Mommy's boy

I am the mother of a 2 year old. I can hardly believe it. I still remember driving in my car and crying my heart out because I was having thoughts of, "What if I never have a child? What will I do with the rest of my life? What will it mean?" I have always wanted to have children - I was never scared of childbirth, only of parenting. But my life never seemed to head in that direction. Life is still nowhere near where I dreamed it would be right now. I never meant to be a single parent. But I am the fortunate one, to have this beautiful, loving little boy to love, and to love me back.

Happy Birthday, my wonderful boy!

Not quite 'fro

Regular readers of this blog and Living Lavada Mama (sorry for the lack of a link here - check my links list instead) will remember that we haven't cut the boys' hair since they've been apart. For three months now, Miles' little curls have been evolving. There's a frizzy fuzzy area at the back of his head, where he went bald briefly as an infant. At his crown, his hair is coming in really thick now. The front is still rather straggly, and there are still some rather thin looking areas. Most of the time, especially after wearing a winter hat, he's just got crazy hair. Think Kramer. Here are some shots of him in the bath tonight with wet hair. It's the only way to really show you how long it is.

From wistful to hopeful

I'm going to lay out a couple of quotes here, back to back . . .

"It's a sad day when you find out that it's not accident or time or fortune, but just yourself that kept things from you."
~ Lillian Hellman

Ouch


"Nature never repeats herself, and the possibiities of one human soul will never be found in another."
~ Elizabeth Cady Stanton

It's time to dig in those heels and start looking for possibilities once again.

Neigh!

It's time now to start looking forward to next Halloween!

Miles wore his costume to daycare yesterday, and trick-or-treated through the classrooms with all of his friends. They decorated treat bags and cookies. I think he got an idea of the festiveness of the occasion.

But he was not in his costume when I picked him up at daycare, and he did not want to put it back on. "No horsey!" That suited me fine. I was too tired to be bothered with the additional task of visiting the neighbours with my little horsey who wouldn't have a clue why we were doing it anyhow. Getting through supper, bath and bedtime is enough to exhaust me these days.

All in all, I think we've had a good Halloween experience this year. Like I said, time to look forward to next year!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I love the lazy, hazy days of summer, but Autumn is just cool. The coolest part of it being Halloween. I attended a fun adult Halloween party this past Saturday night. EVERYONE dressed up, and that was so awesome.

Keep your kiddies warm and safe this Halloween, and have yourselves a SCREAM!

The Secret of Contentment

Those who face that which is actually before them, unburdened by the past, undistracted by the future, these are they who live, who make the best use of their lives; these are those who have found the secret of contentment.
~ Alban Goodier

Some days these quotes just make me feel inadequate and unworthy. . . .

You Rock!

If you have already been to Sherri's blog, you will know that Glenn and Krista completed the Toronto Marathon today. Yay!!! Their official times were: Glenn - 4:21:44.2; Krista - 4:43:49.3 (Cookie - 3:12:00.8). Way to go guys! You are AMAZING! Now go on and enjoy some relaxing time together - you deserve it!

Pumpkin Picking

We visited Kim-Glo's Family Fall Festival this past Saturday. We played in the hay, pet the bull and watched the goats and sheep and bunnies, played a short round of glow-in-the-dark mini-golf and went for a little wagon ride. Before heading home, we tromped around in the pumpkin patch. Miles found himself a nice one.



Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Special Report for Lavs

Do you guys remember that brief discussion/suggestion about the boys not getting haircuts until you return back home? I noticed in Sherri’s blog that Jonah’s hair is looking rather . . . cool. : ) I thought I’d post a couple of pictures of Miles so that you can see how his hair is doing. It’s fluffy, but you can’t actually see how long it is. I wish it would fill in a little more for him, but I’m sure when it does, hair care is going to become a lot more challenging.

Personal Embarrassing Moment #8,248,986

Ok, this one will be better related to by the girls, so boys, move on to the next blog please!




Today at lunch time, we went to The Mandarin in Burlington to celebrate Grandma's birthday. The food was great, the service was great - I think we all had a great time.

