Well I guess I'm 34

Last week was my birthday. I am now officially in what I would categorise as "mid thirties". Unlike being in you're mid twenties this stage of life seems to be marked mostly by mild physical problems like having sore knees. Despite the annoyances of ageing I am feeling very blessed this birthday. Our lives are falling into a nice fall rhythm and everyone is doing well. Life is good. With the recent bus tragedy in Ottawa it is easy to appreciate the fragility and fleeting nature of life, and how amazing it is to actually be alive and healthy. 

We are all anxiously awaiting new life this weekend, as my sister and brother in law are about to have their first child. I will be blessed with another wonderful niece or nephew (I'm thinking niece but I have no scientific proof for this). I am praying for a safe and easy delivery and that both Mom and Dad keep their strength up and find time to rest in the next few restless days of waiting. 

Happy weekending everyone!

Kingston Day Trip

On our way 

Hey look its RMC! I can see your room Kath!

Fort Henry waterfront

We found a lot of apple trees around Fort Henry

Ahh Kingston

Fort Henry entrance

FOOOOOTBALLLL!!!

Go QUEENS Go!!!

"I sure do love Queens",,,OK she may not have said that exactly

Bye Bye Kingston

Ryan's Birthday- A Mama Post

I am once again hijacking Ryan's blog, but my intentions are honourable, and I will try not to embarrass him. Today is my wonderful husband's birthday. Thirty-four years ago today my sweet Mother-in-Law Sirpa gave birth to the best man in the world. I've told her before that she really should have had more boy children (although her daughters are pretty nice too).

I had meant to get up early this morning to make breakfast for Ryan but I slept in... I had also planned to at least make up is coffee for him, buuuuut I was too sleepy to get off the couch...my bad. Instead my sweet husband made my coffee for me and also made our oldest daughter Evie breakfast. I know what you might be thinking (at least I know what I'm thinking, what a crappy birthday morning that was) but don't worry I promise I will make a decent birthday cake sometime today and if I'm extra prepared I will even get him a present (although he requested no presents - don't tell him yet).

Despite my lacklustre efforts this morning Ryan was his usual contented and peaceful self. My favourite part of being married to this man is the lack of drama he exudes. He rarely gets mad, rarely does anything wrong and rarely gives off any type of vibe except calmness. This is why he is perfect for me. Although I am indeed charming at times, I run a wee bit high on the drama/anxious/angry scale. He has given my almost 8 years of peaceful happy marriage.

Today is a very happy day of the year for me. The best present I could ever know came into the world 34 years ago today. Happy birthday Ryan! I love you.

This was too funny not to post

Our Garden

 This last spring we decided that our front yard, which gets the most light, should be turned into a vegetable garden. Although this may seem like a strange idea, in our neighbourhood it seems to be getting more and more common. I think it speaks to the economic times we find ourselves in these days. We all want good organic food that isn't covered in DDT or who knows what else, and most importantly we want it cheap. There's nothing cheaper than finding wood on the side of the road building raised beds and planting seeds (also cheap) to grow food.

We generally use our back yard for entertaining and having a place for the kiddies and our dog to run around; however our front yard was merely for looking at. I only used it when I needed to mow the lawn. There is still a bit of lawn and flower garden left but that will be further diminished this fall when we build some more raised beds with the salvaged wood we keep coming across (usually on date nights,,,what could be more romantic than garbage picking?? I have no idea).

Not all of our plants this year were a success. Lettuce was pretty bitter, the oregano never took off, our cucumbers had beautiful flowers that never really turned into anything and I really overestimated the amount of parsley our family could eat (or that 3 families could eat). Some things that did go well were our raspberries, swiss chard and our tomatoes. We have not had to buy tomatoes all summer and I will soon be missing these summer days when I have to start buying them in the store like all the other suckers.

The garden has given the girls a wonderful view of how food is grown and harvested. Miriam loved picking tomatoes with me even though she doesn't understand why she is not allowed to pick the green ones (a source of great frustration for her). Evie's favourite thing to do was look for grasshoppers that like to eat the swiss chard. She carefully transported them to Mommies flower garden, to eat the hydrangeas instead. Noli was happy with every part of gardening this year, and has also been a big help in pulling up a few tiny carrots (I can't figure out why there so small,,
more space maybe?).

Hopefully we will get to enjoy our veggie patch a bit longer before fall. We are already making plans for next year about what and where we will put things. Hopefully we can find room for one more apple tree.

First Day of School

Well, we survived yet another first day of school and we now have two kids in school!!  I know it's totally cliche and you think we all would be used to how quickly time seems to slip by but WOW!!  I can't believe Evie's already in grade two and Noli is officially a kindergartner!!  Life truly does fly by.

