Family adventures

Apparently I am THAT Hockey Mom

2012-02-14T12:07:00.000-05:00

Something happened at Quinn's hockey this past weekend, and I've been humming and hawing about whether or not I should blog about it. I finally decided to post about it, even though I know I will come across as a stark raving lunatic.

Quinn and Shannon play hockey at the same time. They are in an instructional league, and Shannon goes to one end of the ice with the beginner group, while Quinn skates on the other end of the ice with the 'competitive group'.

Now hockey is the one sport where Chris and I don't coach. We both love the game and know a fair bit about it, but neither of us ever played hockey, AND both of us are mediocre skaters. (yes, Aidan solidly kicks our butt in skating now).

Because we don't coach, we often sit on the bench biting our tongues. Why - you say? Well, we've both played enough competitive sports, and coached enough that we know how players, and especially young kids are supposed to be coached.

Now, back to Saturday. Quinn's 'practice' started out with two coaches, and three older kids (I'm guessing the kids were 10, 13, and 18) playing a game of coaches vs. kids. This can often be a great learning tool because you can show the kids techniques, and teach them about spacing, looking up, and passing.

You CAN do this, but this is not what they were doing. Instead, it very quickly became a game of keep away. Yep, 5 people played keep away from SIX YEAR OLDS for twenty minutes. It was beyond frustrating to watch, and you could see the little guys getting more and more dejected.

Once they wrapped up the little exercise, they decided to work on penalty shots. They lined the kids up and off they went. Quinn took his shot (which was stopped by the goalie). Next thing I know is that Quinn is skating over to the bench crying his eyes out.

He was soooo.... upset that he didn't get a goal. I managed to calm him down and told him to go back out and get in line. Then he said: "I'm not allowed to."

"What do you mean you're not allowed to?"

Another mom sitting on the bench (consoling her crying son) piped up and said: "they were told that if they miss the shot they have to come to the bench. They're only allowed to go back in line if they score."

Let's remember that these children are six years old. Let's remember that this is supposed to be INSTRUCTIONAL hockey. Let's remember that the main goal of all this is to teach kids how to play hockey and have fun.

To say I saw red is an understatement. I was absolutely LIVID. Here is my child, bawling his eyes out because some jerk of a coach told him that because he 'failed' he couldn't try again. No instruction was given on what he could do better, how he could improve.... nope, just go sit on the bench.

I immediately opened the gate, and started walking on the ice, ready to tear this coach a new one. The other mom (the voice of reason) said: "Tara, don't do it."

I took a breath and walked back to the bench.

Then I did the next best thing (in my twisted mind). I started yelling at the coach.

I'm not proud of it, but I was so furious at what was going on, so angry because my child was devastated that I started yelling at the coach.

"This is supposed to be INSTRUCTIONAL hockey!!! You're SUPPOSED to be teaching them how to play - not sending them to the bench when they miss a shot!!"

Yep. I was that hockey mom. Unfortunately, my personality is such that I cannot keep quiet when something is being done to hurt my child (or any other child). I simply can't sit there and grit my teeth and bite my tongue. Obviously it's something I need to work on, because what am I teaching my kids?

In the end, they never gave Quinn (or the other three boys standing by the bench) a chance to go back in line. After that little exercise was done, they played yet another game of keep away for the remainder of practice.

Good times.

This is how her mind works...

2012-02-11T17:07:00.000-05:00

I was making nachos, and was singing: "Nacho Man" (from the Simpsons) at the same time.

Marin pipes up: "I not a Nacho Man."

So I said: "No, you're a Nacho Girl!"

She replied: "No, I not a Nacho Girl."

Me, "Well what are you then?"

Her response? "I a superstar!"

You go girl!

Just a little off the side...

2012-02-05T12:47:00.000-05:00

Quinn has always wanted me to shave his head. As in bald. Totally and utterly bald.

I have always refused. He has such gorgeous red hair it would be a crime to take it off. AND, (as I kept reminding him) his head would get awfully cold without hair on it.

Last night it was time for a trim, so I said: "Quinn what do you want me to do?"