On the way home, while driving, I glanced down and wondered why my seat belt seemed to be pushed away from my chest. What was going on? I know that sometimes my underwire bras don't sit right and tend to push out in front. Well, the problem was something along those lines. But it was worse. The wire, ON BOTH SIDES, had worked its way through the fabric of the bra and was actually poking out through the neckline of my shirt! What the!?!? I've had under wires break; both metal and plastic. I've had the wires bust through in the underarm area, which can be quite irritating. I've had straps break while out in public. But this was a new one for me. I took a picture. Don't worry - it's discreet.

Swinging as easily as a star . . .

"A true man never frets about his place in the world, but just slides into it by the gravitation of his nature, and swings there as easily as a star."
~ Edwin H. Chapin

I love the flow of these words.

But I have no idea whether or not I'm allowing nature to just take it's course. In some ways, I think I really am, and perhaps should even restrain it a bit! But in other ways, I'm afraid that I'm trying to be too controlling.

Love

"Happiness comes more from loving than being loved; and often when our affection seems wounded it is only our vanity bleeding. To love, and to be hurt often, and to love again - this is the brave and happy life."
~ J.E. Buchrose

Monarch Days

This morning we visited Wings of Paradise. This is a special weekend at the butterfly conservatory – it’s Monarch Days! We were the first visitors in the doors at 10:00 a.m We were amazed at how active the butterflies were. It was either because it was early in the morning and there weren’t many people around, or because the sun was shining at that time, or because their nectar and fruit treats were just being put out. That was one of the bonuses of our visit. I don’t think I’ve seen that many butterflies flying around since my very first visit to Wings of Paradise.

The primary reason for this morning’s visit was for Monarch Days. They weren’t flying around in droves throughout the conservatory as I had thought they would. Instead, they were being collected from the wild in order to be tagged then re-released. We learned how to tell the difference between male and female Monarchs, and we watched a couple of them being tagged – a simple, tiny sticker printed with tracking information. We were told that several years ago, they were only able to collect 17 or 18 butterflies for Monarch Days. Last year, they collected around 200. This year they have collected around 500, and could easily collect 1000 if they had the manpower. Most of the butterflies were caught in the fields surrounding Wings of Paradise. Three times a day, the staff release tagged Monarchs back into the wild. We stayed to watch the first release at 11:30 a.m. We were pleased to learn that we would be able to release a butterfly ourselves! We were given a little triangular cardboard folder with a butterfly inside. All we had to do was open the folder up and watch our butterfly fly away! We were surprised again when one of the staff brought us another butterfly to release! This one seemed to be quite cozy in his little folder, as he did not want to fly away for quite some time (both of our butterflies were males). After a little while, I was able to coax him onto a flower, and then he flew away.

How cool is that?

Why do they celebrate Monarch Days? Because the Monarch butterflies need our help. Their resources are declining. *Milkweeds and nectar sources are declining due to development and the widespread use of herbicides in croplands, pastures and roadsides. Because 90% of all milkweed/monarch habitats occur within the agricultural landscape, farm practices have the potential to strongly influence monarch populations. Why we are concerned:

• Farm and ranch land is disappearing at a rate of nearly 3,000 acres per day. In a 5-year period starting in 1992, 6 million acres of farmland (an area the size of the state of Maryland) were converted to subdivisions, factories, and other developments (www.farmland.org)
• Widespread adoption of herbicide-resistant corn and soybeans in the last 5 years has resulted in the loss of at least 80 million acres of monarch habitat
• Use of herbicides along roadsides continues to reduce milkweeds and nectar plants

* Information taken from a brochure provided by www.monarchwatch.org

If you would like to help contribute to Monarch conservation, you could consider creating a Monarch Waystation – an intermediate, resource-rich stop along the Monarch’s route through its annual fall and spring migrations. Check out the links at www.monarchwatch.org to find out how. You can even certify your waystation. Upon certification your site will be included in the International Monarch Waystation Registry, an online database of Monarch Waystations, and you will be awarded a certificate bearing your site’s Monarch Waystation ID number. Furthermore, you become eligible to display a weatherproof sign that identifies your Monarch habitat as an official Monarch Waystation. This display helps convey the conservation message to those who visit your Monarch Waystation and may encourage them to create their own Monarch habitat.

If you were looking for something new to do with your garden, I’ve got your answer right here!

Age

I meant to post this on my birthday, but life got in the way . . .

