Where is the camera?

It's all a perfect metaphor of our adjustment to life in Canada.

You may recall that the winter of 2006, our first winter as still thoroughly Arizona's in shock and awe, we went out as a family determined to make it in Canada. And that meant buying over $100 worth of ice skates and taking to Nathan Phillips Square outdoor rink for some fun. We all tried to grin and bare it but it wasn't much fun. It was freezing and our feet hurt and most of all, my back hurt from holding up a 2 year old and a 4 year old. Wasn't that nice?






Next year we were convinced by some locals that what we really needed to do was go to the Harbourfront. So, we packed on all our clothes, tied up our skates and headed down on the subway to the harbourfront. It was fun but mostly becuase we hung out with our friends and ate good food and Drew drank beer inside.

2008 we had moved up to THornhill and they had a local ice rink not too far and again, we (by we I mean me) thought it might be fun to go check it out. Plus, its what the locals do. In Arizona you swim - in Canada you skate. What if the kids gets invited to a skating party? God forbid they don't know how. What will we do? So, even though the wind was whipping our faces and the snow was coming down in full force, we were determined. Keep in mind that this is now our 3rd pair of skates. We use them once per year and then the next year they have outgrown their skates and need a new pair. Luckily Mazie is always a year behind Leo so she can wear his so really I only need to get 1 pair for Leo. Drew and I don't grow that quickly and I have a very comfy pair. As soon as we got out on the ice, bam! Mazie fell on her face and the screw to her glasses went into her eyebrow. She still has a very beautiful scar to prove it. It's a screw shaped scar. Luckily her face was so frozen anyway that she never felt a thing. We vowed never again were we going to go ice skating. It hurts your feet and your ankles, the kids can't stand up, it breaks my back and its so much work to just go around once or twice and head home.

Come 2009 and do you think we learn?! NO! You bet we don't. I'm not sure why but again I decided over Christmas break that it would be a fun family event to go skating. But you guessed it - Leo needs new skates. We go to a few stores - too expensive for new ones that only get worn once. So, we are not able to go. But, the next day I pass by Play it Again Sports and I happen upon a size 12 and pay $21 (such a deal really) and buy Leo a pair of skates. Mazie will wear his old hockey pair from last year. Tonight we went to the park and would you believe it?! The kids are about 10 times better than last year. They both went around about 10 times and fully without my assistance. Leo is most excellent at falling and what dramatic falls he can make. Now, if we can only convince him to get up quicker so nobody skates over his beautiful rosy red cheeks. Some day the girls are going to love those cheeks. Drew didn't bring his skates but he was there to cheer us on. We all had smiles on our faces and it was so Canadian that I held onto both kids' hands and sang the national anthem. Mostly I was happy that there is hope - they may indeed one day learn to swim as well.

Next time I'm going to have Drew bring the video camera and I'll post some video of our fun skating adventure.

Got Out of My Bed!

THe kids went to bed late last night - 12 am to be exact. Church was 9-11. Leo slept through it all but in typical fashion - not Mazie. I figured they would sleep in a bit this morning. As usual, mom and dad were awake before them. Leo came in around 8 ish and wanted to crawl into bed with us. We tried to get him to wake his sister but he didn't want to. He said she would be too cranky if he woke her. He's probably right. However, she followed very shortly after wards and they ran upstairs to wake Auntie and Uncle. We opened stockings and Santa's gift and then had breakfast while Auntie and Uncle went to church. We eagerly awaited their return so we could open the rest of our gifts. We didn't finish until after 1:00. It was great because it wasn't over in a flash! It's almost 4 and we all just remembered we need to eat to stay alive so we had a quick thrown together lunch while we wait for dinner to arrive.

Merry Christmas everyone! Pictures to follow later. For now, I'm having a nap.

He knows if you've been good or bad

8:16 am
"Stop!" "No, you stop." "Move!" "I was here first." "Get out of my way!"
and on and on and on

8:21
"Mazie! You better be good for goodness sake." "It's Christmas eve and Santa Claus is coming tonight you better be good."

8:23
"Come, sit here. Do you want to sit next to me?" "Sure, here's some of my blanket."

I wish this would work for every day of the year. However, it's 8:36 am and I am wondering how long they can sustain this level of energy. It's going to be a very long day. I'm thinking perhaps workign from home was not a good idea. Church is 9-11 tonight. It's going to be a looooog day.

Not that we ever had any hopes....

but what little we did have are all now shattered. We will never be able to buy a home in Toronto. See newspaper article from The Star below.

New home buyers may face down-payment hike
December 21, 2009


TORONTO–CTV says Ottawa is considering raising the minimum down payment for home buyers as well as reducing the amortization period in order to stop some consumers from taking on too much debt.

In an interview with CTV Question Period, to be aired next week, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says the measures will be taken if there's evidence of excessive demand in the housing market.

Flaherty says that the new measures would target consumers "who are taking on obligations that they will not be able to handle in the future when the interest rates do rise."

He says the likely measures the government will take is to increase the size of the down payment from five per cent "to a higher figure" and to reduce the amortization period "from a maximum of 35 years to something less."

Those measures would increase the monthly payments, making it more difficult for some people to take on a mortgage and purchase a home, without having to increase the interest rate.

Last week, the central bank warned that when interest rates rise to normal levels, up to 10 per cent of households could face difficulties in meeting monthly payment requirements.

Pageant Woes

We had the annual Christmas pageant yesterday and it was fabulous as always. The kids are so cute. Mazie was again an angel and Leo was a shepherd. I had the best photos of each of them but unfortunately erased them off the camera only to find that they didn't properly upload onto the computer. I guess it was only a matter of time that that happened. I am pretty bummed though as I was looking forward to sharing them with all of you. We got home pretty late after a very long day (lunch at Father Peter's with the seminarians and a 7:30 carols and hymns concert for Uncle Jason at his church. My kids were angels and after being gone all day and going to be late we decided to let Leo stay home and chill out and laze around the house. Unfortunately right now Drew is mediating a pretty big fight with his sister in their room right now.

Drew took the car in this morning and we just learned that we have to have some major work done on the brakes - again as they broke. That's pretty bad news right before the holidays. I suppose its bad news anytime really. We'll get over it.

We got a Tree

Same place as last year only no snow this time. Weather was beautiful. Only about 2 degrees but no wind. Had a great time and got a beautiful big tree we'll put up maybe tomorrow. Today is hockey. Mazie couldn't do the walking so we sat by the fire and ate marshmallows which I don't mind one bit.

100.9

Mazie had an unexplained nap y'day which is a sign of doom. SUre enough, she woke w/ a sore throat so I decided to work from home in case Drew would need a car to take her to the doc. Since we've been meaning to take her anyway for an unrelated matter re: leaky pee we took this opportunity to take her in. Turns out she has strep throat and some sort of UTI. At least we hope that's what it is. Dr. gave her antibiotics but ordered another urine culture to see what's going on. Poor litte baby is so sick today with fever. I gave her pedialyte popsicles that I bought at Walgreens when they were babies and brought here just in case they didn't have that stuff here. They don't and I never had to use them until now.

Hopefully she's better by Saturday because we have our first ever live hockey game we're going to. Ontario March of Dimes has a special day devoted to it since it's Disability Awareness Day. I've heard its pretty fun even if it is the minor leagues. And in the morning our plan is to go cut down our CHristmas tree. I don't think it will be as fun this year since we don't have snow. That is the only time you will hear me complain about not having snow and its only because we won't be able to drag our tree in it to get it to the car. It will be just as cold though as it's expected to be 1 degree.

Drew is at parent teacher conferences right now. We had both planned to go but someone had to stay home w/ Mazie. Leo's pretty happy w/ his report card which is good. I think it's impossible at this school to get an A though which is frustrating. It will be interesting to hear how it went.