He looked at me with a mischievous gleam in his eyes and said: "Can you take all the hair off my sides but leave a little on the top?" (knowing full well I'd say no)

Well, normally I'd say no. This time I said: "ah why not?!?!"

He just about fell over he was so surprised!

So here is the result, my nearly bald, mo-hawked boy:

Side view:

Yep, he wanted a 'tail' down the back:

Smug little monkey!

Toothless Joe

2012-02-02T21:53:00.002-05:00

I've always beleived that Quinn would loose his first tooth when he was eight years old. As a baby, his teeth took forever to come in. In fact, the little man didn't get all his teeth until he was three years old.

Fast forward to Quinn at 6 1/2. A lot of his friends have lost teeth, some have even lost as many as SIX teeth already! Not Quinn. His teeth weren't even wiggly (hence why I thought he'd be eight before he lost one). I know his teeth weren't wiggly because last week I checked because the poor child was so desperate to loose a tooth.

Well yesterday I picked the boys up from school and Aidan said: "MOM! You'll never guess what happened to Quinn today!" I looked at Quinn, and saw a gap-toothed little monkey smiling back at me.

Apparently he was running at reccess, and his tooth spontaneously popped out of his mouth. Seriously, a previously un-wiggly tooth just up and fell out. Bizarre. Quinn immediately ran across the yard to Aidan to tell him what happened. Meanwhile the tooth in question was no where to be found.

Aidan took charge (surprisingly enough) and took Quinn to the office (because his mouth was bleeding) and had his friends search for Quinn's tooth while they were gone.

Well, the tooth was never found, but Quinn was DELIGHTED with the new hole in his mouth. Lucky for him the Tooth Fairy is very generous and overlooked the fact that there was no tooth under the pillow.

On Being Marin

2012-02-01T15:16:00.002-05:00

Marin, being the 4th child, often has to be extra loud just to be heard in our house. She gets dragged to her siblings' activities (without complaint from her), but she makes sure that EVERYONE knows she's there.

She is our little Miss Personality that one. She doesn't. Stop. Talking. Ever.

Eating dinner? She'll have a discussion with herself on the merits of carrots versus peas.

Driving in the car? She chats away or sings songs, or suddenly bursts out with: "Punch bug, no punch backs on Mummy!!!"

Playing in the family room? She talks to her babies and tells them exactly what's going on.

She talks so much (and so well), that we often forget she's not quite three yet.

That being said, there is such a thing as too much talking. You'll often hear Chris or I saying: "MARIN! Stop talking!!"

And yes, we often get strange looks from people when they overhear this.

But one thing's for sure, our little Chatty Cathy is the cutest little chatterbug there is!

(at Aidan's latest hockey tournament, cheering her heart out!)

We Go Now, or Not at All

2012-01-31T21:18:00.002-05:00

As I've said before, this has been a brutal winter for doing things outside. BRUTAL. Now for all of you who like mild, non-snowy winters, this has been the winter for you. For those of you who have children who love to play in the snow, go sledding and skating outside, this winter has sucked.

We finally got some snow this weekend, but because we were away at a hockey tournament, we didn't get the chance to take advantage of it (unless you call driving through blizzard-like conditions to a hockey arena 'taking advantage' of it!).

Because of this, I decided to take the kids straight from school to the toboggan hill yesterday. Why such a rush you ask? Well, we haven't been sledding yet this winter. Yes, you heard right. It was Jan 30, and we still had not gone sledding.

So we piled in the car with our sleds and snowpants and hit the hill.

Of course, Marin was exhausted so she fell asleep on the way to the hill - all 5 minutes of the drive! So I put her in the sled, covered her with a big blanket and off we went:

Aidan and Shannon tried to tandem - didn't work so well.

Aidan and Quinn had better luck (too bad I can't rotate the darn picture!)

One of the funniest parts of the afternoon was when Shannon started using this little "Zippy" sled. She was a wild-woman!!

Listen to the little rascal scream:

I'll tell you - I'm glad we went. Today was beautiful, sunny and 12 degrees (that's 53F for my American friends). And yes, the snow is totally, and completely GONE.

