing? Was I laughing and playing with the girls more than usual?? I really don't know.

What I did realize, though, is that I spend an awful lot of really quality time with my family on a daily basis. I realized that, while not making breakfast or getting everyone organized was a really nice treat, Mother's Day is not all that unlike other Sundays in my life. Granted, we weren't "doing things" around the house and yard as we usually do, but that really didn't seem to matter. The four of us just really enjoy spending time together and it doesn't need to feel contrived because the calendar says that it's Mother's Day.

I have also realized that for all the mother guilt that seems to riddle my friends and I, we totally have it together and are on the right track with our kids. I have such a wonderful group of mom friends that I respect and admire and their children are truly a pleasure. Now, we're not the Stepford Wives, by any stretch, but I think we tend to be overly hard on ourselves. Here is a somewhat abbreviated list of qualities that make my friends amazing moms:

Those of us who stay at home rarely lament the fact that we're not at the office.
Those of us who work do an astounding job of holding it all together.
We support our spouses in their work, hobbies and needs just as much as we do our kids.
We genuinely enjoy spending time with our children.
We strive to fill their bellies with wholesome foods.
We strive to fill their heads with wholesome knowledge.
We are not contributing to the couch potato generation.
We love to sit and read with our kids.
We realize that our kids need us to be their parents and not their best friends.
We promote healthy self-esteem and do our best to lead by example.
Whether or not we actually DO anything about it or not, we all realize that we need to take time for ourselves and our marriages in order to be recharged for the kids.

Whew - that was a little bit of a self pep-talk. With that, I should go and enjoy Jordan's time while her sister slumbers....

The houseguests are gone...

2006-05-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

Well, the raccoon saga is finally over. Why do I have mixed feelings about that?! I think the final straw was momma falling off of the roof the other evening. Mike and I decided that, if she were mortally wounded, we'd have to figure out a way to get the babies out anyhow.

He made the call Wednesday and, sure enough, there wasn't a peep to be heard on Thursday. We chuckled at the thought that she had beat us to the punch and moved them out. Still chuckling as the guy came and checked it out up there and it turns out we were right. She had left behind one poor little soul, though, who was unceremoniously put in a box on the roof to endure the day. Our pest control guy wasn't too hopeful that she'd come back for it and, sadly, she didn't. At any rate, our gable is now secure and our roof vents sealed off, so we shouldn't be having any more animal visitors - not up there anyhow.

On the happier side, Maya is now drinking from a "big girl" cup and has conceded to let me do something with her hair (provided, of course, that the hair accessories are yellow).

Jordan is loving the warm weather and all the outdoor play she gets to do. With the outdoors, however, comes a wealth of scrapes, slivers and assorted ouches, so the drama has begun again for us. This girl most certainly does not have a future in the health care field! I can honestly say that I have never seen a four year old get queasy over a teeny tiny drop of blood...I think she gets that from her grampa!

At any rate, I am off to enjoy the sunshine and the rest of quiet time! Oh, and MY sunglasses are not quite as cute as the girls' !!

Wild life? Wildlife? A bit of both!

2006-04-25T13:29:00.000-07:00

As a child, I would seek out and devour animal books. Books of nature. True stories. Fiction. Illustrated and not.

I loved reading real animal-in-my-house stories like Gerald Durrell's "Animals in My Family" and Farley Mowat's "Owls in the Family". Even while venturing into the exotic "Daisy Rothchild: The Giraffe that Lived with Me" and "Born Free", I was convinced that having wildlife in my home would, when it inevitably happened, be an amazing and welcome thing. Some of those books I read several times and never tired of them. Sterling North's "Rascal" was an especially endearing tale of a young North and his boyhood chum. Any guesses? Rascal was a ..... RACCOON!

Little did I know that life with a raccoon is NOT as cute and lovely as I thought 25 years ago. Shall we begin at the beginning? Let's.

This past Friday morning at around 3:00, a shuffling, scratching, rubbing-my-body-on-the-wall sound woke me. Thinking it was Jordan (why she'd be crawling around my bedroom floor is beyond me), I called out to her. The noise stopped. Then it started again and it sounded as though it was directly under the head of our bed. Dust bunnies come to life?? A (gulp) rodent?? "Mike. MIKE. MIIIIKE. There is something in our room." Good man that he is, Mike groggily agreed that there was a noise, but that it was not likely to be IN our room. Perhaps on the roof? In the wall?