Preparing for the Holidays

So the kids have begun to count down the days until Christmas and we pulled out our decorations yesterday. I had a complete fit (this was a total inside fit - the kind where your husband knows something is wrong and asks but you say nothing sort of fit.) I was upset because decorating just really sucks when you live in a 2 x 4. It gets all cluttered and there isn't anywhere to put anything and we hardly have any decorations anyway. But then I sucked it up because at least we have a warm home with lots of love. I really shouldn't complain about such things. I've just had this dream about some day having a fireplace and above it I could display my Christmas village and put up garland and have a big giant tree in my living room. As it is now, a tree doesn't fit and we have to borrow land from the upstairs neighbors. See why I didn't tell my husband about the internal fit I was having? We did our decorating and Drew and Jason put up the lights and then we got ready for the Thanksgiving party at Melanies house. We had such a great time. It was packed full of all of Melanies friends so they all happened to be nurses in the chemo unit. I should have been a nurse. I feel so at home with all of them and really had a teriffic time. The food was amazing and abundant. I didn't gorge myself though. The kids had the entire basement to play and there was games and a train table and a ping pong table and a craft table and lots of kids to have fun with. Drew sang tons while Claire played the piano. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Friday night I made some Pillsbury snowman Christmas cookies for a snack while the kids and I vegged on the couch watching Skyrunner (about a boy who gets visited by a UFO and aliens try to get him and he hits puberty because of it) It was great fun. I also bought a package of Pillsbury Gingerbread dough and I have a cut out and bought some frosting. The kids were reminiscing this morning about making Christmas cookies with Grandma Maxwell last year. Lots was different about last year. For one, we already had snow. Tomorrow is the last day of Novemeber and I think it's been something like 50 years or so without snow in November. I just would like to have a white Christmas though. Who wouldn't?
In Sunday school we're getting ready for our pageant which is on the 14th. next week is rehearsal. The kids will also have a concert at school that we are all looking forward to. We'll do some traditional things like make gingerbread houses out of milk cartons with graham crackers. I suppose we'll have to find time to do a family picture too. I doubt the Christmas letter will get out in time. In fact, I'm sure of it but when does it ever?
I've got to go now and fish out my little girl who is having fun in the tub in her swim suit with about 20 Barbies. I'm sure she's grown a fin or two by this time.

A Canadian Parade

You don't see this at the Fiesta Bowl parade that's for sure!

For the past 3 years we've gone to the Toronto Santa Claus parade. However, it falls on a Sunday so it's sort of hard with Drew being a Deacon and all to get away on a Sunday. So when Jason told us he was going to be singing on a float in the Oakville parade we jumped at the chance. The parade was at 9 am which meant leaving a bit after 7 since its about an hour away. Drew went early though and set up chairs. The weather was pretty warm so it was fantastic! Afterwards we took a walk on the Lakeshore and played at the park and then ate lunch at Lick's. It's a burger/ice cream shop and made me miss In N Out.

You also don't see this much at a Santa Claus parade either.

The Fall Dance

The fall dance at church was last weekend. It was a chance to get a new LBD (Little black dress which I did not own), my hair done, and some bling jewels. I'm not sure why all our pics happen to be in someone else's home in front of their fireplace. The wedding photo of my sister and brother in law is a nice touch though don't you think? Mazie did not go to the dance but she wanted to pose with us in her beautiful gown. I am glad she likes this gown. My mom made me this blanket when I was about her age and it is my "blankie."

For those who asked...

Drew was at the clinic with Jason because he hurt his foot while playing soccer. He is at this moment at the physical therapists. Anyway,

I thought I'd share some photos of our Halloween. It was cold and windy and the kids didn't spend too much time trick or treating. I don't think I should buy costumes if they only go to the end of the street and back. then again, if Leo had a bladder bigger than a walnut he wouldn't have had to turn home. They had more fun watching the boys do the haunted house. I think the boys had the most fun though.

There isn't much else to update about. The kids school was on the news. Apparently 11% of students and teachers were out so they put it on the news. Must be a slow day or maybe they are just sensationalizing the H1N1 outbreak. We're good so far. Due to the 6 hour wait it takes to get a shot we've decided to forego it at the moment. We might just not do it at all.

I've moved bedtime to 8 which was a good move with it being daylight savings and all. Plus, the kids get so irritable at that time and I can't take it any longer. They need more sleep and so do I. The other night Mazie woke at 1:30 and so I spent some time in her bed. I tried to secretly sneak back to mine but she caught me and ended up in my bed. She kept talking so we moved to the living room. She got the couch and I was on the floor. How that happened I'm not sure. I thought tv would distract her. By 6 I suggested we turn it off and get some sleep. At 6:30 Drew woke me up. I barely got through the day at work. Mazie seemed to do just fine at school which leads me to believe she must have been sleep walking the entire time. No wonder she made no sense. Then last night I woke many times to pee. Needless to say, I'm exhausted.

Work is going great except for the fact that the FBI rejected my prints. I had to get them redone and I'm sure I'll have to wait another 6 weeks or so before I get cleared. What can you do? Drew is busy with work. Seems to be a full time job though. The fall dance is this weekend. I bought a new dress (It was a $40 steal!) and some new bling which is so out of character for me but Paige talked me into it. I can't wait. I'll be sure to post some pics. Drew will have to wear his same old outfit - clerical collar. I wonder which color shirt he'll wear? Poor Drew. He really likes to dress up and now he never can.

I lost about 6 lbs on my diet but who ever wants to hear about that. I have to admit though that as it gets colder, it's getting harder for me to do the walking thing. Don't anyone dare suggest I join a gym. Not gonna happen folks. It's also getting harder to go at work as my schedule begins to fill up but I'm going to keep trying.

Trouble in Paradise

Tonight's dinner will consist of the lunch I packed for Leo that he never ate. Why you wonder? Well, some girls were teasing him calling his sister a weirdo and he lost his temper and punched her in the nose! Woo-hoo. Uh, oops, I mean "shame on him." He told us that he made her nose bleed and she had to go home. However, we don't really knwo the real story yet. No note was sent home and we received no phone call so I am not sure how severe this actuallywas. He said he apologized to her and we'll have him write her a letter. For now though, he's eating his lunch since he says he was too upset to eat. He then confided that this is one of the girls who follows him around all the time calling him cutie. I told him that if he is bothered by this he needs to tell the teacher. I can see how this would get old and one could get frustrated. I suppose this is only the beginning of his troubles with girls.

In other news, Drew got got his visitor's record finally. It clearly states on it however that he is forbidden from both working and going to school. He was at his wits end and traveling a roller coaster of emotions today. He called them to state the obvious - he wants this record so he can work as a clergy while also going to school. They assured him it was fine. There is nothing in writing though. In the end though, he has a SIN (SSN) and can now finally get paid.

We've decided we might get the H1N1 vaccine after all. A healthy 13 year old boy collapsed and died on Sunday and they have confirmed it was from the H1N1. We've been against it all along but I guess the media hype is getting to us. It is sort of like wearing a seatbelt. I always do because I worry if I get in an accident they'll say I deserved it if I wasn't wearing my seat belt. Will people say this if I die from H1N1 and it was preventable? And what about my kids? I could never live with myself. Anyone have any other input? I haven't heard one single medical professional say anything bad about it. I've never gotten a flu shot in my life so this is big.

I've gotta run to finish the sloppy joes. There wasn't enough old salami sandwich for the entire family.

What to do with Mazie Mazie Moo?

Yesterday I took her to the grocery store - actually we were there to get her glasses fixed - and she pulls out the cell phone that her Aunt Paige let her have. She proceeds to walk through the store and have a conversation. It all sounded so real too. The phone doesn't work. I was disturbed but chuckling at the same time. I can only imagine what people thought of me letting my 5 year old have a cell phone.