This, That, and the Other...

2012-01-23T14:32:00.003-05:00

Funny, I thought there would be some 'down time' after the Christmas holiday. Yeah right! I feel like I'm right back into: "running around like a chicken with its head cut-off " mode.

Because of this, this particular post is going to be a mish-mash of catching up.
--------
For Christmas, Quinn really wanted a Dairy Queen Blizzard maker. Auntie Jacquie and Uncle Kenneth came through, and he was beyond excited. I have to say, Chris and I had low expectations of this thing.

When it came time to make the blizzards, Quinn was bouncing off the walls. I followed the instructions to the letter (mostly because I'm anal retentive), and when I poured the blizzard mixture in..... it poured right out the bottom.

Picture this, me in the kitchen with all the kids, while a sticky, gooey quantity of blizzard mix is going all over the table and the floor. Let's just say I was extremely proud of myself for not swearing. That being said, there were a number of choice expressions that were used, including: "OH CRAP!" "CRUMB-SUCKERS", and "AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Turns out the Blizzard Maker was missing an all important gasket which was needed to ensure the mix didn't spill out the bottom. I sent an e-mail to Spinmaster, the makers of the machine. Do you know what? They sent us another Blizzard Maker, free of charge!! Yep - I couldn't believe it either. And do you know what else? That Blizzard Maker makes damn good Blizzards!!

--------
Last Monday was the first night in a long, long, time that we didn't have anything going on. Aidan had the idea to have a games night, so we played Hedbanz. I love this game because it is simple enough that even the girls can play it. Let's just say that there was lots of giggling and squealing going on as we each tried to guess what the card on our heads was. We all looked so ridiculous sporting the Hedbanz I just had to snap a picture.

---------
Last week our rink FINALLY froze!!! It has been a miserable winter for the rink. It's been more like a cold wading pool rather than a rink. But, we finally had some cold weather and the kids were out on the rink faster than we could lace up their skates. We even took Marin out on her little skates for the first time ever. Of course, today it's +8 and raining so we're back to having a pool in the backyard again. ARRGGHHH. I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but ..... we need cold weather!!!

---------
And finally, last Friday was "Dress like a superhero" day at school. Clearly my children have warped views on what constitutes a superhero, because Shannon was a "super kitty", Quinn was a Ninja, Aidan was "Super Sting dude", and Marin (because of course Marin had to dress up too!) was a "Super smartie pants."

On Being a Princess....

2012-01-14T10:25:00.002-05:00

My girls are adorable. I mean let's face it, I'm a completely un-biased, impartial source who can firmly say that my girls are adorable.

My girls are also incredibly funny, kind, smart, creative, and possibly sporty (they're only 4 and 2 so it's a little early to make a call on that one).

Needless to say, when I'm out with the girls I always get stopped by people who have something to say about them.

Take last week for example: we were crossing the border and were stopped at the Nexus agent. He looks in the car and says: "Are the Princesses good shoppers?" Now if I had really been on the ball I would have quickly fired back: "Yep, I'm a great shopper!" Instead I came out with: "ummmm... yeah... most of the time." Then he gives them a big smile and says: "well you be good for Mommy Princesses!"

Hey, I didn't want to get pulled into secondary for making a snarky comment so I drove on.

While we shopping an old man came up and said to me: "I see you have a Queen helping you shop." Again, I just smiled and said: "yep."

But as I drove home I started to think about things, and very quickly got irritated by the fact that everywhere I go, the girls are called: "Princess," or "Honey" or "sweetie." They are constantly told how beautiful their hair is, or how cute their boots are, or how adorable they are.

We were at a hockey game last weekend, and the girls wanted to wear shorts. Ummm... it's the middle of January so shorts aren't really weather appropriate attire. So we said they could, as long as they wore leggings underneath the shorts. They happily skipped off to their rooms and got dressed in their shorts and leggings. At the game, another mother said: "you're a better mother than me, I could never let my daughter out of the house wearing that!"

To which I replied: "Hey, they dressed themselves, and in my books, that's the most important thing."