Now perched in the center of our bed - because we all know that a rodent wouldn't dare set foot in the center of the bed - wrapped in the duvet with only my face sticking out, I told him that I wouldn't be going back to sleep until he figured out what the &**! was there. This little "episode" took nearly an hour to conclude. Not a terribly good sleep had by either of us.

Friday night. 9:30. Mike was playing poker in Delta. The girls, deliciously shampooed, cuddled and in their beds. Me? Going to do some stuff on the computer. Turn on the light. Turn on the computer. Sit down and hear "THUMP" directly above my head, followed by a whole lot of scrabbling noises. I leapt out of the room, shut the door and did what any brave woman would do - called my husband. "Turn off the computer, close the door and go to bed." That was his advice. When I went back into the room, there was a medium sized ball of fur in the middle of the floor....when I stopped jumping about, I realized that it was Jordan's stuffed hedgehog. I swore I wouldn't admit to that...

On Saturday morning, Mike called me into the office to listen to the ceiling. Not rats, but definitely bigger than mice. Checking the internet, we concluded that the chirpings were that of the Northern Raccoon (Procyon lotor for those Latin fiends). We also discovered some "home remedies" for raccoons in the attic and interesting tidbits such as a list of parasites they carry and damage they're capable of doing....

Hitting the phonebook for pest removal options left me with a heavy heart, as the kits will stay with the mom until the next mating season (December!). On the upside, though, our tenants will be relocated rather than exterminated, so I don't feel too badly about having a professional take care of them for us. We are trying the home remedies and are giving them until tomorrow to find a new hotel.

In order for Mike to get the buckets of ammonia-soaked rags up into the attic and hang a trouble light up there, he had to make sure mamma raccoon was out of there (could you imagine what chaos that would be??). I stood outside taking photos of her gymnastic talents as she left through the gable and navigated the overhang.

At any rate, the kids are excited by our new buddies - Jordan loves to listen to them scuttling around when you tap the ceiling and Maya wanders around banging walls and yelling, "COOOOOON...where YOOOOOOUUUUU?" Maybe they'll get to see the babies when they're taken out.

I have to say, I will be a bit sad to see them go - just don't tell Mike!

Why moms should ALWAYS shop alone

2006-04-20T14:19:00.000-07:00

Imagine, for a moment, that you have been wearing the same 2 pairs of underwear day in and day out for, oh, a year. Let me add that you have ONE additional pair that you wear 3 times a week for exercise. Would you feel happy? Hygienic? Heaven forbid - sexy? I would think not. So I'm talking about bras here, but men have nothing like that, so I figured the underwear would be a good equivalent.

Now imagine that you have been watching the sales flyers like a hawk for the past month or two in order to save a penny (or 40%). Ignoring the fact that your, ahem, "bits" fall out the bottom at random and you're laundering like a madman. Finally, the Sears flyer has a week long promotion...a whole WEEK!!

Jumping with delight (but without too much jumping - remember your bits?), you pack some small people into said department store with you. On a Saturday. People swarming, grabbing, elbowing. The knee high crew also whining, and generally acting like ninnies.

Armed with a very small selection of undergarments, you wedge yourself into a changeroom (louvered doors that reach neither the ceiling nor the floor) and undress. A very squeaky, but clear voice begins a barrage of questions beginning with, "Why is yours so grey compared with the one in the box?" and ending with, "I think that one's too tight - it's squishing your skin out all over the place...."

Exit stage left.

Trying again with only the smallest in tow, you wait for opening Wednesday morning. She can't say much that anyone can understand and at 9:30 there surely can't be a gaggle of customers clamouring for a few changerooms and the only size you need. Surprisingly, you're right and, after stuffing the squawker with a banana, you grab a few things and dash in. The banana finished, shorty pants starts to lose it. The saleslady, now aware that she has prey trapped behind a semi-private louvered door, begins to sweetly enquire as to how everything is fitting and wouldn't you like to be measured. Yeah. No thanks.