Today Drew tells me while they were at the clinic with Jason she was browsing through a magazine and came across a picture of a woman golfer in a pink shirt and says, "hm, I wonder if she is suffering from breast cancer." Drew explains that the pink is to show you support research to find a cure and she turns the page and there is a pink car and she says, "I wonder if the person who drives that car is suffering from breast cancer."

Tonight in the bath tub she was making me a guava smoothie. I am not sure how she knows about guava but even more puzzling was the way she was making it just as if it were a martini! Where has she seen someone make a martini?!

Frozen Solid!

Can I just share how mad I am right now? I just had a brownie (yeah, it's not on my diet so what?!) and I wanted a glass of milk really really bad. Well, it's frozen solid. (I had a few cuss words in there that I took out for the sake of my mother.) I am so mad! Why can't we just have a fridge that works right where half the food on the back of the shelf doesn't freeze and ruin all the time?! Is that too much to ask. Oh , and apparently a landlord that shows up whenever he pleases and then tracks dog poop all through the house?

Where the Wild Things Are

Yesterday Drew had to go downtown so he dropped me off at work and I took the bus and subway home and he picked me up at the subway station with the kids. We decided to take them to see the new movie Where the Wild Things Are since it was 2 Toonie Tuesday. We didn't have time for dinner at home so we picked something up at the mall and met some friends of ours from school. It was a great movie but the best part of all was hearing leo yelling from behind me with his friends during the dirt clod fight, "cool...that's so awesome!" Mazie cried her eyes out. She was practically sobbing and it was the cutest thing ever. When we got home Paige and Jason were worried about us since it was bedtime and we hadn't yet come home from picking me up at the subway station. We obviously don't stay out too much on a weeknight. LOL

Drew got a call yesterday from immigration Canada apologizing for the oversight regarding the visitor's record and it looks like this thing is going to work itself out afterall! We'll see though.

I haven't updated as things have been pretty busy around here. Not much exciting busy but busy nonetheless (I just love that word). so busy in fact that I never play bejeweled or farmville much anymore. Usually its Leo on the computer playing bejeweled.

Its 7:17 am so I've got to wake the kids for school and get ready to head to work. I'll try to post more later.

RIP Paula Lutz

8 years ago when I found out I was pregnant with Leo I found a chat room with women who were all expecting August 2002. We shared our excitement and talked for 9 months about our pregnancy. We shared sleepless nights and our frustrations with breast feeding, first teeth, first steps, first boo boos, potty training, temper tantrums, sippy cups, first day of preschool, first day of kindergarten, and most recently first day of grade 2. We've been together and debated things from when to turn the car seat, when to potty train, to co sleep or not to co sleep, to cloth diaper or not, to work at home or to go to daycare. We've broadened our talk to things beyond our children and we've been through several divorces, deaths of our parents, several children seriously ill or with debilitating diseases and we've been friends through it all. there have been some tough drag down fights too - mostly political or religious. We come from all over the US and Canada and South Africa and Australia. I've met 5 of them in real life and my kids have played with their kids. Today we lost our first member to breast cancer. She was the same age as I am. I can't imagine Leo losing his mother and it breaks my heart that Bradley and Brittney have lost theirs. Please say a special prayer for Paula's family. She was gone so quickly and had a horrible fight these past few months. Let this be a reminder to be faithful with your yearly mammogram and monthly breast exams.

Deep Breaths

I just got home in time to say good bye to Drew. He runs a Friday night teen thing at church. I'm trying to be supportive but its more than ideal on a friday night to have him running off when all I'd like to do is sit down on the couch and watch some tv with the family. Teens should be at the mall on Friday night anyway. Did I just say that? I guess I have to take it back.

It's raining and it took me an hour and 20 minutes to get home tonight. I actually sat on the road in the left hand turn lane trying to turn left for 30 minutes! I was screaming in my car because I was totally stuck and couldn't go any other way. I don't normally go this way but there was something happening at the Islamic cultural centre and cars were everywhere so I was trying to avoid that mess.

In addition to the commute, the rain also ruined my daily walk. Since my birthday at the beginning of the month I decided I needed to go on a diet. I've never done this before in my life but my winter clothes weren't fitting me and I knew it was time. I've been walking every lunch hour for 30 minutes since I began my new job last month. I've enjoyed this bit of it and I also started doing some strength exercises 2 x/week. I don't like this part but it doesn't take too long thankfully. The part I absolutely hate is the cutting back on food part. I feel like I'm starving at all times and that just really sucks! All I think about is eating which is the main reason I've never gone on a diet. Seems to make things worse. Let's not say diet - I'm trying a change in lifestyle. For life? Really, for life I can't eat fun things? This really sucks. Add to it that I LOVE to cook. It's really one of my only passions. And guess what? Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! It's really on Monday but Paige and Jason are leaving so we're doing it tomorrow while they are still in town. I'll try not to pig out. I still have to go to the grocery store and buy all the stuff. What a day tomorrow is going to be.

Mazie failed her eye exam at school today. That's not good considering she did the exam with her glasses on. I suppose we can expect to have to get new ones when she goes in a few weeks to the eye doctor. Fun stuff! Deep breaths.

Decorating Time

So, the apple goody is in the oven and the boys just got down from the wet roof putting up the Halloween lights. Pumpkin pie and cool whip are ready. The new neighbors came over to say hello and the old neighbors and over and the kids are running around wild. It's a great day.

We went to church this morning and stayed for the luncheon. On the way home Leo said that they talked about going to a quiet place in your home to talk to God. Leo asked me where a quiet place would be. Unfortunately that doesn't exist except maybe in our bathroom. maybe. So he proclaimed that he wants his own room. This isn't the first time he's said that. His sister is a slob and I feel badly for him. We got to talking about how we would have our rooms would be decorated and Mazie said she would have a bed like mine (she meant "made" but I doubt that will happen). Then I suggested that if we got a bigger home someday with our own rooms maybe we could have a special room or space for our prayer bench. Mazie suggested the prayer room would be pink and white striped and Leo exclaimed that this would totally clash with the prayer bench and prayer rooms must be brown. So there you have it.

Apple Picking

It's a tradition that every fall we go apple picking. Last year it was a bit too crowded so we decided to try a new spot this year and it was just perfect. Drew said we should go even if it was raining because it always rains here so if we let that stop us, we'll never go. Plus, next weekend is Thanksgiving and after that we're afraid it would have been too cold. So, even Paige with her cold decided to go and it turned out to be a lovely day with only a light jacket needed. The spot was so cute and not crowded at all or too commercialized. We had a tractor ride, roasted weenies and corn on the cob (Paige even tried a weenie). We got a picture of it and we just knew pregnancy might turn her onto to hot dogs much like I started to eat hot wings when I was pregnant with Leo. We got a bunch of apples and I plan to make apple goody tomorrow night after our church family luncheon.

After apple picking we had to head over to the church to finish building the ping pong table that Drew had the church buy for the teens. He started building it last night so it was supposed to be a quick trip. 2 1/2 hours later we were in the car headed to dinner at 8:00. It was my birthday dinner since last night Drew had to work. We ate at 9 but it was well worth the wait because Cynthias OK Chicken and sweet and sour prawns are to die for. Not to mention the veggie fried noodles and the satay chicken. Yum! We all pigged out and now the kids are conked out in bed and I have a quiet moment to check in with you and share some pictures from our day.

Quick Update

It's been hectic around here. Drew worked 3 nights this week and it really makes a huge difference when he is gone at night. In laws are here which has been great fun. Too bad I have to work. They'll be leaving on Monday so we'll have all weekend to spend together. We plan on going to Buffalo to shop. I was hoping to squeeze in a leaves tour as well but we had a warm spell this week so they haven't changed yet. I bet by Thanksgiving (canadian one) they'll be perfect and we can take a scenic drive. We can't seem to convince them to stay that long.

