Kid Snippets

At the beginning of this month, we were watching the World Junior Hockey Championships – what great hockey! It was Canada vs. USA and the Canadian goalie made an amazing save. I said to Ethan to watch the replay – oh wasn’t that amazing? He was nonplussed and said huh, not really. I said that it was one of the best saves I’d seen all year. Ethan replies: “Uh, Mummy? It’s only January 2, so you have only seen this game since the Canucks were pay per view last night, so really the save is not that good since it’s not all year yet.” Smartass. He’s sSOo literal.

Jack was banished to his room for doing flips on the couch long after being asked not to, and he finally got released and came downstairs. This is what he said to me, in the most mournful voice ever: “I’m really VERY sorry, Mummy. That’s all I’m EVER going to say to you for the rest of my life as a kid. (Big Pause) At least until you’re dead.”
Then he jumped right back up onto the couch.

Their Christmas concerts have been getting better and better. This year Ethan made me laugh so much – he was just so earnest! His class traipsed out and Jack started waving like a maniac. Ethan saw us but didn’t wave; he just got this funny trying-not-to-smile look on his face and stared intently at Madame. And the way he sang – he looked like a little altar boy, all fresh and pink-scrubbed, mouth open wide. He was very serious! And very cute.

And as for Jack, his preschool 4 year old class did a play about the nativity. We were informed a couple of weeks before that Jack had been cast as an angel. And his teacher said it with a straight face, too! Snicker, snort, snicker. He had a line that he had to memorize, but it didn’t exactly go as planned. He was supposed to say “Born in a stable was Jesus your king” but what he insisted on practising all week was “Jack Lehn... Jeeee-zussss CHRIST!” Mike and I were holding our breath when it came to his turn in the performance. But he delivered his line beautifully, the correct way. BUT at the end when they were all getting introduced, his teacher says “And this is Jack, our angel” and the whole crowd of parents laughed at the irony of that. Jack turned around and shook his little booty at the audience. Oh, I wish I had video of it. Then after the play was over, he unswaddled baby Jesus and left the poor Jesus doll naked in his manger.

I had other little stories to write that I have collected in my head the past month. But I can’t seem to retrieve them at the moment so I will get caffeinated and write again later.

Friday Fill-Ins #17

1. Oh, I am so tired of looking at the bags under my eyes!
2. Every day I witness the kids' changes, big and little.
3. During my drive to drop off Ethan, I put on makeup because I'm vain like that.
4. People smoking in the bus line-up; are you kidding me???
5. Right now I'd like to be where I always would like to be when this question is asked, and that is Hawaii.
6. The new labeller that I got for Christmas is my favorite gadget.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to chocolate, tomorrow my plans include curling with 25 Club and Sunday, I want to chill out!

I Love Me Some Obama

I just YouTubed Barack Obama's Inauguration Speech and all I have to say is that I may have fallen in just a teensy bit of love with a man other than my husband. Wow.

In A Funk

So I have to say that I really enjoyed posting to my blog in 2008. But. 2009 hasn't started out too great - maybe one of my resolutions should have been to keep posting on a regular basis. It's cathartic, you know? But I've been in a bit of a funk lately, and haven't been able to get organized. Because I've started and saved several posts, but I feel like I can't post them until I finish the catching up one about Christmas because I haven't even said anything about our holiday season and I am getting further and further behind and there is even more to write about (but not really because life is sort of like Seinfeld, a whole show about nothing) and you can see my dilemma, right? Right?
Maybe I'll get my act together this week. Or next. Don't hold your breath... :)