"Age is mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
~ Leroy "Satchel" Paige

Storybook Gardens

Our trip to Storybook Gardens went very smoothly, despite the fact that upon our arrival there was an ambulance at the front entrance picking up a very small child – suspected bee sting. We were swatting bees from the moment we stepped out of the car.

I walked Miles slowly through the park, trying to help him experience as much as he could, but pushing him along at the same time, because I knew we wouldn’t have a whole lot of time before he was ready for a nap. He did quite well. He even told me when he needed a diaper change!

Here are a few of my better pictures from our visit.








Storybook Gardens hasn’t really changed a whole lot from what I can remember – it’s just been updated. The general layout was the same, and it did still feel like a park, for the most part. A lot of the same old stuff is still there, which was comforting in a way. The old stuff is at the front, the new stuff is in back.

I knew Miles was ready go when he stopped listening to me and just generally started to misbehave. It took a while for him to settle in, but he eventually had a good hour and a half nap in the car.

I hope we can go again next year, and maybe bring some more people with us!

The London Regional Children’s Museum

Miles and I are on our first overnight trip away from home. It’s going well so far, much to my relief.

Today we visited the London Regional Children’s Museum. What a lot of stuff to see and do! This will be a great place for us to continue visiting for years to come.


Here's Miles playing in an old-fashioned kitchen. It surprised me how popular this exhibit was!


Here's Miles "riding" a Skidoo. See the polar bear in the background? There was also an Arctic Fox just in behind there.


Miles driving a fire truck. He refused to wear the fireman's hat. Another popular exhibit, of course.


Here's Miles on a twisty slide. He was a little hesitant to go down it at first, but after he did it once, he just kept going and going,

We finished the day off with a brief shopping trip at White Oaks Mall, then sushi for supper. I wish I could post the video of me feeding him noodles with chopsticks. He loved it!

We're off to Storybook Gardens tomorrow. Check back in later.

1000 Miles Apart

Have you listened to Downhere’s Wide-Eyed and Mystified yet? Have you REALLY listened to it? I haven’t paid attention as well as I should, and here is my case in point.

Last summer, while I was home on maternity leave, Glenn was working hard at putting this album together. I would hear bits and pieces of songs over and over again as Glenn tried to perfect its sound. He played one of their new songs for me, in its raw state, because he thought I’d really like it. The song he played for me 1000 Miles Apart. I like it. I liked the acoustic sound of it. I liked the beat. I liked how the tune stuck in my head. At the time, I thought the reason that I liked it was because of the words 1000 Miles Apart – I listened and thought of my long-distance relationship. I wasn’t paying attention very well. Although there is still a definite connection between this song and my long-distance relationship, I didn’t pick up on the true connection until much later. The album was finally released and I bought my copy and it played in my car stereo for weeks.

I still didn’t get the message of the song.

After the album had been out for a little while, I started reading the reviews. There were quite a number of them, and they were all very encouraging. Then I read either a review or an interview that explained what 1000 Miles Apart was all about.

I can’t believe I missed the point!

The next morning during my drive to work, I queued up #12 on my stereo, cranked up the volume, and listened.

Tears filled my eyes and ran down my cheeks. I felt so sad and so ashamed.

I’m far from racist, but I still feel full of guilt and shame. How did we become like this? How can we be so cruel? Having a mulatto child, I’m sure this problem will be forced into being a major issue in my life.

So sad. So needless. So maddening.

“Will we ever have eyes to see that from our colours we learn?”

1000 Miles Apart

I wonder when this poison seed made a root and grew a weed
I wonder when I taught my feet not to walk down certain streets
I want to feel what I believe: that we are all the same
It’s not our houses, it’s our hearts 1000 miles apart

You stay there, and I'll stay here, into our corners we disappear
And we don’t ever have to talk, 'cause you like hiphop and I like rock
But sometimes thoughts hurt just as bad as striking cheeks with hands
It’s less our homes and more our hearts 1000 miles apart

When will we have eyes to see?
When will we learn?
Will we ever have eyes to see
That from our colours we learn?