Kids have the day off tomorrow so I am looking forward to not having to make lunches. I truly detest making lunches. It would be much easier if there was something Leo could eat or would eat. I'm trying to fatten him up a bit so I've increased his oreo dosage to 3. Mazie was pissed. Such is life around here. Both kids are doing well though.

I'm still settling in to the new work routine and learning the ropes. I've learned that there are over 100 different routes I can take to and from work and they all take me an hour. I also leared there are about 10 gas stations on the way and they are all on the other side of the street. getting up really early does cut down on traffic but it also increases my caffeine intake. Which is worse- caffeine and all the cream and sugar I add to my coffee or high blood pressure from the traffic? Plus, I am NOT a morning person. Turns out I need some high security clearance which involves fingerprints from the FBI being that I am American and all so its holding things up considerably. I am trying to be patient and not form any opinions based on the fact that I am still bored to death and even worse, don't have access to personal email or facebook. Gasp! I'm not sure how I'm going to keep up my farmville or this blog. It's 9:28 and the kids are in bed so I have just a few more minutes and I'm going to use them up on the most awesome book I'm ready that I never have time for anymore either. The weather has been so nice that I've replaced my lunch hour booktime for walking which I know is much better for me but not as fun. Oh well, it will start snowing soon enough and those will stop.

I am sure I'm boring you to death and half my readership is right here so they don't need an update.

Good night

This one you gotta watch

This is video from our vacation at Walt Disney World.

Second Day at work

It's been 2 days of the new job and I am so very happy! It's all good so far but I'm extremely exhausted! Learning new stuff is very tiring. Plus, I got up really early so I could beat the traffic and get home early too. It was a nice drive and even better getting home at 4:15.

Time for beddie bye. First I've got to get the kids to bed and must remember to call Mazie by the name she has requested - Alice.

The Best Day Ever

Yesterday was quite possibly the most perfect day. The weather was a typical southern California perfect 80 degree and sunny day. Drew and Leo and I took a bike ride in the morning to a little pond not too far away. It's secluded in a little neighborhood and just so Monet-ish. Mazie didn't want to come becuase she was mourning that we decided not to go to the airshow. I had rented Disney's Earth and I knew if we went to the airshow we wouldn't get to see it. I did want to go to the airshow but it is always so crowded and I wasn't exactly up for that. After our bike ride, we went to McDonald's for our last day of summer together. The whole family watched Earth and then when I was falling asleep we took a break to have a nap. Ahhhh. I had no worries over my head about returning to work the next day. Then we played Trivial Pursuit outside with Paige and Jason until the bees attacked us and we were forced to go inside. Drew and I kicked butt but the game isn't over. We had to stop to eat dinner which consisted on pork chops with stuffing and gravy. Yum! Afterwards it was baths for the kids and we finished Earth and put them to bed. They gave us no problems despite being eager for school the next day. We then headed upstairs to watch Adventureland. I gave it a C but it wasn't too bad. I can't complain at all.

Drew and I dropped the kids off at school this morning without a hitch and then headed over to Panera for coffee on the patio until again the bees attacked us and we had to go inside. We were able to go shop a few minutes at Winners (no luck). We spent the rest of the afternoon taking a walk to the mall and having lunch and just mosying around killing time until 3. Oh, and I enjoyed having the house clean for longer than 30 seconds.

Hey mom, what's for dinner?

Mazie wants to make her own dinner. She says she's going to have mac and cheese with a piece of cheese on her plate. I told her that wasn't very balanced. Leo then said that his dinner will be for sure balanced. He plans on having fruit loops. That's both fruit and grains.

The President Speaks

Wow! What a news day, huh? Parents getting up in arms that our democratically elected pres wants to speak to the children. What is up? I miss home a lot but I definately don't miss this crap. I am also glad that I am not around to debate the healthcare issue which has become such a hot topic. I've heard my fair share of idiotic comments though on the debates on Facebook. I try to hold my tongue (or my fingers in this case) but sometimes I just can't. LOL

In more important news though, we found out which teachers our kids will have next year. I can't believe they wouldn't tell us until the day before school starts! Even better is that they will no longer post the class list due to "privacy laws." Now you have to go into the school and they will tell you who your teacher is. You have no idea which kids are in your class. How unfun is that?! Leo was up last night with anxiety about the new school year (the next 4 days are going to be fun!) and I was hoping that once he knew all his old buddies were going to be in his class, he would feel better. No such luck. I've heard that in another district they assign kids a number and you look them up that way. What is this world coming to? We'll all know who is in our class on Tuesday when school starts anyway. I bet next year they'll have little confessionals that you go into and they'll secretly whisper the name of your teacher in your ear. Ridiculous.

But I suppose there are more pressing battles that need to be fought in this world.
Oh, and by the way, today is my last day! I'm going out to Mucho Burrito to celebrate.

Wasaga Beach

Wasaga Beach in 2006 (Our First Father's Day in Ontario)














Wasaga beach 2009






We've been wanting to go to the beach all summer but it seems either it's raining or we are busy and we haven't had a single day free. So, yesterday even though it was raining, I decided at the last minute to just go. After all, there wouldn't be a crowd today and school starts soon, fall is approaching and we wouldn't have once gone to the beach this summer. So, we got dressed (in our pants and sweatshirts) and headed out. Paige and Jason followed along in their own car. The drive is about an hour and a half north of us. It didn't rain and actually the sun was out for most of the time although it was cloudy and windy. We had been there once before but the kids didn't remember. Mazie had her clothes off in the parking lot before we even got down to the beach. She went right into the water. I wished I had brought my suit. The water is shallow so you can go out a long way and Mazie was going out much further than I was comfortable with. The water was very warm though and I managed to get my feet wet. Mazie is through and through a california girl! She loves the beach as much as I do.
Everyone else mostly spent their time in the bar looking out at the water eating nachos and drinking beer (well, not Paige or Leo).
Oh, I almost forgot! On the way we stopped at a great little family farm and picked up some fresh corn and peach pie and played with the chickens, goats, and bunnies.
On the way home we decided to take the long way so we could soak up the green and beautiful scenery and dream about one living in the country in a cute little farm house. It was a fantastic day and just what we needed!

Fall is in the Air

Last night I was grilling bbq chicken and I looked up to find that some leaves in the tree next door were turning red. I knew I could sense fall in the air and then when we went to the park to play some ball, I was a bit chilly. SO, in an effort to hang on to the last bit of summer I figured I should get what might be my last iced coffee of the year. I stopped at McD this morning. I haven't had a lot of opportunity for iced coffees this summer because it's been pretty rainy and cold. I only get iced coffees when its sunny and warm. I almost had to turn on the heat in the car as I sipped my coffee iced. I don't like change. Why is it a major seasonal change happens at the same time that school resumes? Having the kids return to school and our schedules turned upside down is enough change for me. Add to it that Drew will be increasing his hours at church and I've had enough. Oh wait, there's the whole new job change as well. Don't get me wrong, this is a major victory for me. For those of you who are aware, this has been a long time coming. I am happy about it but at the same time, it's another major change. Plus, I tend to worry. What if this and what if that? I've heard that chronic worrying cuts your life by 16 years. Yet another thing to worry about. I resigned on Monday and will start my new job on Sept. 9th. I've been able to work it out so that I am off for the kids first day of school! I am so happy about that. I can walk them to school and see them off and meet their teacher and then I can pick them up and hear all about it. Yeah! If you want more details about the new job, feel free to send me a message and I'll gladly spill the details.

We've got a lot to do to get ready for school - Leo needs a haircut and we have to get him a backpack and some proper fitting clothing. We'll need to get refills on epipens. We find out their new teachers next week. I remember how exciting it was to walk down and see my name on the board and find out my teacher and who was going to be in my class. It's no less exciting now that I'm a mom.