2009 Resolutions (Better Late Than Never)

1. Run a 48 minute 10k. I haven’t picked the race yet, but it won’t be the Sun Run. It’s too crowded to get a good chip time. In order to do a 48 minute 10k, I will be going to the gym on Wednesday and Friday mornings, and Yoga on Saturdays. I also hope to get an additional run in one other day each week. 48 minutes = faster than I’ve ever run. We’ll see how I do!
2. Donate hair. I need to grow my hair another inch or so in order to have enough to give 8 inches of hair to cancer wigs. Mike says if I am cutting all mine off, he is growing his to his shoulders. Who will be uglier? Photos later this year...
3. Treat my skin better. Now this one is frustrating. I moisturized this morning, in accordance to these new resolutions, and I do not see one iota of difference. Humpf on this one. I’ll still be good with the sunscreen (although the sunny days of summer feel like a LONG way away) but it will be hard to do all the things a grown-up is supposed to do to retain elasticity, prevent wrinkles, reduce cellulite etc.
4. Eat locally. I read a great book called the 100-Mile Diet, and I’d really like to try harder to support the local economy. Instead of restricting myself to exactly 100 Miles, I am going to choose BC products first. In my world this means getting local produce and buying it in season. I want to freeze more fruits and veggies when they are ripe so we have to buy less items from further away when we crave berries in the middle of winter. There will be a few exceptions – bananas, things made with wheat (but I’ll choose Canadian wheat), and of course chocolate. C’mon – of COURSE chocolate needs to be an exception! Either that or I need to move somewhere that grows cocoa beans within 100 miles. But we have great local dairy, meat, and produce, so why not buy the freshest? And it will reduce our packaged food intake which is a good thing!
5. Get 10 items off the 40 Before 40 list. So far, I’ve Done 15 and another 7 are In Progress. There’s still an awful lot to accomplish before 2013, and several of these involve travel. So, one of the other things I want to do this year is figure out when all the travelling is going to happen!

So keep me honest people. Gotta get these things done!

Friday Fill-Ins #16

1. The world is a vampire. (Stolen from a Smashing Pumpkins song.)
2. “Ethan and Jack, nobody is allowed to touch anybody else’s bumhole!” was the last thing I said. (Seriously, these boys will be the death of me.)
3. I wonder wonder wonder wonder; who wrote the book of love? (Another song in my head all of a sudden)
4. What will happen at the end of all things. (Made this one into a question to avoid answering it...)
5. There's something to be said for chocolate. And that something is: Thank you, Mayans.
6. Hawaii is where I want to be.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to playing with my Christmas present – Guitar Hero World Tour, tomorrow my plans include Family Skate for Ethan’s school and Sunday, I want to get all my schedules in order (workout, kids, work, school, meal planning) because on Monday we’re all back at it!

Best of 2008

(Wow it has been AGES since I've posted!)
In random order, here are thirteen of my best moments from the past year:

1. Lego with Jack. Amidst the bustle of the holidays, we found ourselves with nothing planned on a Thursday while Ethan was at school. Instead of rushing out to get some errands or Christmas shopping done, we spent the entire day at home. Laying on the floor building Lego with our foreheads touching, I thought to myself: This is a pretty perfect moment.
2. Swimming with the Sharks in Belize; and really, travelling to Belize in general. Hanging out with Mar and Aaron, Kim and Gene – we really did have an awesome time and brought home some unforgettable memories. Swimming with the sharks and rays was only one of those memories (but the one that impresses people the most) but gathering up the courage to first jump in the water almost on top of them and then touch these predators in their natural setting – that was A Moment.
3. Falling Asleep with Ethan. This Moment came about because I simply took the time to lie down with him for 30 minutes at bedtime. I am always rushing off after storytime and tucking-in to do something mundane like laundry or dishes or blogging. This time, however, I just stayed. We whispered about our day, about tomorrow, about what to dream about that night. We cuddled, played the kissing game (where you “accidentally” miss and kiss the other person’s cheek or eyelid instead of the mouth), and had a “forever hug” (where we joke that we will never let go). Eventually, wrapped around his Stripey, his breathing deepened and I watched him relax into sleep. Sigh.
4. Seeing Twilight the movie (the second time). I read this series of books with Jen, Sonia, Shannon, Breanne and Tracy in August. We all loved them (I know they were written for teenagers, shut up) and so of course Jen got us tickets for opening day at the movies. Opening day was NOT an optimal experience as there were (surprisingly?) a lot of teenaged girls there who appeared to exist specifically to ruin it for me. Why this makes it to my top 13 is because less than a week later, Sonia called me on the off chance that I wanted to see it again. Did I?!?!?! I ditched the kids after soccer and met her at the theatre, where we had an idyllic movie-going experience: fresh popcorn, a blanket for our knees, an enjoyable movie, and only about 15 other people in the whole theatre. We loved it!
5. Weekend in Seattle. This was the ultimate 25 Club. Chantal, Marzia, Kim and I escaped to Seattle for two nights, where we stayed at the best hotel, had fabulous meals, shopped until we dropped, pampered ourselves, and in general just enjoyed the heck out of each other’s company. It was a great girls’ road trip and we will definitely be making it an annual tradition. Next year: Maui! (In my dreams anyway...)
6. Lounging Poolside in Portugal. For one thing, it was great to have our whole family together for a week. Secondly, to spend the time together in a place as perfect as our villa in Portugal – nirvana. Although we spent some of our days apart, visiting different local sites and so on, by the evening we were always together again. All 14 of us dined together every evening and it was a fantastic opportunity to chat. And virtually every morning started with us all trickling out with a coffee or tea and pastries to read books in a poolside lounge chair. If you don’t know me, Pastries + Tea + Pool + Book = Best of the Good Times.
7. Kicking Rock Band’s ass. Nobody was more surprised than me to find I had a talent for belting out the tunes. I got a little obsessed last spring with completing my World Tour, but I have calmed down somewhat. Although now that I got a mic stand and a custom-decorated guitar (thanks kids!) for Christmas, prepare for me to rock out a little more often again!
8. England. Although I was there for Gran’s funeral, which was certainly NOT one of my best moments of 2008 (or of my entire life), the opportunity to spend time with my extended family was priceless. Briana, Ben and I had a terrible flight over but even amidst all the jet lag, migraines, airports and funerals, it was a bonding experience I won’t forget. Also, the English make the best tea and I had a lot of it.
9. Helping in the classroom. I was fortunate to help one day a week in Ethan’s kindergarten class, reading in French with each child individually and doing one-on-one work with them according to what Madame wanted to get accomplished that week. Although I haven’t been able to do as much in his Grade One class (the teachers are very nice, but less receptive to a weekly role) I am there every Friday to hand out Hot Lunch and I volunteer for every special day that comes along. Same for Jack’s class, where I have been lucky enough to accompany them on field trips and special days at his school.
10. Palette of Doubt. It is very rewarding to help with this production. Over the past two years we have raised a boatload of money for World Vision – I believe $65,000 – and I have met a great group of people. Added to which, it’s been pretty exciting to be an official part of a theatre crew!
11. Knocking more than 9 things of my 40 Before 40 list. I’ll have to dedicate a post soon solely to update my 40 Before 40 status, but in short, here are the things I am very proud to have accomplished this year: Swim with Dolphins Sharks, Religion for Dummies, Random Acts of Kindness, Cuisines of the World, Surf, One Week no TV, Afternoon at Driving Range, Read 3 Classic Novels, Archery.
12. Going green with Green Earth Organics. I am really glad I signed up for this. We get a beautiful box of fruits and vegetables every two weeks, and I am proud to say we are supporting the local economy by buying BC food. (And Ecuadorean bananas, but you can’t buy local and enjoy the tropical at the same time!) I have tried many new recipes based on the surprises that arrive biweekly. Even the kids have tried new things! (I know, who’d have thunk it?)
13. Surprising Mike. While he was working in LA one week, Ethan and I cooked up the idea to surprise him by practicing our hearts out on the bike. It worked, and by Saturday when Mike returned, Jack led him outside blindfolded and ta-da! Ethan rode by with no training wheels! It was a proud, proud moment for Ethan which made it one of my best of the year.

And next post, you’ll have to suffer through my resolutions for 2009!