Now don't get me wrong. I want my girls to have a positive image of themselves and their bodies. I want them to be confident and feel pretty. But I also want them to know that they are strong, independent, capable individuals who can do anything they want. The constant labelling of "Princesses" or "Queen" puts all the focus on what people think they look like rather than who they truly are.

My girls like to play princess, dress-up like princesses and watch princess movies; but my girls also like to play shot 'em up, hide and seek, and skate with their brothers.

And my girls? They don't take crap from anyone!

25 Rules for Moms with Sons

2012-01-10T16:36:00.000-05:00

25 Rules for Moms with Sons
Written by: Tabitha Studer at www.studerteam.blogspot.com
November 2011

After a mostly fruitless search for “rules” for mothers with sons (and a particularly hard momma day), I was inspired to write my own list to remind myself of what’s important, especially during those days that being a mom to an ever-squirming, ever-curious boy is both challenging and exhausting. Granted, my list will not be conclusive and may not be entirely uncontroversial. So agree, or disagree, or take with a grain of salt - but I hope to inspire other moms who are loving, and struggling, and tired, and proud, and eager to support the boys in their lives. You are the most important woman in his life, his first teacher, and the one he will look to for permission for the rest of his life. From "Can I go play with them?" to "Should I ask her to marry me?" It’s a big job, but as the mumma, we're up for it.

1. Teach him the words for how he feels.
Your son will scream out of frustration and hide out of embarrassment. He'll cry from fear and bite out of excitement. Let his body move by the emotion, but also explain to him what the emotion is and the appropriate response to that emotion for future reference. Point out other people who are feeling the same thing and compare how they are showing that emotion. Talk him through your emotions so that someday when he is grown, he will know the difference between angry and embarrassed; between disappointment and grief.

2. Be a cheerleader for his life
There is no doubt that you are the loudest person in the stands at his t-ball games. There is no doubt that he will tell you to "stop, mom" when you sing along to his garage band's lyrics. There is no doubt that he will get red-faced when you show his prom date his pictures from boy scouts. There is no doubt that he is not telling his prom date about your blog where you've been bragging about his life from his first time on the potty to the citizenship award he won in ninth grade. He will tell you to stop. He will say he's embarrassed. But he will know that there is at least one person that is always rooting for him.

3. Teach him how to do laundry
..and load the dishwasher, and iron a shirt. He may not always choose to do it. He may not ever have to do it. But someday his wife will thank you.

4. Read to him and read with him.
Emilie Buchwald said, "Children become readers on the laps of their parents." Offer your son the opportunity to learn new things, believe in pretend places, and imagine bigger possibilities through books. Let him see you reading...reading the paper, reading novels, reading magazine articles. Help him understand that writing words down is a way to be present forever. Writers are the transcribers of history and memories. They keep a record of how we lived at that time; what we thought was interesting; how we spoke to each other; what was important. And Readers help preserve and pass
along those memories.

5. Encourage him to dance.
Dance, rhythm, and music are cultural universals. No matter where you go, no matter who you meet - they have some form of the three. It doesn't have to be good. Just encourage your son that when he feels it, it's perfectly fine to go ahead and bust a move.

6. Make sure he has examples of good men who are powerful because of their brains, their determination, and their integrity.
The examples of men with big muscles and a uniform (like Batman and LaMarr Woodley) will surround your son from birth. But make sure he also knows about men who kick a$s because of their brains (Albert Einstein), and their pen (Mark Twain), and their words (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), and their determination (Team Hoyt), and their ideas (The Wright Brothers), and their integrity (Officer Frank Shankwitz), and fearlessness (Neil Armstrong), and their ability to keep their mouths closed when everyone else is screaming (Jackie Robinson).

7. Make sure he has examples of women who are beautiful because of their brains, their determination, and their integrity
The examples of traditionally beautiful women (like Daphne Blake, Princess Jasmine, and Britney Spears) will surround your son from birth. But make sure he knows about women who are beautiful from the inside out because of their brains (Madame Marie Curie), and their pen (Harper Lee), and their words (Eleanor Roosevelt), and their determination (Anne Sullivan), and their ideas (Oprah Winfrey), and their integrity (Miep Gies), and fearlessness (Ameila Earhart), and their ability to open their mouths and take a stand when everyone else is silent (Aung San Suu Kyi).