Twister

I doubt it made the national (or even international) news but we had some tornadoes last night. We've had warnings in the past but nothing quite like this one. When we heard that one went over Vaughan Mills mall which isn't too far from our house we decided to check it out. We went outside and heard our neighbors say they had their kids in the basement. All over the news it was telling everyone to take cover so we kindly let Paige come downstairs and we even let her bring the dog along with her wedding photos and dissertation. We hung out in the basement for an hour or so watching the news. THere were many tornadoes in the area and there was a lot of damage in surrounding communities with roofs torn off and buildings destroyed but nothing in our area. The kids were so very excited, scared, nervous, etc. All we got was rain though. There was an 11 year old boy killed in another city but details are not so clear. IN any case, it was an exciting evening and the pizza delivery man who had to come in the middle of the tornado watch in the torrential downpour was not happy at all! At least Paige gave him a $10 tip. I don't know what the other man was doing coming to pick up a broken tv in our garage for $50 was thinking. When he asked Drew to help him carry it to his car all I could think of was how lightening was going to strike him dead right there in the driveway. I am pretty sure that carrying large electronic equipment in a lightening storm is not a good idea. Paige ended up doing it though since it took too long for Drew to get his shoes on. She was not struck luckily.

Happy Birthday Leo

Leo turned 7 on Tuesday! I woke up to what I believed a mystery illness and stayed home from work to rest and thus was able to spend the entire day with Leo. It started out with me making him a fried egg because this of course is his favorite thing. We hung out all day just waiting for evening to come so we could celebrate. His last game was also tuesday. His coach didn't show up which pretty much sums up the season. Luckily he has 2 excellent assistant coaches who are dedicated and positive, me being one of them. :) The ref didn't show either. I figure its probably becuase I sent a nasty email about the poor officiating and they were trying to say "you don't like the ref? How do you like it now?!" Luckily Uncle Jason stepped up to the plate or should i say goal post? He was an awesome ref and at one point Leo got kicked in the chest with the ball and was crying and Jason wanted so desperately to stop the game to see if he was ok but he had to carry on the play. It was pretty darn cute. Leo was of course ok. He's very dramatic you may know. He wanted soooooooooo badly to score a goal that the asst. coach (the other one - not mom) told him to stay up front (we call it cherry picking) and then he told all the other kids that it was his birthday and they should kick it to Leo. He kept shouting "to Leo, to Leo!" Unfortunately the whistle was blown before he had a chance to score but it was a lot of fun! Leo improved a great deal over the season. We won't go back to this league next year but hopefully I can find something better because he really does like soccer. His banquet is on Sunday morning which unfortunately means Drew won't be able to attend since he'll be working. We'll get his soccer pics then as well as a trophy (3rd place).

After the game we went to McDonalds with Paige and Jason and ate dinner, had cupcakes, and opened presents.

The next day when I got home from work there was a note on a shoe box that said "thanks mom for making my birthday so great." Inside was a book he made for me with poems about how much he loves me and funny jokes and pictures. He is such a sweet considerate and thoughtful boy!

Leo's party will be on Saturday afternoon. He'll have a few friends over for some video games, a pinata, and most likely a pick up game of bball will ensue. He's very much looking forward to it.

We are also looking forward to the arrival of Drew's friend Eric. I think it's been about 7 years since we've seen him last. I remember he held Leo when he was a few days old and I don't think we've seen him since. He now lives in Spain. It will be nice to spend a few days with him here in Toronto plus because we have a guest its a good excuse to go to Mandarin!

Looks like we might have a Saturday's open in September and I think we'll use one of them to go to Kohl's across the border and get the kids some school clothes. WHo knows? Maybe I'll need some new things as well. Not looking forward to having to get new snow suits and snow boots. It's not too far off. Ugh! But for now it's gorgeous out and before the awful winter comes the glorious fall which I do really like. I can't wait to go apple picking again and this year we're going to drive up north for a leave changing tour.

We're Back!

Ok, so we've been back since Sunday and I still haven't blogged about my trip. THere's just so much to say that the thought of writing it all down is exhausting. I still haven't recovered from all the fun. Maybe I shouldn't have stayed up so late watching "I Love You Man." I also watched that Jamie Oliver reality show about his new restaurant "Fifteen." I love Jamie and I just love the show. Before that I took the kids to watch a neighbor friend play Tball and they played at the park. It was finally a nice night out. Summer has come to Toronto - at least for a few days. Leo had his championship soccer game. They played awesome but unfortunately lost - again. HOwever it was a good fight. His last game is next Tuesday and they'll be playing for 3rd place (there's only 4 teams. LOL) I'll be bringing cupcakes since it's his birthday that day. We've planned a party for the following Saturday but unfortunately most of his friends are out of town for the last of summer and only one boy can come. Having a summer bday sucks!

Anyway, on to our trip....
It was just perfect! NO late flights or travel issues except on the way back we flew through some pretty bad weather and had a lot of turbulence. THe kids just thought they were on another roller coaster. I don't think the flight attendant was happy that Drew and I let them sit together in front of us. They were angels on the entire trip though. They were very patient and didn't beg or whine or fight. We arrived on Sunday and we went to Magic Kingdom on MOnday, Animal Kingdom on Tuesday, Epcot on Wednesday, and Hollywood Studios on Thursday. Since we had a 6 day pass I asked the kids which park they wanted to hit on Friday before we went back to Magic Kingdom one last time on Saturday and all they wanted to do was swim all day which was more than fine for me. We stayed up late watching fireworks each night and my feet and every muscle in my body was killing me from all the walking. We were all exhausted but it was a good exhausted. It was incredibly hot and humid there and we were either wet from sweat or from rain. We had a thunderstorm every day and just went with the flow. It felt good to get a bit cooled off anyway. We were able to have dinner with the princesses one night and that was a real treat for Mazie (and I secretly think Leo really enjoyed it as well esp. since Cinderella called him Prince Charming.) Mazie got a Jazmine costume so she could show off her belly. FOrtunately I bought it a few sizes too big so she could wear it for years to come and it doesn't show her belly yet. She figured that out pretty quickly. However, her size 4 Cinderella dress that we bought her for Christmas when she was 2 is now finally getting too small and I don't want that to happen to Jazmine for a long time. We rode tons of rides and saw tons of awesome shows and swam almost everyday. We got lots of sun and I enjoyed the relaxation and spending time with the kids and grandparents. The condo was exquisite! It was hard to come home to my dark basement apt. after spending time in such a large place with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms that was bright and sunny and had a tv in each room. LOL But we're back and I've survived another week of work. Only 3 more to go before school starts. I'm starting to panic. Once school starts its always rush rush and so much to do each day. I am sure Drew thinks differently. I know he's enjoyed the summer with the kids but I also know he wants to get some work done for his doctorate. He's read a bit in the evening this week which is positive. We're still waiting for immigration so that hopefully he can get authorization to work here in Canada and get paid for it. He's been working for months but we just need that paper so we can see a paycheque. THat would be nice!

So that's the update. I'll post some pics for those of you folks who aren't on FB when I get home.

Tooth Fairy Strikes Again

I've suggested that perhaps the tooth fairy might want to hang out at our house a bit more as she has had to come twice this week. My memory is weak but I don't believe Leo's teeth fell out as early as Mazie's have. SHe lost another one yesterday. Of course, Leo leaves his in hanging by a thread adn Mazie does her darndest to pull them out. Her tooth fell out at dinner last night and she put it under her pillow. I completely forgot until i went into the change bucket this morning to get some money for coffee. It was 7:40 and I was hoping she was still asleep. I think I managed to pull it off. In case you are wondering, when Leo asked me earlier in the week if I was the tooth fairy I asked him if I looked like a fairy and started flying around the room. I then asked him if he remembered the last time he went into my wallet and saw that it was empty. I doubt he believes me. Seems as if Mazie knew all along where we were going on vacation.
They found their next clue yesterday "PLace." THey were eager to tell them and so Drew googled with them to figure out we are going to Walt Disney World. We've got it all on video thanks to the webcam. THey both sat on Drew's lap to do their research. It's very cute. Of course, as we suspected, Leo didn't initially want to go. He said it is too far. LOL Mazie was running around the house all night saying "We're going to walt disney world." She's extremely excited and can't wait, especially for the pools at the hotel. I knew she would like that. She did admit that she knew all along however. She told me she knew since she saw the pamplet I had on WDW a few weeks ago. She said she didn't want to tell daddy she knew becuase she thought he would be mad. LOL Nothing gets by this girl.

