I hate to shop

Posted on May 2, 2013 | 8 comments

One day last summer, I was chatting with my neighbour over the fence. Her husband and son were going to the cottage and she was staying home to spend the evening with a very good girlfriend.

“How nice! What do you guys have planned?” I was so excited for her.

She was also very excited, “We’re going to grab dinner and then do a bit of shopping.”

…crickets chirped…

“You’re going shopping?” I tried to make this sound pleasant, but I couldn’t pull it off. Even with that big grin plastered on my face. “You have a night home alone and you are going shopping?” My distaste was palpable.

I honestly do not remember the rest of the conversation because my brain went into a protective mode and all talk of malls and sales were blocked from my hippocampus. Continue reading →

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Change of topic

Posted on May 1, 2013 | 6 comments

I had planned to write a lighthearted post about how we ate tonight’s dinner out on the deck for the first time since last summer. It would have been funny because I was also going to tell you about how one of the neighbour boys just sat on the backyard swing and watched us eat because he had yet to be called in for his dinner.

I was also planning to quote my husband’s funny admonishment to him about how he had to keep quiet if he was going to stay in the yard because it would be like us coming in to his dining room and watching him eat… ha ha ha.

Instead I’m going to write about this.

5-year-old accidentally kills sister with gun he got as gift – The Globe and Mail Continue reading →

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Punch line

Posted on April 30, 2013 | Leave a comment

Our son received a joke book from our neighbour for his birthday. On the way home from the party, he read over half of them to us. Each joke was preceded by the challenge, “You’ll never get this one.”

Daddy got every one correct. Apparently, he was also once an eight-year-old boy.

I finally got one just as we rounded the corner to home.

My son, “What do a cow and a horse have in common?”
Me, “They’ve both been domesticated to serve the needs of man.”

I slay myself sometimes!

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Dangnamit kids!

Posted on April 29, 2013 | 6 comments

I’m quickly becoming one of those crotchety people who complains about “kids” today. We live and work near two large universities and, while the majority are a fantastic bunch of young men and women, there are a lot of idiots wandering our fair city. My list of grievances is long but there is one that is routinely at the top of my hit parade.

Why do they have to be such morons when they cross the street?! WHY?! Continue reading →

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Weekend wrap-up

Posted on April 28, 2013 | 2 comments

Whew! We just had a crazy  busy weekend.

Our eldest just turned eight and our youngest will be six next week so we had a joint birthday party for them on Saturday. We have gotten away with this every year because the kids are still excited to celebrate together and the majority of the invites are mutual friends anyway.

One cake and one afternoon of insanity, then it is over until the next year. Anyone can put up with fifteen screaming boys for a few hours when you know you won’t have to do it again for another year. You’ll still need a stiff drink when it is over, but you can do it.

My day off on Friday was spent making the cake. Here are a couple of pictures.   Continue reading →

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I love to read

Posted on April 25, 2013 | 6 comments

When I get into a book it can be hard to get me out of it. I will often be found reading while brushing my teeth, getting dressed or making dinner. I think that is why I have come to love my e-reader so much. It’s no-hands reading. I have even been known to upsize the font and prop it on a treadmill during a run.

I’ve now added audio books into the mix so that I can “read” while completing menial chores such as grocery shopping and washing dishes. It’s also a really great way to drown out the din of our house when my brain needs some space.

My favourite way to read, however, is to my kids. Continue reading →

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A woman of a certain age

Posted on April 24, 2013 | 2 comments

My Chatelaine magazine came today. Whenever I see it bulging out of the mailbox I’m filled with a strange combination of excitement and pathos.

I’m excited because, well it’s exciting to get mail that isn’t from a corporation or the government. Plus, there is always the hope I’ll find a great three ingredient meal that can be whipped together in 10 minutes and is guaranteed to please the whole family.

The counterpoint to that thrill is the depressing fact that there is a Chatelaine in my mailbox. Continue reading →

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Eight

Posted on April 23, 2013 | 2 comments

Our son is eight today.

Last night he joyfully washed the seven off himself in the bath and then stood in front of his mirror for moment to say goodbye. Finally, just before he jumped into bed, he climbed onto my lap so I could have a last snuggle and kiss from a seven-year-old. It was a farewell ceremony filled with all of the pomp and pageantry it deserved.

My husband astutely reminded us that we will have another seven year old to snuggle and kiss in a year’s time, but this seven-year-old is unique and I’ll miss him. Please allow me to indulge myself for a few minutes. I won’t nauseate you with the details of his birth but there are few salient facts which must be disclosed. Continue reading →

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Mmmm… cake

Posted on April 23, 2013 | 2 comments

I like cake. I like to eat it and I like to bake it, but I LOVE to decorate it. Here are a few pictures of cakes I’ve made for birthday parties over the recent years:

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The Star Wars cake was the boys’ request last year and is my personal favorite. The Ewok is a little wonky hanging off the side, but I made a figure for each of them and only later realized I had nowhere to put it! Continue reading →

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Posted in Cakes, Caught My Eye

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Zoinks!

Posted on April 21, 2013 | 5 comments

When our eldest started school three years ago, Scooby-Doo and the gang became a strong presence in our house. Now that his little brother has joined him, we are inundated! They are in a French immersion program and the school’s library has a comprehensive collection of primer Scooby-Doo books in both languages. Let me tell you, it is a popular choice for boys in the primary to grade three set.

Did you know that when a Scooby-Doo book is translated into French, a couple of the character names are changed? Velma becomes Vera, and Shaggy becomes Sammy. Why? I don’t know, but it messes with my head! My tongue’s muscle memory is sometimes too strong and I revert to their Anglo names. I am sternly corrected each time. Continue reading →

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