A change of heart, a change of tune, can we forgive each other’s wounds?
Can we cut down this fence of weeds, and neighbors, close as brothers, be?
Cannot love conquer even when we don’t look the same?
'Cause we don’t have to keep our hearts 1000 miles apart

Downhere
Wide-Eyed and Mystified
May 2006

Joy

“The trick is not how much pain you feel – but how much joy you feel. Any idiot can feel pain. Life is full of excuses to feel pain, excuses not to live, excuses, excuses, excuses.”
- Erica Jong

Can I get the book on how to live without making excuses in 3 easy steps please? Also include the one about how to not let the pain overcome your joy. If you could also find a version you could just plug into my brain so that I can’t use the excuse of not having time to read it…..that would be great, thanks.

Excuse

You’ll have to pardon me. It’s been quite a while since I’ve felt like writing and sharing.

While I’ve been in this slump, I’ve been collecting quotes here and there - words that hit me with force - thought-provoking words.

If you follow along and pay attention, you’ll probably get a good idea of where my mind has been lately.

Testy

Tomorrow is exam day. Apparently I haven't been tested enough in the last couple of years! (joke to self)

I've been taking an online PowerPoint course through the local college.

I know, some of you reading may be saying to yourselves, "A PowerPoint COURSE? Why on earth would you waste your time with that, Tracy? You could learn that in an afternoon!" I know, I know.

At work, management wants people to learn. They require us to learn things, to get educated. It's on my review every year. I was going to take the half-day course, but then my boss found this online course and suggested I look into it. It cost less than the half-day course (until you add the cost of the textbook in), and it said it required 30 hours to complete. It's got to be more intense than any half-day course!

You know what? This course has been surprising. I've put a lot of hours into learning and practicing PowerPoint. More, I think, than the 30 hours the course required. There is no way I could have learned AND RETAINED as much information about PowerPoint in a half day course as I have in this online one. It's been 18 years since I graduated from highschool, and this is the first real course I have taken since then. I'm not exactly used to studying and practicing and completing lessons anymore! But I did it, and it wasn't so bad. Now I'm feeling pretty comfortable with PowerPoint, and that's exactly what I wanted. All that half-day blitz course would have given me is a headache.

The exam tomorrow is 3 hours! Well, they allow you 3 hours to complete it, so that doesn't necessarily mean that it takes that long. I'm nervous, but I think it's going to be okay. For one, there won't be a teacher wandering about and making me extra nervous. Secondly, the exam is online too, so I can use my books and look through my notes and examples to complete the exam. It's going to be alright.

I'm thinking about taking another online course now. Another program that I need to know better for work is Access. Yikes! That one really scares me! It makes me think numbers, and numbers are my enemy! They don't like me at all! I'll have to psyche myself up for that one for sure! Too many exclamation points...

I am not studying tonight. I did some of that last week, over the weekend, and today at work. I'm relaxing tonight. In fact, as soon as I post this I'm going to get ready for bed. I'm going to be as fresh as a daisy for that exam tomorrow.

Hooray! It's over!

Help

Finally, a topic arises that I am passionate enough about that I need to write about it.

I am not good at asking for help. That has become abundantly clear to me since having Miles. There are a number of reasons why I’m not good at asking for help.
1. I’m not good at asking for anything. I’m a fairly self-sufficient individual.
2. My help-asking timing generally sucks.
3. Once I get the courage to ask for help, I often get let down.
There’s much more to it than just those three points, but that’s the basics.

Now, before I go any further, allow me to do this.

Mom and Dad – Thank you for everything, every day of my life. I would be more than lost without you.

Krista and Bob – Thank you for your unfailing love and support.

Glenn and Sherri – You guys have made life so much easier for me over the last couple of years. Thank you both so much. Sherri, you’ve become a real sister to me. An EXTRA thank you to you.

Now, without going into lengthy detail, I need child care for Miles starting at the end of August. I called today to find out if I am eligible for Child Care Subsidy. As a single, working mother, I thought I might have a chance.

I don’t. I am not eligible. Why am I not eligible? Because I’m too freakin’ smart, responsible and caring, and have a loving, supporting family. I have too much money in savings to be eligible for child care support. Yes, because I moved in with my parents because I couldn’t afford the rent charges in this area, and instead started saving up money for a down-payment on a house, because I don’t want to go into debt paying rent and become a social assistance case and yet another burden to my province and country, there is no help available to me. By all means, there are thousands of people out there who need the assistance far more than me, and please, PLEASE, assist them first! But where is the assistance for people like me? Why do I get shafted because I have a good job that I’ve stayed at for a long time, and because I have family who ensures I don’t end up on the street? I don’t need to have the fees completely covered. I don’t even need to have half of the fees covered. But a little bit of something would be better than nothing!