Argh! Ahoy Matey's

Yesterday a letter was found for Leo and Mazie in our mailbox from "3 Lazy Pirates." They said that they overheard Drew and I talking about our vacation in the park and because we were so careless, wanted to give Leo and Mazie some clues. The kids unscrambled the first word...."The" According to Leo, possibilities included "The California or The New York."

Today another note was left in Mazie's bike basket and they have now unscrambled the word "happiest."

The children are busy trying to figure out who these pirates are and what these clues are all about. Mom is busy trying to keep a straight face all the while dodging the question "are you the tooth fairy?" It's tough work being a parent.

Shoes, Shoes and more shoes

So by now everyone (everyone except for my kids) knows that we are going to Walt Disney World next week. We plan to hit a park a day for 6 days! That's A LOT of walking so I figure we better get some good shoes. Knowing Mazie she would want to wear her pink flip flops but that just won't cut it. Oh, and for those of you who are wondering when we are telling our kids - we plan to spill the beans this week in a scavenger hunt activity sans beer bottles with messages in them - during Adventure Club. As I was saying.... I don't want to go to Payless (or paylahs as Leo calls it)or Walmart for this purchase. I want GOOD shoes. I went to The Shoe Company which has an entire floor of girls shoes. Unfortunatley there are 2 rows of toddler shoes from infant size to size 10 and girls shoes from size 13 and up. What about the size 11's and 12's?! Plus, I don't want velcro. Velcro is the worst invention ever. Since that is all that is keeping those shoes in place, what happens after the velcro runs out? You can't wear the shoes. My kids put their shoes on several times per day and that means the velcro is bound to run out before my kids outgrow the shoe. Thus, I only want tie shoes. They hardly make tie shoes at all for boys. I suppose its not in their nature to tie shoes but come on! Plus, Mazie has her criteria as well. They must have sparklys. After all, she's "never had sparkly shoes before." Ugh! We shopped around a bit. I did find one store but the average price for kids shoes was $75. Forget it. So, while Drew is at the ROM looking at Dead Sea Squirrels, we are going shoe shopping. Wish us luck!

Inventions

It always seems that the best conversations happen at dinner. Too bad I don't eat dinner with my laptop. Therefore I need to invent something that would allow direct access from my dinner table to the computer for your reading pleasure. My kids are happily gobbling up their hamburgers (they were too dry for my husband's tastes). (Side note - he has just informed me that he did not say they were too dry. He really didn't but I know he prefers them medium rare. I just don't have that talent) Leo just had his first cheeseburger and we all toasted to it. Of course it was veggie cheese but still, he likes it. Mazie has asked for dessert - skittles with whip cream on it. That would be a no.

This weekend was the Greek Fest and we spent Friday night, Sunday night, and Drew and the kids spent today there as well. They picked me up from work which was a realy treat to be able to drive home in traffic with them instead of all alone. During our drive Mazie kept asking if we could listen the Bat Girl song. She's been asking for this for days now and finally I wanted to get to the bottom of it. What exactly is the Bat Girl song? She insisted Drew had it on his IPOD. Leo insisted there is no song for Bat Girl - it's Batman and she's just a helper and younger than Batman. We finally figured out (actually it was me because I speak 5 year old) that she was asking for Hollerback girl by Gwen Stefani. Drew says no- it has too many bad words in it. Leo says he knows all the bad words including the "O" one which is Oh My God! Mazie wonders outloud if you learn more and more bad words as you get older. She doesn't know any. My sweet sweet girl.

Lost Tooth

Once a Year

First of all I want to start by stating that I finally took some pics of Leo at soccer and posted them. It only took me a few months. I forgot to mention that Mazie lost her tooth on the way to church on Sunday. It's been 4 days now and I still haven't taken a pic. I think the minute Leo lost his I took a pic. It really does suck to be a second born doesn't it? I'm going to commit to doing that tomorrow. I would do it now that I'm thinking of it but she's in bed and i don't want to wake her.

Leo had his yearly allergy test today. Usually they just prick it but this doctor uses an actual needle and really pulls at the skin. No wonder Leo didn't want to go. Plus, he cried. I can't even watch so I don't blame him. He showed a bigger allergy to milk than he ever has before. I didn't cry though for the first time. I was expecting it given the accident we had a few months ago. So, he's still wearing his medic alert bracelet and we are still carrying epi pens. Leo doesn't seem to care and i'm looking on the bright side that at least he is ineligible for the armed forces. We took him to McDonald's and we also took advantage of the warm summer day and went to 7-11 for Slurpees. What a party!

On Strike

A few weeks ago the City of Toronto workers went on strike. This has happened in the past as well. It is a horrible time to go on strike given the heat factor and the smelly trash factor as well as the fact that its summer when most likely people would want to come visit Toronto. As a result of this strike there is nobody picking up garbage. That means that there have been makeshift dumps in the middle of city parks and lots and lots of trash. You may recall our first summer here and we blogged aobut how clean the city was? We even posted a pic of the guy who drives in his little vehicle sucking up trash? Well, that doesn't happen anymore so there is lots and lots of litter. Luckily we live in Vaughan and aren't affected.

Other things affected are the amount of graffitti in the city. Nobody is cleaning up graffiti. The parks aren't getting mowed either. Only essential ambulance services are being provided. The biggest issue I think is that all the city run daycares are closed. Most people who attend these are doing so through city subsidies. Well, they have no childcare now and can't afford to get other child care. People are losing their jobs over this. There are no community centres open. No pools. What are kids doing for summer camps? Not to mention the amount of money they are now losing because of a lack of these services.

It's all run by greed I tell ya. That was the downfall of the Gosselins too but don't get me started on that!

That's all. Just a little informative post about the affects of the strike. You're welcome.

Amazing

Several years ago my mom bought the kids a calculator. It was one of those types for kids but actually did work. Mostly they have used it to play spies with. They have gathered many household items for their spy missions which is one of their favourite things to do.

Leo is very good at math and is often doing calculations in his head. So imagine yesterday when he pressed 12 + 12 on the toy and it responded with 24! He freaked out and came running to Drew amazed at how it knows the answer. He said, "Dad, Dad watch this. It KNOWS it." Then he kept doing other calculations over and over to see if it knew that and it did. AMAZING!

Dead Sea Squirrels

Drew has been talking lately about how he wants to go with Father Peter to see the Dead Sea Scrolls which are now being displayed at the Royal ONtario Museum downtown. So yesterday Mazie was asking Drew when he goes, what she will do. SHe kept asking him when he was going to see the dead squirrels. We had no idea what she was talking about. Finally we figured it out and told her it was scrolls- dead sea scrolls. Scrolls are paper.
Mazie- Paper? Dead paper?
Drew - No, dead sea.
Mazie - THe sea is dead? Does that mean all the fish and everything are dead? Why would you want to see that?!

It was hilarious. I just wish they would never grow up.

Now that Actor Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films has come forward to admit he had H1N1, AKA Swine Flu, I thought I might write to inform you that most likely Mazie did indeed have this flu as well. It was finally confirmed by the lab that my friend who watched Mazie before her illness did indeed have H1N1. We are not at all surprised and hope that if this flu returns in the fall, Mazie will have immunity.