8. Be an example of a beautiful woman with brains, determination, and integrity.
You already are all of those things. If you ever fear that you are somehow incapable of doing anything - remember this: If you have done any of the following: a) grew life b) impossibly and inconceivably got it out of your body c) taken care of a newborn d) made a pain go away with a kiss e) taught someone to read f) taught a toddler to eat with a utensil g) cleaned up diarrhea without gagging h) loved a child enough to be willing to give your life for them (regardless if they are your own) or i) found a way to be strong when that child is suffering...you are a superhero. do not doubt yourself for one second. Seriously.

9. Teach him to have manners because it’s nice. and it will make the world a little better of a place.

10. Give him something to believe in
Because someday he will be afraid, or nervous, or heartbroken, or lost, or just need you, and you won't be able to be there. Give him something to turn to when it feels like he is alone, so that he knows that he will never be alone; never, never, never.

11. Teach him that there are times when you need to be gentle like with babies, and flowers, and animals, and other people's feelings.

12. Let him ruin his clothes
Resolve to be cool about dirty and ruined clothes. You'll be fighting a losing battle if you get upset every time he ruins another piece of clothing. Don't waste your energy being angry about something inevitable. Boys tend to learn by destroying, jumping, spilling, falling, and making impossible messes. Dirty, ruined clothes are just par for the course.

13. Learn how to throw a football or how to use a hockey stick, or read music, or draw panda bears (or in my case alpacas), or the names of different train engines, or learn to speak Elvish, or recognize the difference between Gryffindor and Slytherin, or the lyrics to his favorite song. Be in his life, not as an observer but as an active participant.

14. Go outside with him
Turn off the television, unplug the video games, put your cellphone on the charger, even put your camera away. Just go outside and follow him around. Watch his face, explore his world, and let him ask questions. It's like magic.

15. Let him lose
Losing sucks. Everybody isn't always a winner. Even if you want to say, "You're a winner because you tried," don't. He doesn't feel like a winner, he feels sad and crappy and disappointed. And that's a good thing, because sometimes life also sucks, no matter how hard (as moms) we try to make it not suck for our kids. This practice will do him good later when he loses again (and again, and again, and again, and again.....) Instead make sure he understands that - sometimes you win - sometimes you lose. But that doesn't mean you ever give up.

16. Give him opportunities to help others
There is a big difference in giving someone the opportunity to help and forcing someone to help. Giving the opportunity lights a flame in the heart and once the help is done the flame shines brighter and asks for more opportunities. Be an example of helping others in your own actions and the way your family helps each other and helps others together.

17. Remind him that practice makes perfect.
This doesn't just apply to performance-based activities (like sports and music) but also applies to everything in life. You become a better writer by writing. You become a better listener by listening. You become better speaker by speaking. Show your son this when he is just young enough to understand (that means from birth, folks - they are making sense of the world as soon as they arrive), practice trick-or-treating at your own front door before the real thing. Practice how you will walk through airport security before a trip. Practice how you order your own food from the fast food cashier. Practice, practice, practice.

18. Answer him when he asks, "Why?"
Answer him, or search for the answer together. Show him the places to look for the answers (like his dad, or grandparents, or his aunts/uncles, or his books, or valid internet searches). Pose the question to him so he can begin thinking about answers himself. Someday, when he needs to ask questions he's too embarrassed to ask you - he'll know where to go to find the right answers.

19. Always carry band-aids and wipes on you. especially the wipes.

20. Let his dad teach him how to do things
...without interrupting about how to do it the 'right way.' If you let his dad show and teach and discover with your son while he is growing up, someday down the road (after a short period of your son believing his dad knows nothing), he will come to the realization that his dad knows everything. You will always be his mother, but in his grown-up man heart and mind, his dad will know the answers. And this will be how, when your son is too busy with life to call and chat with his
mom, you will stay connected to what is happening in his life. Because he will call his dad for answers, and his dad will secretly come and ask you.