To quote a friend, “Oh you told the truth? It's terrible how you get punished for being a
responsible person. If you had pissed away all your money recklessly they would reward you by subsidizing you.” Yeah. No kidding.

My mom asked me a good question. If I went out now and bought myself a house, and basically over-extended myself monetarily, then would I be eligible for child care custody? My guess is yes. What is yours? Isn’t that a ridiculous scenario?

As a society, we definitely need to help those who are less fortunate. But shouldn’t we also help the “Average Jane” to keep her from joining the less fortunate?

Just my thoughts. I’m done.

Forget it

May I forget what ought to be forgotten; and recall, unfailing, all that
ought to be recalled, each kindly thing, forgetting what might sting.
- Mary Caroline Davies

I got mine

Did you get yours?

In stores today! - Wide Eyed and Mystified

www.downhere.com

Four-Part Breath

You need to read this.

The last time Krista and I managed to have a nice sushi supper together, she told me about a method of breathing to help me sleep. When I hit a slow time at work, I look through a business magazine to see if I can find anything of interest. It was only a few days after this dinner discussion on breathing that I came across an article called, “Four-Part Breath”. Interesting, I thought, and I started reading. The article begins by describing three troubled lives...my very own breath caught in my throat as I read. “I know these people, I’m sure I do.” is what came to mind. I remembered Krista telling me about breathing, and I continued to read. We need to learn and remember to do this. Our lives move so quickly these days, surely we all forget to really breathe. With permission from the author, I’ve posted “Four-Part Breath” on my blog. Read it and “breath your way back to your best self”.


Four-Part Breath

Breathing your way back to your best self

By Linda Gregorio

She sits distraught and shaken in her family room, laptop in hand, a glass of
red wine on the side table. Tears of frustration drop onto her keyboard. She has
withstood a barrage of corporate bull for weeks, but this last business trip put
her over the top. If only she could get the insanity at work to stop, maybe she
could get ‘back to normal’.

__________________________________________________________________

He stands at his drawing table, shoes off for comfort, music on for serenity, as
he works yet another Saturday while trying to convince himself it isn’t a
regular work day – though for 16 days in a row he has been trying to get ‘caught
up’.

__________________________________________________________________

She marches into the boardroom wearing a power suit looking in control and
purposeful, all the while secretly wishing she could regain the focus that death
and destruction has robbed her of lately. She does what she can to get past the
loss of her sister and somehow find a way to get ‘back into work again’.

__________________________________________________________________

These talented professionals have much in common. They are human – they share the struggle of how to be passionate and emotionally attached to their jobs, while remaining detached enough so problems do not get to them and rob them of their overall life energy.

And they are all doing what they know best to release the stress which has accumulated over time and which somehow they have allowed to assault their senses, and get them off balance.

It isn’t new, to have work pressures to cope with. It isn’t new to have family life situations to contend with while working, either. Maybe what has become new, however, is the extent to which both work and life pressures happen in the same ‘in breath’, and the loss of our overall capacity to release those pressures on the ‘out breath’.

We have conditioned ourselves to open ourselves up fully to our experiences, and give things our all. Not a bad thing. Or is it? Maybe we have learned to ‘inhale’, to take in and take on as much as we can, at the expense of our ‘exhale’. Maybe we inhale so much only to find ourselves holding our breath, without finding ways of effectively exhaling that which doesn’t serve to keep us oxygenated, refreshed and vibrant.

As successful and talented professionals with a life, as we fully open ourselves to experiences, we must also remain fully open to the new methods of coping with the heightened effects of stress.

Successful professionals are exploring meditation, yoga, and other forms of body-breath work in general. Though the concept of full-blown spirituality in the workplace is not taking on the momentum once anticipated, the relaxation and stress management techniques often associated with spiritual learning are fast becoming a viable option as a means to de-stress. Along with massage, don’t be surprised to see people trying hydrotherapy baths, reiki, therapeutic touch, yoga, or meditation.