In other news, we've been enjoying our summer by doing things you do in the summer such as catching the ice cream truck to enjoy a popsicle while it melts down your arm, playing at the park, going to the water park, walking to get TCBY, and grilling out on the BBQ. Oh, and Friday night we gathered our blankets and chairs and watching a movie under the stars at the park. Hopefully it will be a bit warmer this weekend. We are also doing things that you don't like to do over the summer such as putting on bug spray, sunscreen, sweeping mulberries that fall all over the steps, mowing the lawn and washing the kids feet after a day in flip flops. Oh, and I can't forget the fact that the kids are staying up much later than school days but the good thing is that they are sleeping in much later. They slept until 10 am on Sunday!

I think we'll be enjoying another late afternoon thunderstorm today which is always nice, unless I have to drive home in it. I'm already looking forward to next weekend. I think I should refrain from renting any movies though. I got 2 of them and didn't have time to watch either one. Well, I tried watching "The year my parents went on vacation" but I was falling asleep. Drew commented that the movie was aptly named as it seemed a year long. I ended up going to bed instead. I'll be returning that and "Australia" without watching either one. It was an impulsive movie rent anyway. Mazie was at drama class Saturday morning and so I was walking around killing time and went into Blockbuster and thought I'd get some movies. Dumb idea. I also got some soy "paremesan cheese" stuff for Leo to put on his spaghetti, tofutti "sour cream" for him to put on his baked potatoe this week, and some soy yogurt which didn't get eaten. I made him try it though and so it got on the spoon. The same spoon he was using for his cereal. I later caught him eating his cereal with his hands because he didn't want the gross yogurt spoon contaminating his Cinnamon Life.

To answer your questions from previous comments, we are going to Walt Disney WOrld. We haven't told the kids because they'll absolutely bug us every second of the day about it if we do. We are considering telling them perhaps a few days before we go. We don't want them to die of excitement. They won't go on Thundermountian because it will be way too scary for them based on our experience from previous rides. Space Mountain, which happens to be my favorite ride, is closed for repairs.

GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL!

No Leo did not score a goal last night but they did win their first game finally. I am afraid it will be a while before Leo scores his first goal. He mostly enjoys watching the game and really gets into it. We have to remind him that he is actually "playing" in the game. We went to McDonalds afterwards to celebrate.

Today is Canada day. It's our 4th. I can only remember what we did last year which was when Nancy and Leo and great grandma were here visiting. We have many options this year but it's supposed to rain so I'm not sure if we'll be doing any of them. I wish fireworks didn't start after 10. I have work in the morning.

I'm getting very excited about our trip which is now a month away. We haven't told the kids yet but it's getting harder and harder to keep it a secret. I just measured them though and found out they are tall enough for both Splash mountain and Thundermountain. Not that they'll do either one.

Happy Canada Day!

So Much To Say

Today is the last day of school for the kids. Leo survived grade 1 and in fact is having a little difficult with the idea that school is over for the summer. He already misses his teacher. Next year he will either be in a 1/2 split or a 2/3. We'll have to see what they decide. He got his report card and it has improved in most everything. He got all A's and B's. I was a bit perplexed that his music grade went down from a B to a B-. Not sure how a kid in the most prominent choir in the GTA could not get an A in choir. Mazie doesn't get grades; they just write a bunch of gobbly gook and give suggestions for things to work on over the summer. There is a possiblity that she may get Leo's teacher next year and be in a SK/1 split. That would be interesting.

In any case, summer is upon us. I came home to daddy and the kids doing crafts at the table. He is inspired to start an adventure club with them and make the summer fun. We spent $75 on ink today so that they could print the pictures from their adventures over the summer. I suppose that is still cheaper than camp, eh? We also picked up some playdoh and markers for something to do. I caved and let them each pick out a Playmobil toy. It seems that this always revives their old playmobil set and they can have hours of fun with it.

So after going out to get some dinner, a few t-shirts for Leo who has finally outgrown his size 4 shirts, some sandals for Leo, and toys mentioned above, I was saddened to hear about Micheal Jackson's death. I am completely surprised by how emotional I felt. I suppose it's more becuase it was a big piece of my childhood. I remember watching Thriller on MTV about a million times and rockin out to all the tunes. They are playing them non stop on the radio which is so cool! I feel like I should just drive around all night and listen in the car with the windows down. It sure would be cooler that way.

We aren't using the A/C although we desperately need it. It doesn't seem to cool down the upstairs at all and it freezes us out here in basement so much that we keep asking them to turn it down. They are in hell up there. Paige came down to our bathroom this mornign to do her makeup since she couldn't stop sweating up there. We just decided to save some money and aggravation and turn it off.

I have worked up quite the sweat though becuase upon our arrival at home I looked down to see a split open mouse with guts pouring out and a detached tail. Luckily Drew took care of the body and I was only left with the tail which I could handle. I did however have to mop the kitchen floor. It needed it anyway but not exactly what I wanted to be doing at 9:30 at night.

We're looking forward to the weekend. We've got Ribfest which is always awesome. the south brings forth all its glory up here to the North that knows nothing about southern cookin and it's fabulous. Drew is going to be on a radio show on Saturday morning. He asked me to come along since its a spot about our conversion to Orthodoxy. Nothing panics me more than the thought of sitting next to my incredibly well spoken husband and discussing religion - the topic of his dissertation. So, I passed. I had visions of Bobby Brady. We're hoping to get a swim in at the local pool and who knows what else. Unfortunately Canada Day falls on Wednesday, July 1. i don't have off on Thursday and fireworks don't start until well after 10:00. That will be interesting.

Good night for now. Rest in peace Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, the king of pop. I can remember playing Charlie's Angels every Sunday night at Borchard park as a kid while my mom played softball. We'd go climb a few plum trees and eat them and get juice all over our hands and arms and then go fight the bad guys. Ah, the good ol' days.

Thievery

Mazie's been talking a lot lately about jail and crime and police and anything related. SO it was no surprise when after seeing UP in 3D she had questions about the main character who hit someone and made the man bleed and then had to go see the judge. She wanted to know what exactly goes down in a courtroom. I was hoping my answers were preparing her for a future career in law so I taught her the terms guilty and innocent. She asked if she could just say "I did it." I wondered if she had something to hide at that point. SHe insisted she doesn't. I then wondered if she thought I was going to jail for some reason. So, it was only appropo when on Sunday morning I found out that yet again, someone had stolen our ATM info and is now $500 richer. THis isn't the first time this has happened. No, my card wasn't stolen but I was notified on Friday that they shut down my card due to suspected fraud. Not sure how it all works. I just know that I went to Mr. Souvlaki for lunch and couldn't use my card until I visited the ATM to change my PIN. So when I checked my account online on Sunday and saw that $500 was taken out of the ATM she was intrigued. Leo just kept saying he wanted to find them and punch their faces. I am hoping we can get it all straightened out at the bank today. I just don't understand why this happens so much more in Canada than the U.S. Never once did this happen to me in the U.S. I lived there for 33 years. It's happened twice here and once to a friend of mine here as well. Drew's theory, and he might be right, is that they just simply don't prosecute as much here. I just hope I get my money back. I even had a supposedly new smart chip that was designed to prevent this thing. Going back to UP, please remind me the next time I want to see a 3D movie that it just isn't a good idea. While I think it is really cool, and I'll definately be tempted to see Toy Story 3 in 3D, it strains my eyes like there is no tomorrow. I had to keep closing them and then taking off the glasses and watching the show in blurry.
On to other news, I found a cooking blog that is just fantastic. It's called Our Best Bites. I've made several things off it that are just wonderful. I wish I had the artistic ability to make a cooking blog that could support my lifestyle. THese 2 mom's have done it. I made their Jambalaya last night and it was awesome. I also highly suggest the Thai beef skewers. Yum!
Our first day of summer yesterday was fantastic! COuldn't have asked for more perfect weather and it's predicted to be in the high 20's this week. I drove by the big snow mound that they make each winter along the Allen. It was considerable smaller today. I wanted to show it to Drew because he doesn't believe me that it is snow. It really truly looks like a big pile of dirt. I also thought about Christmas and how I used to long for a white Christmas. 3 winters here though and I think if we had a warm California like Christmas I would be just fine this year.
The kids get out of school this week and I am frightened. THey have been such a handful lately. Leo always used to be a handful. It was expected. However, just recently I was thinking to myself how he is so much easier now that he is older. What was I thinking?! I completely asked for it by doing that. He has a reputation to uphold and now he is back with a vengeance, mostly trying to make life for his little sister miserable. Don't get me wrong, they are best of buds. It's sort of a love/hate relationship if you know what I mean? Drives me nuts. Come Sunday night, I need a vacation from them. I don't know Drew is going to do this with the kids 24/7 for the next 2 months stuck at home w/o a car. Deep breaths.