I remember dropping Evie off on her first day of school three years ago, turning her loose and watching her settle in on a blue circular rocking toy (horrible description I know).  Funny thing is that Noli was naturally drawn to the same toy yesterday on her first day.  Both girls did wonderfully this year despite some nerves and initial chaos due to the school trying a new way of "organizing" the kids into their classes.

Sometimes we don't give kids enough credit for the bravery that they must summon up on a pretty regular basis.  Despite their small size and limited sample size of life and experience we toss them into the world and ask them to do things many adults still have trouble doing.  Images from Lord of the Flies often invade my thoughts as I watch the kids in the school playground.  It's wild.  On a daily basis they must navigate new places and faces while digesting and applying new rules, social norms, ideas and lessons.  They are constantly pushed out of their comfort zone and are expected to do so with grace and poise.

I was watching Evie play in the playground this morning.  She stopped, looked my way and started coming in my direction.  I was expecting to get a hug and a kiss most likely followed by permission to leave ("hint hint Daddy, it's okay for you to go now!).  I didn't even get that.  As she drew nearer it became painfully obvious that she wasn't looking at me (despite seeing me), she was looking past me (I won't say through me).  Her buddy had arrived and after greeting him, the two of them ran off after their friends without so much as a wave of acknowledgment to the old man.  *TEAR*  Last year she was blowing kisses left and right to me as she slowly took her leave from me...seriously there were at least 50 kisses blown in my direction, so many that I was having trouble catching them all.  Oh well...that's the way it's supposed to go I suppose. 

Gee willickers they grow up fast!!

My Nephew's New Blog - Check it out!!

Hey everyone,

Very exciting day, my nephew Gabe has started his own blog all about his adventures in boyhood!!  Check it out for some exciting stories to come!!

Boy Adventures!! 

In Defense of Miley Cyrus...Sort Of.

Okay, here's a quick disclaimer - I haven't actually seen the VMA video of the Miley Cyrus  and Robin Thicke performance that has created such a kerfluffle.  Nor have I seen any Miley Cyrus music videos - ever.  I'm sure the dance was offensive and overly naughty but let's check our disgust and outrage just for a minute and examine this situation a little closer.

First off, how about we lay off Miley.  We (as in the North American culture) love to give these young people the spotlight and then tear them down until they absolutely lose their minds.  And then we pity them and wonder what went wrong.  The smart, strong or maybe cold and calculating ones play us for fools, make a fortune off of us and go on their way.  The less fortunate ones still make a fortune off of us but at a cost that is probably greater than the rewards they reap.  Miley (or the peeps behind Miley) knew exactly the type of attention they would receive and went for it because that's their business.

Miley is in show biz and this week the buzz has been all about her. The media loves it because they're selling their stuff, Miley's peeps love it because they're making money off of it (her), and Miley's lovin' it, for now, because she's making news.  Sex and scandals sell and that's what they offered up because we gobble it down every time! Cha-ching!$!

We need to cut the faux indignation and hold our arrows directed at Miley because once Miley has been used up the machine will simply look for the next pretty face to put through the ringer.  And once again we'll fall hook, line and sinker.  The truth is we're all complicit in this debacle.  Let's share the blame, go ahead, take some then pass it around.

What about Mr. Thicke?  Why has he escaped relatively unscathed?  Do we imagine that he did not know what the performance was going to entail?  Of course he did, but he's male so he knew he wasn't going to come under much fire.  In fact the attention is probably doing his business good.  It kind of reminds me of the infamous wardrobe malfunction.  Why didn't Timberlake get blasted for ripping off Janet's top?  Noooooo...it was somehow Janet's fault.  Something's wrong there...and very telling about the way our society views culpability differently depending if you are a man or a woman...when it comes to things of a sensual nature.

What about the choreographers?  The show's producers?  The network broadcasting the VMAs?  If you fault Miley for her performance, then you ought to hold all of the above in the same light.  Perhaps they should be held more accountable than Miley...how many times have they done this?  How many times have they sent some young kid out there and watched them unravel until he or she is no longer valuable to them?

And what about us the consumers of the sexploitation and scandal?  We click on the articles...we watch the videos...we write about it.  Are we just as guilty?  Are we simply feeding the machine and gearing it up for the next in line?

I think there probably should be shock and indignation after a performance like the one Miley and Thicke put on at the VMAs.  But the shock and indignation should not be directed only at the performers...but at us as well.  I just think we all enjoy the show and aftermath too much for our own good...and too much for Miley's good for that matter.  Those that make a profit off of it know it.  And so it goes, on and on and on.

Let's Stop the Machine!!