Why would they consider this kind of thing? Imagine that everything we do registers in our body as either; a) ‘in breath/inhale’, b) a ‘hold breath’, or c) an ‘out breath/exhale. That said, are you breathing well? Is your exhale rushed and almost non-existent as you race to take in and take on another inhale? You probably can’t remember ever deliberately focusing on your exhale – unless you are already doing meditation or yoga, having babies, or singing. To remember what belly breathing is like, take a second to breathe. Breathe in, hold, and then release. How does that feel? Try it again.

Don’t feel badly if you have forgotten how to breathe; most of us have. It’s important that we all learn to breath again, and not from the upper half of our lungs, where hyperventilating occurs, but from deep within our diaphragms and bellies. We need to learn to take deep oxygenating breaths that serve to fuel our body and mind.

Let me suggest a simple yet proven breathing technique, called “Four-Part Breath”.

Four-Part Breath

Breathing in a very mindful way will go a long way to ground you and to support you in releasing the stress that will accumulate in you over time. Try this Four-Part Breath technique at least four times a day, even if you only get through it once each time. One time is better than nothing and you’ll notice you can work it up to longer. Train your mind and body to breath in (a) very methodical way and let the affects of stress move past your lips on every out breath.

Always start by sitting comfortably with your back supported. Close your eyes, take a first breath in and concentrate on lowering your shoulders down and away from your ears. When ready….Start in with the four-part breath.

1. Inhale a big breath (to full capacity).
2. Hold (hold that breath for as long as you can).
3. Exhale slowly (exhale slowly and steadily, silently counting to four).
4. Exhale deeply (blow out a hard breath to release that which is left at the bottom).

Imagine taking in clean healthy air, filling yourself with new and renewed energy and then slowly releasing the old stuff that has been storing up in you, and finishing off with a final, deep and forceful exhale to rid from you all the stress hiding in the nooks and crannies in your system. Breathe. Relax, and enjoy – your body, your mind and perhaps even your family and colleagues will love you for it because you’ll be back to your ‘best self’ in no time.


First Published in Exchange Magazine May 2006

Linda Gregorio
Presents of Mind
“A Strategic Planning/Organizational and Leadership Development Firm”
linda@pomconsulting.com
lindaigregorio@aol.com
Office: 519-740-7281
Cell: 519-574-1187

Comfort

"Do not believe that he who seeks to comfort you lives untroubled among the simple and quiet words that sometimes do you good. His life has much difficulty . . . Were it otherwise he would never have been able to find those
words."
~ Rainer Marie Rilke ~

Thank you to those troubled ones with the simple and quiet words of wisdom.

TML

When I was little...

I wanted this picture to post at the beginning of the previous post, but I wasn't able to add any more pictures to that post. I thought it would be okay to place it in a new post just above it instead.

Children's Museum

When I was little, my parents brought us on some cool family vacations. I’ve been to all of the provinces east of Ontario, and all up and down the U.S. east coast. I’ve been on several ferries, and have seen the Anne of Green Gables Homestead (long before it caught on fire). I have been to Cape Cod, and visited the Plymouth Plantation and Plymouth Rock, I’ve been inside the White House, the Smithsonian, thrown tea overboard into Boston Harbour, and visited the Boston Children’s Museum, Science North in Sudbury, and the London Regional Children’s Museum in London, Ontario.

Last year, while researching for local areas of interest where I could bring Miles, I learned that we have our own children’s museum right here in Waterloo Region.

I added a vacation day onto this past Easter long weekend, and was determined to get Miles out to do something different together. On Saturday afternoon, we made our first visit to the Waterloo Regional Children’s Museum. We started off in TotSpot, a gallery for children up to 4 years of age. It was a nice, darkened room with lots of different things to feel and hear and see and do. Miles squealed in delight when some other children came in to join him at play. From there we went upstairs to the Mechanical City and experimented with sound at the Gear Wall, and Miles had fun pushing in the “pins” on the Pin Wall. We didn’t have time to check out the Creation Station, and it was too hard to manoeuvre a stroller in Construction Alley, so we continued on. We went upstairs once more to the Energy Playground. We first tried out the Flash Wall, where you push a button, then strike a pose, wait for the flash then see the shadow you’ve created on the wall. This was pretty cool because even Miles could stick out his hands and see their shadows on the wall. Then we found the PlasmaCar Raceway. I knew this would be something that Miles would enjoy. It was pretty cool too. You just sit on this little plastic cars, pull your feet up off of the floor and rest them on the car, then wiggle the steering wheel and off you go! Miles couldn’t really coordinate the lifting of the feet and the wiggling of the steering wheel, but he loved motoring around all the same. Then we quickly explored six different forms of energy (a wee bit beyond a 1-year old), before heading to the next exhibit. Before leaving, we visited the Water Garden in the basement. Here we played a little in an exhibit named Thoughts Flow. We redirected the water flow and dropped our boats in to see where they would go. Miles was having such a good time that he tried to climb in! Apparently there was a lot more to the Water Garden and Thoughts Flow than what we experienced, but we’ll make sure to leave plenty of time for that during our next visit. We totally missed Floor 4 too, where there are Special Exhibits (Eyes on Earth until May 7, 2006) and the Glow-in-the-Dark Room.

