Monday, April 30, 2007

Niagara Falls


Life with me is never dull that's for sure. It's always an adventure as I hear from anyone close to me. And this weekend was no different. There is a story behind this comment, but I'm in no mood to write about it. Niagara Falls was as magnificent as always, aside from the not so brilliant weather. The wind was like a hurricane and the clouds and drizzly mist made for a cold, wet experience. But standing next to the Falls is always a moment to stare in awe. The sheer power of that volume of water rushing over such an enormous area is truly one of nature's greatest productions. The sound of the rushing water is like a dull freight train in the background that never stops. I got to thinking...this waterfall has been roaring like this for thousands of years and every day it just keeps on going in a never-ending flood. It makes a person feel pretty small and insignificant in the big picture.

Friday, April 27, 2007

Off for the Weekend...

Well, I'm running around like a mad hen today...soon I'll be off for the weekend to Niagara Falls with my family. We decided that we just needed to get away for a weekend and have a change of scenery. Hopefully the weather will cooperate, because it can be uncomfortable to be walking around near the Falls when it's windy and cold. Somehow, the spray feels much better in the heat of summer! So I must quickly finish this post, after just placing more purses on my website, then get all the dog stuff organized, rush them over to the vet where they will stay, then rush to pick up my son from school, drive over to my husband's office and then we will be off for a mini-vacation...ahhh....much needed break.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Time Out

Technorati Profile

Bow Ties

Yesterday was another rushed day. I spent most of the morning looking for a bow tie. My son is in a grandparent's concert today and it is reminiscent of the 40's and 50's era. So all the boys have to wear bow ties. You'd think that after searching around 2 party stores I could find one. But I was told the only chance there'd be one was if it was in the St. Patrick's Day boxes stashed up on top of the shelves. Anyway, the store helped me out and it turns out that after all that rooting around, there were no more green bow ties left. I didn't really care what color it was as long as it had color. C'est la vie! I decided to then trek over to a men's formal wear shop (which was where I had thought of going first but didn't) and finally bought one. It was a lot more than I'd hoped, as I'm sure it's not going to get much wear. Oh, well...the things we do for our kids.

Monday, April 23, 2007

Spring Has Sprung



What a great weekend it was! Finally the weather changed and we had warm temperatures and lots of sunshine - a welcome treat, as the sun has not really been out in weeks. Some of the crocus flowers are blooming and the tulips and daffodils and hyacinth will soon blossom if this continues! This part of spring makes me really happy. Wait just a second...the sun is out but I just heard some noise and looked out the window to see rain coming down! Well, that's weather for you in Toronto. Changes as quickly as you can change your mind.


I took my son to the driving range yesterday and we had loads of fun. He has a really good swing for a young boy. I surprised myself too, with some great straight tee-offs (being that I haven't golfed in several seasons now). I must get in a game or two this year. However, my young laddie enjoys it so much that every time we driving past the driving range/mini golf, he wants to go in. What he doesn't yet appreciate is the cost associated with it each time we play! Ah, the innocence of youth.


Friday, April 20, 2007

Mom's Soul

I just received this touching message in an email and would like to share it. It's all about Moms and what we feel inside.

Before I was a Mom I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom - I had never been: puked on, pooped on, chewed on, peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests, or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put them down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom - I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom - I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Work Work Work

Last time I checked, grade one wasn't supposed to be so difficult. My son has had an what I consider to be an enormous amount of homework lately. This is partly due to his inefficient handwriting which has yet to come up to speed. Granted he is in private school with an accelerated program, but last night it took him (with me at his side) an hour and a half to finish his work. And we still didn't get everything done! I will soon pick him up and although I know he's going to want to go straight outside and play, I have got to coerce him into writing a poem for tomorrow's music class. That ought to be fun. I can remember being in 5th grade struggling to write a remembrance day poem. Eventually my mom came to the rescue with a real beauty.
Today I finished zooming around with errands - making sure I picked up some bristol board, glitter glue and a new white shirt...all of which must be used in next week's school concert (sunshine prop & grandpa costume). Even though I was warned of all the "extra" work these little ones are expected to do, I really didn't think it would be so much so fast. My philosophy is that we have a whole lifetime of hard work facing us, so why not enjoy childhood for what it is supposed to be...learning, playing and most importantly, being a kid.