Isn't It Ironic

http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/article/650782

Happy Anniversary

Congrats go out to Aunt Donna and Uncle Mike, Dennis and Teri, and Paul and Molly for your wedding anniversary. Seems like June is the month to get married! Please let me know if you did anything special. Perhaps I can live vicariously through you. We have no plans this week and P and J will be out of town so no chance of a babysitter either. It's ok by me though.
Many of you commented on the dehumidifier. First, I have to let you know that it was a few spots of mold beginning to grow. I cleaned right away as soon as I noticed it. THat was just in case you pictured our bathroom ceiling looking like a cave or something. It's pearly white now. We do have a dehumidifier/A/C but we let the upstairs neighbors use it. It gets really hot upstairs so if they use the portable A/C instead or turning on the central A/C it saves a ton on energy and our bills. Plus, it's still very cool in our basement and we'd get frozen out if they turned on the A/C now.
We ended up doing pretty much nothing all weekend. We were just too lazy to do anything on Saturday and ended up staying home and playing games. I suppose this is better than going out and spening a lot of money. We did take a walk around the block with the dog. Mazie couldn't make it, started having a coughing fit, and Drew had to carry her home. She gets very tired out easily and coughing all night doesn't help. We've decided to keep her home from school again tomorrow and hopefully she can return on Thursday. THere is only 1 week of school remaining.
Another few items mentioned in the comments was Zyrtec which is not available here. I've checked. P and J are going to the US this weekend. I think I'll have them pick some up as well as graham crackers. We're trying to cut down on PopTarts due to the sugar content. The other thing was a pawn shop. You know, I've never seen one here? They must have them though. I'm going to check this out. Not that I want anything from one - I'm more likely to find something useful at Value Village or Once Upon a Child these days. I'm just curious to know if they exist up here.
Happy MOnday everyone. Is this going to be the week that I find a job where I don't dread waking up and going to each and every morning? I usually start out Mondays feeling pretty hopeful and I must admit that for the last few Friday's I've driven home in the traffic with tears streaming down my face for another week has gone by and nothing. It is frustration beyond belief. But for now, I've got my coffee and my morning glory and my pants are slightly loose this morning - the sun is shining.

Saturday

I am hoping our bad luck has changed. Drew was able to get our computer fixed and it was only about $150. which is a lot better than having to buy a brand new computer. Fortunately, nothing was lost. Mazie seems to be getting better although she still has a horrible cough. She felt so good last night that she was running around playing spys with Leo. I knew something was wrong when Leo came running in and grabbed Mazie's water cup and left. I could tell on his face and went to see what was up. Mazie was sitting on the ground trying to breathe with tears streaming down her face. She was having a horrible coughing fit. I screamed for Drew and ran downstairs to get her nebulizer which we haven't used in a long time. Luckily there was some albuterol in there. It was expired but it did the trick this time. We had planned to go to the beach but we didn't tell the upstairs neighbors that this meant getting up early so we could beat the crowds. it didn't happen which is ok since it is suddenly cloudy again. Welcome to Toronto folks. After sitting around wondeirng what to do, hiking, picnic, UP in 3D for $55, Hamilton WingFest, etc. Drew left to go to the grocery store. We set on hiking and then I remembered the sick girl and decided that probably wasn't the best idea. I think we might try the wing fest in Hamilton.
So, today turns out to be a somewhat lazy day although I did manage to wash off all the mold on the ceiling in case that is what is causing Mazie to be so sick. Most likely it's H1N1 though. Before you say gross - mold.... you were aware that we live in a basement right? Well, get over it.

Tomorrow is Leo's soccer pictures. Let's hope it doesn't rain. Thunderstorms are predicted. But I think our bad luck is over for now.

Next Friday is my 10 year wedding anniversary. 10 years ago I thought to myself, "in 10 years I hope to get a beautiful ring for my anniversary." I figured for sure in 10 years we would have enough money for that. I change my mind and now I hope that for my 25 year anniversary I can get a beautiful ring.

I need ideas for father's day. Since the kids were born I've done gifts with either their picture or handprint or both. Mostly it's been pictures in special frames, etc. Last year I did a garden stone with their handprints on it. I don't know what to do this year. I'm out of creative ideas so if you have any, please let me know.

String of Bad Luck

As if the side view mirror falling off, the WII remote breaking the tv, or the blowing up of the computer weren't bad enough, Mazie is now sick. We got a call from a friend yesterday stating she was very sick and they had tested her for H1N1. She's a nurse so I figure that's the reason she was able to get tested. SHe also happens to be the person Mazie has spent several days with recently. Right after her call to see how everyone was doing, sure enough, Mazie had a fever. So the nurse friend tells us to take her directly to the ER if she gets a high fever and cough. Hang up - Mazie starts to cough. Deep cough. She woke up fine today so it seemed we were in the clear. No need to go to the dr. Drew just called to say she is coughing up a storm and perhaps we should take her to the doc. I call the doc and he's not taking any more patients today and if we want to come tomorrow we have to play beat the clock and call in much like you do a radio show and try to be the first caller. It really doesn't matter because the receptionist told us they won't swab there anyway - they are only swabbing at the ER. ON the news they say they are treating all patients with flu like symptoms as if they have H1N1 and sending them home to rest and drink water. So for now, we won't bother with seeking medical attention and stick to the motrin and try not to panic.

Luckily Drew was able to contact a neighbor and ask her to pick up Leo. I just recently had a talk with him about not going anywhere with strangers. She's not a stranger but still - she doesn't usually pick him up. Drew did call the school to let them know to release him to the neighbor so hopefully they will pass that message on to him. Drew didn't really want to drag Mazie to school with him to infect all the other kiddos. I hope my poor baby feels better soon. She had to miss primary play day today which she was so much looking forward to. She'll have to miss class tomorrow too and she only has 6 more days left until summer.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to sit at work and wonder how she's doing all the while i want to be home giving her gatorade and cuddling with her on the couch?! This is one crazy society we live in. Don't even get me started. I don't want to go there. Sure she is with her daddy and well taken care of but it's a mommy's instinct to want to make it better. Yet, here I sit playing bejeweled trying to beat my high score of 39,000.

Just another manic Monday

How many blogs out there do you think start with this each Monday? I bet about a million. HOwever, it clearly explains my day so far and it's only 9:15 am. I woke up panicked that the alarm didn't go off. Surely it can't be this light out at 6:40 I thought. Good to know that it is and I didn't sleep until 8. I got all dressed and then turned on the weather channel only to find the high today is going to be 14 and rain! Must change only I had nothing to wear. Story of my life. There was an accident on the 401 but luckily it was cleared by the time I hit the road however there was still a lot of backup. I was late to work and I'm trying to cut back on the amount of coffee I inject so I sat there on the 401 with nothing to sip. Tragedy! I knew I should've stopped at the McDonald's for an iced coffee! I couldn't find a parking space at work. What else is new? I am more late. Then about 5 minutes later I got a call from Drew saying his computer won't turn on. He opened it up and discovered where that burning smell came from yesterday. Well great. Gotta love MOndays.