After several forays back out into the store, you concede to measure yourself and have the lady just bring you stuff. Your normally spikey hair looks as though you've been pulled through the proverbial knothole backwards and you're on your last nerve anyhow. Somehow there is a victory. Snotty banana kid is calmer and beehive hairdo lady is counting her commission.

One undergarment - $24

One banana - 24 cents

One martini at 10 in the morning - illegal

Quote of the week

2006-04-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

I have so many friends that, if I stacked them all up and stood on top, I'd be able to reach the moon, dontcha think, Mom?

Jordan - age 4

Have you ever seen a pig so big?

2006-04-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

I wish I could figure out how to allow you to hear the tune to this little ditty because, honestly, it has been going around in my head - and the heads of my children - for about 2 months now. Wait. Make that 3 months. Sadly, I think that I may have passed on my genetic predisposition to having short snippets of songs lodge themselves firmly in my head.

Maya is taking parent and tot music class for the second time and absolutely loving it. Now this is not your average "Baa Baa Black Sheep Wheels on the Bus Old MacDonald" kind of nursery rhyme music class we're talking about here. Her teacher is a local children's entertainer and has the most wonderful repetiore of crazy songs, but it is a class for 18 - 24 month old kids and we do sing the same songs pretty much every week.

I wasn't thinking that I would go through the class again, as Maya didn't seem to be "getting" it. She didn't dislike it, but she didn't seem exceptionally stimulated by it, either. Right then. Save our money and move on to something else. The week before the second session begins, there is a quiet moment in the house and I hear Maya humming to herself, then singing to herself and I realize that she really is getting it. The next class she is singing her heart out. She is a veteran now and I look around at the new parents who are wondering, "Is my kid getting it?" I can't wait for them to have their eureka moment. It is really really neat.

Have YOU ever seen a pig so big?

The 25th hour

2006-04-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

So, if there were one more hour in the day, what would you do with it?

Lately I find myself longing for just a little bit more time between the morning flurry and the "I'd better get to bed so that I'm not completely useless tomorrow" moment. In comparison to many of my friends, my life is relatively unhurried and without pressure; however, I am most definitely feeling the pinch. So what would I do with just an hour, sixty minutes, three thousand six hundred seconds? My list runs in two columns - Selfless and Selfish. The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of wish lists....

Selfless:

Premake meals to allow for more time with the girls during the pre-dinner "witching hour"
Clean the "hidden" areas of the house (blinds, under the fridge, the grout in the tub)
Play with the kids and by this I mean really sit down and get lost in enjoying them
Do some kind of volunteer work
Work on the yard
Start sorting all the baby stuff out (sniff....a topic for another post)
Prepare a fun, stimulating craft or activity for the kids for the next day

Selfish:

Go to the gym
Go for a walk
Take a writing course
Write
Read
Quilt
Write a letter (by hand) without interruption
Take a nap
Play squash
Go to the driving range

Alright, it is becoming apparent that the selfish list is going to be longer - much longer - than the selfless list....perhaps I should stop here.

Suffice it to say that I would be able to find something to do in that extra time. Perhaps I should just be satisfied with the time that I do have. After all, I don't really have anything to complain about ... except perhaps the apparent brevity of the 24-hour day!

Dipping a toe into the current millennium...

2006-04-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

2006.
2006.
Wow...until a month ago, you would have thought that we (meaning this family) were lodged firmly in the early 1990s.

No cell phone.
No mp3 player.
No blog.

Now we have a phone - to be used in an emergency.
Now we have not one, but TWO mp3 players - a great deal that we couldn't pass up.
Now we have a blog - more accurate to say that I have a blog, but there you go.

So this is what "being connected" feels like...not that much different, actually!

Now, mind you, I don't fret about being unreachable when the girls are without us.
Now I have something small to pack around and listen to my music on (oh, if Raffi shows up on my playlist, PLEASE feel free to give me a kick).
Now I have somewhere to put down the myriad thoughts that twirl about in my head...

If you're still reading, you will have realized that many of my thoughts will be rambling; however, I will endeavour to spice it up once in a while for you :)

Until next time...