21. Give him something to release his energy
drums, a pen, a punching bag, wide open space, water, a dog. Give him something to go crazy with - or he will use your stuff. and then you'll be sorry.

22. Build him forts
Forts have the ability to make every day normal stuff into magic. Throw the couch cushions, a couple blankets, and some clothespins and you can transform your living room into the cave of wonders. For the rest of his life, he'll be grateful to know that everyday normal stuff has the potential to be magical.

23. Take him to new places
Because it will make his brain and his heart open up wider, and the ideas and questions and memories will rush in.

24. Kiss him
Any mother of sons will tell you that little boys are so loving and sweet. They can be harsh and wild and destructive during most of the day. But there are these moments when they are so kind and sensitive and tender. So much so that it can cause you to look around at the inward, reserved grown men in your life and think, 'what happens in between that made you lose that?' Let's try to stop the cycle by kissing them when they're loving and kissing them even more when they're wild. Kissing them when they're 2 months and kissing them when they're 16 years old. You're the mom - you can
go ahead and kiss him no matter how big he gets - and make sure he knows it. p.s. (this one is just as important for dad's too).

25. Be home base
You are home to him. When he learns to walk, he will wobble a few feet away from you and then come back, then wobble away a little farther and then come back. When he tries something new, he will look for your proud smile. When he learns to read, he will repeat the same book to you twenty times in a row, because you're the only one who will listen that many times. When he plays his sport, he will search for your face in the stands. When he is sick, he will call you. When he really messes up, he will call you. When he is grown and strong and tough and big and he feels like crying, he will
come to you; because a man can cry in front of his mother without feeling self-conscious. Even when he grows up and has a new woman in his life and gets a new home, you are still his mother; home base, the ever constant, like the sun. Know that in your heart and everything else will fall into place.

In Case You Were Wondering....

2012-01-08T08:38:00.002-05:00

....what 8 1/2 and 6 1/2 year old boys find HYSTERICALLY funny....

"Spell: I cup"

Get it? I C-U-P!!

Now promptly dissolve into fits of giggles while repeating: "I c-u-p!!!!!!!""

Christmas, New Years.... Family, Family, Family!!

2012-01-06T14:48:00.000-05:00

Well, we survived Christmas (x4), New Years, and I think the kids and I are going to survive the two week Winter Break together.

Christmas was celebrated first at Brigitte's house on Christmas Eve, then at our house on Christmas morning, at my brother's house later on Christmas Day, and finally at my parents' house a week later. Phew - that's a lot of Christmas', a lot of presents, and a LOT of craziness.

We travelled to Toronto, Harbor Springs, and finally Cincinnati, and it was a LOT of driving.

That being said, we had a fabulous time visiting and spending time with everyone. The kids are going to be in for a rude awakining when life returns to normal!!

I took a few hundred photos over the break, so here are some of them:

Emma, Marin, Quinn, Adam, Shannon & Aidan; the James cousins (minus Robert)

Christmas morning carnage:

Christmas dinner at my brother's house:

Quinn has the force now:

Who knew? A snugglie for kids!!

Quinn didn't take this hoodie off for three days...

Ahh the microphone: house of entertainment for the kids, bottles of Advil for me.

Building at the Children's museum (note the hoodie again!)

My Mom & Dad with the kids:

Four happy little monkeys.

Daybook

2011-12-23T13:46:00.002-05:00

I'm lacking inspiration right now (which is hard to believe considering Christmas is only two days away), so I'm borrowing this idea from fellow blogger Sonja.

For today, Friday, December 23, 2011

Outside my window is a cold and overcast day. I'm not complaining though, because I'm holding out hope against hope that we might get some snow in time for Christmas.

I am thinking... that I can't believe I have almost everything ready for the big day. Presents are wrapped, I finished uploading books and games onto Aidan's new tablet, and all we have left to do is assemble the dollhouse for the girls. Here's hoping we won't be up to all hours on Christmas Eve assembling that bad boy!