Friday, April 13, 2007

Sleep

Have you ever watched your child fall asleep? It's really one of the most beautiful blessings you can experience. Sometimes I do this at night while my son falls asleep. He's never been what I would call a "good sleeper" but watching his young face pause in the moment between my reality and his world of dreams always touches my heart. I think about how precious life is and how you must stop and live in the moment sometimes. Taking the time to actually examine his smooth skin, delicate eyebrows and cherubic lips reminds me of how fortunate I am to call myself his mother.

And when I'm feeling down, as I have been this week, he always knows how to change my perspective and feel special again. Just this morning, the first thing I heard him say to me was, "Mommy I'm going to take good care of you today." How did I get so lucky to have him brought into my world? Having him grounds me as a person, makes my life real and worthwhile. I only wish I could stop the hands of time and keep these moments forever. Time marches on all too quickly.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Children

I've noticed that the more my son plays with other children in general, the more lippy he is becoming. Perhaps this is a normal spot for a 6 1/2 year old. But it still hits me like a brick wall when I hear certain things pop out of his mouth. I often find myself thinking that I would never have spoken that way to my mother or father. I wonder if I did and somehow don't remember now about being reprimanded for it. Whether I did or not is inconsequential now, because I am the parent. Short of stopping my son in the midst of his "words" and pointing out its inappropriateness, I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to make a federal case out of it, but I do want to command respect and know that he should learn the meaning of the word. I see a lack of it constantly.

Last week for instance, a boy in his class decided to tell everyone what the middle finger was about. Luckily he didn't use the words because I haven't quite figured out how to handle the whole swearing topic yet. Now maybe I sound overprotective, but I'm just trying to plant my son's mind with beauty and not vulgarity. After all, the more he struggles into life, the more it will all become part of daily life unfortunately. I feel I must do everything I can to enforce the power of positive thinking in a very negative world. We'll see what other dandy thing he comes home with tonight.

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Rushing Around

My Dad used to have an old expression that went, "the faster I go the slower I get there." Ain't that the truth? I was busy rushing around this morning as I usually tend to do when it involves the family errands. Everywhere I drove to, I got stuck at red lights or behind some slow-poke driver who was cruising aimlessly. I went to a big box store to return an outdoor light for my husband only to get stuck in a big line-up. Doesn't anybody have an office to go to in the mornings anymore? Then I couldn't get out the door I came in as it only had a sensor for incoming traffic. It seemed I had to walk a mile to find the out doors. Well, at least I worked up a sweat as I speedily walked my way to the car.

The wind today is ferocious...and much worse when you're out walking in it. The dogs love it, but I am tired of cold wind and would give anything for a taste of sun and heat these days. Sorry pooches, but your walks are being cut short these days. Mama can't take the cold no more! I hear we are about to have some more snow too, just in time for Easter weekend. Ah, April in Canada...what a lovely thing. Ha ha...

Monday, April 2, 2007

Media Today

I don't know if anybody else feels the same way as I do, but I'm very disappointed in today's media. I think the more I see of the news and the trailers for movies and new shows, the more I realize that I should have been born about 70 years ago. The world we live in today is so full of angst juxtaposed against this self-centered live in the moment attitude. It really bothers me to see the lack of responsibility and accountability in young people today.

From my perspective, our society is fed a steady diet of in-your-face graphic violence and negativity which is only doing so much damage to the young minds of our children. I'm at a point where I would like to get rid of my television. The stupidity level of the new sit-coms and bizarre, dark movies that are advertised make me shake my head and wonder, "who the hell watches this stuff?" I don't think Hollywood has a clue as to how to make a good movie with an actual story-line anymore. I haven't been to a movie in 11 years now. And I don't miss them at all. What galls me the most, is when these celebrity figures have the audacity to preach about world issues when they live in the most sheltered bubbles of excess. If we gave attention to our own country as we do to the third world, we would have an amazing place to live. So many people in America and Canada have destitute lives that need attention. But because it's not PC, it doesn't make the news.