I am thankful for.... the fact that my kids find so much joy in the Christmas season. Shannon is hell-bent on going around carolling to our neighbours this year. We'll see if it actually happens though....

From the kitchen.... is the smell of creamy crock-pot potato soup. It smells divine - hopefully it will taste that way too!

I am wearing.... jeans and a shirt I threw on over my sports-bra as I was chasing Marin out the door of the gym. Not a pretty picture!

I am going.... to just hang out here with Marin (yep, it's a rare Mummy/ Marin day!) and then we're off to pick up the rest of the gang from school.

I am reading.... "The Pact" by Jodi Picoult. Very disturbing

I am hoping..... that I haven't forgotten anything in the hustle and bustle of the season.

I am hearing...... Marin play with the L-Max in the next room. It's adorable to hear her talk back to the electronic toys!

One of my favourite things.... it sounds masochistic, but it's the gym. Right now going the gym gets the endorphins going and keeps me sane during this hectic time.

Around the house.... there is hockey equipment everywhere (we have officially lost our dining room to hockey equipment).

Plans for the week.....in a shocking development, we have hockey tonight and tomorrow morning, and then we're heading to Brigitte's for Christmas Eve festivities.

Pictures to share....we bought some Gingerbread houses from Winners over the weekend. Unfortunately, there was a reason they were at Winners: they must have been last year's models. The pieces were rock hard and stale, the icing wouldn't hold anything together, and in short it was a fiasco. Eventually we gave up and I told the kids: "just go crazy and eat the candy", which they happily did. Here is Aidan's attempt at a tower:

Virtuosos

2011-12-17T18:46:00.000-05:00

This past January Aidan announced that he wanted to take piano lessons.

Excuse me?!?!

I ran to the phone and got him in. This September Quinn decided he wanted to learn too, so both boys were taking lessons.

Fast forward to today, when both boys played in their first ever piano recital. Chris and I, the girls, and Brigitte all piled into the library auditorium and waited anxiously for their songs.

Let's start with Quinn. I was sooo.... nervous for Quinn because I wasn't even sure if he was going to be able to find middle 'C' on a piano he had never played on before. Clearly there was no need to worry as the little man marched up to the piano, plunked himself down, and knocked his song out of the park.

Then there was Aidan. We need to first address his wardrobe choices, particularly his Sting toque that he was wearing. When we got to the auditorium, he took his coat and hat off. His hair stood straight up! Yep, he had the worst case of hat head possible. I made an executive decision and said: "put the hat back on Aidan." So he did and off he went.

Chris and I were so proud of our little men Little musicians in the making!!

Dear Neighbourhood Hooligans:

2011-12-14T14:08:00.000-05:00

An open letter to the pre-teens and teens who have been roaming our neighbourhood on their BMX bikes (because I know they TOTALLY read this blog!).
--------
Dear Neighbourhood Hooligans:

I wanted to write you a letter to say: "Thank You."

Really. Thank You.

Thank you for helping me have the 'tough' conversations with my four kids who are 8 and under.

Thank you for helping me introduce terms like: "Property Damage", "Vandalism", and "Hooligans." You can't imagine how delighted I was to hear them yell: "Mom! Our Christmas decorations on the front lawn are smashed!" This lead into a wonderful discussion on the destruction of personal property by certain jerks.... I mean young kids.

Oh, and let's not forget how I had to gently explain to my crying kids that Santa would still be able to see our house, even if some of our decorations were smashed and no longer lit. Because when you're eight and six, you believe that the best way for Santa to see your house from the sky is to have as many lights as possible decorating the outside of the house.

Thanks also for helping me teach them about the word: "Decapitated", particularly when explaining to them why the reindeer across the street no longer had a head.

And really, truly.... I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me teach my kids to check the driveway for tacks. I know, I know, you thought it would be fun to throw rocks at the neighbour's parked car, and then follow this up by spreading tacks across his driveway. Who wouldn't think that this was HILARIOUS?!?! In fact, we've turned it into a game: "Who can go check for tacks on the driveway first?!?!?!"

In case you think I'm singling you out because you're kids.... we saw you. Yep, after you decapitated the reindeer I saw you tearing off on your bikes. The lady down the street saw you as she pulled into her driveway that was covered in tacks. Unfortunately the police have more important things to do then chase pre-teens and teens.

So thank you. You are living models of what I DON'T want my kids to turn into.

Sincerely,
The lady with the smashed Christmas decorations in her yard.

The Magic Lives On

2011-12-11T19:42:00.001-05:00

At 8 and 3/4 Aidan is getting dangerously close to the age where some kids stop believing in the magic of Santa and his elves. Chris can't wait for this day to happen, but I'm hoping he stays a believer to the bitter end. There's something magical about that unquestioning faith in the man in red that is just too precious for words.

That being said, I almost blew the whole thing the other day....

This year, when our elves arrived on Dec 1 they brought small gifts for the kids. Socks for the girls, goop for Quinn, and shirts for Aidan to wear under his hockey equipment.

The other night Chris, Aidan and I were at McDonald's after one of his hockey games (because McDonald's is the best place to re-fuel after a hockey game!). We were talking about Aidan's shirt (the one that the Elves gave him), and he was saying how much he liked it. So pipe in with: "Well that's why I got it for you Aidan. Because it wicks the sweat away, and it's tight so that it doesn't irritate your skin."

Clearly, Mom had a brain-fart here.

Aidan just looked at me wide-eyed and said: "But Mom, you didn't get me this shirt.... the elves did!" And then he hopped off his stool and went to the bathroom.

O. M. G

I just about died. I looked at Chris and said: "I can't believe I just did that! I almost ruined everything!"

Chris just looked at me, shook his head and, being the perpetual Christmas cynic said: "Make the connection buddy, make the connection!!"

Thankfully, he was totally oblivious to Mom's blond-moment because that boy is still a steadfast believer in Santa and his Elves.

Now if Mom can just keep her mouth shut, who knows how long it will last!

A Few of My Favourite Things....

2011-12-03T20:50:00.001-05:00

It's time for another installment of: My Favourite Things.

1. A clean shaven husband. Chris joined the Mo-vember challenge and grew himself a porn-star worthy stasch. As cute as my man is, I have to say I much prefer the clean shaven look! (He prefers it too, as the moustache was starting to really itch!)

2. The annual Christmas parade. Around here, they do the Christmas parade at night, which is a neat experience because my Christmas-light happy children get to see all the floats decked out in lights. This year the temperature was right around 5 degrees.....down right balmy for us!!

Shannon & Marin ready to go:

Aidan & Robert:

3. Pillsbury's "Tub o' cookies". I discovered these at Sam's Club a while back, and have to say.... I'm hooked. You put this sucker in the fridge, and if the kids are having a playdate and want some cookies.... VOILA!! 14 minutes later you have fresh, 'home-made' cookies. Everyone loves these cookies and they are just soooo.... easy and delicious! Just in time for the holiday season, they came out with Sugar Cookie dough - I've died and gone to sugary heaven!

4. Our adorable Elves, who sometimes but not always sit on a shelf. Elfie and Magical as they are known to the kids, mysteriously came back to our house on December 1st. The kids are thoroughly convinced that they are magical as every morning they are in a new place, despite the kids clutching them while asleep. They even found one Elf sitting on the toilet one morning. Tricky little suckers those elves.....

5. Last but not least.... I am, as my husband will tell you, a creature of habit. So every year whenever it's time to put the Christmas decorations up, I follow (how shall we say it nicely)... certain routines. Some may call this anal-retentive, but I prefer to call it "Mom's type-A tyrannical approach to putting up the decorations, and God help you if you try to change things because dammit everything has a place and no, that's not it!" .....calming breaths, calming breaths....

Anyhow..... one of my routines is putting on the Vince Guaraldi Trio's "A Charlie Brown Christmas," and listening to it while I decorate. It is (in my humble opinion) one of the best Christmas CDs out there, and tends to mellow this high-strung Momma out when putting up the decorations.