The museum was a great place to spend some time with Miles. I look forward to taking him there again some day, to watch him explore and giggle and learn and look around in awe.

If you haven’t been there yet, you should go! And don’t forget to bring a kid with you!

A Return to the Road Rant

The original rant...

In the middle of stop and go traffic, it dawned on me. I now know why those drivers who make me crazy do what they do!

I drive a standard transmission – “They” all drive automatics! It sure makes a difference when you have to keep pumping that clutch up and down. It makes sense that those of us who can drive a stick have different driving habits than those who don’t. We are, perhaps, more aware of our driving as our hands, feet and minds are kept busy manipulating clutches and stick shifts while keeping an eye on the traffic around us. Heck, if all I had to do is bend one toe on the gas pedal, I’d probably be a creepy crawler at the stoplights too. NOT!!!

All this to end up with crazy déjà vu – I think I’ve realized this before, years ago……Doh!

Nooooooo! Say it's not so!

Apparently the final installment in the Harry Potter series is in the works.

I can't believe this will be the end of Harry.......

Next Potter book on the brew - Yahoo! News UK

Ask Bill Nye - "Hey, Bill, why do we blush when we are embarrassed?"

As a blusher, this caught my eye. Check it out.

MSN Encarta - Ask Bill Nye - Reader Questions Answered

Fundraising

For the last few years, I have participated in The Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. I have also participated in CCS’s Great Ride ‘n’ Stride, the MS Society of Canada’s Super Cities Walk for MS, and the Cheerios Heart & Stroke Mother Daughter Walk. I bring my pledge sheets into work and my coworkers are always very generous and very supportive. I am fortunate to work with such a great group of people. Sometimes they will even ask me, “Hey! When’s your next walk?”

But I know that some people don’t like asking for money, and so they avoid getting involved. And I have to wonder if the people that I am always asking to sponsor me are sick and tired of me doing it. After all, we all get plagued with solicitous phone calls, mail and emails on a near-daily basis.

The fundraisers I participate in are all for a good cause, there is no doubt about that. But has it gone too far? As spring approaches, watch for how many brochures, posters, and pledge forms you see for various walks and runs. It’s a little overwhelming when you stop and take a good look around.

I’ve decided to put all of my efforts towards the fight to find a cure for cancer. It is a disease that is spreading far too rapidly, and I, for one, want to be a part of finding a solution.

How do you feel about fundraising? Are you annoyed when someone asks you for a pledge? Or do you freely sponsor participants for every cause out there?

First Fondue

During supper last night, Glenn was talking about how his bout of stomach flu hit him at a very inopportune time. The band was being treated to a wonderful spread at P.F. Chang’s. One of the items that Glenn missed out on was the chocolate fondue fountain. Grandma suddenly says, “I should pull out my chocolate fondue pot!” I didn’t even know she had one! By the time I got Miles into bed, the yummy scent of chocolate was wafting upstairs. We all gathered around the table to share a small feast of strawberries, grapes, and graham crackers dipped in chocolate. Awesome.

Krista, my sista, we have to do this sometime.

Quote

I began to have an idea of my life, not as the slow shaping of achievement to fit my preconceived purposes, but as the gradual discovery and growth of a purpose which I did not know.
- Joanna Field

Root Beer

Why we put our burgers in foil bags:

Back in our drive-in days, we used to bring our burgers right to our
customers' cars. We found that foil bags kept the burgers hot and fresh
every time. Which is why we still serve them like that today.

A&W. It's all in the details.

Why there's no ice in our drinks.

It's quite simple. Ice melts and that dilutes the taste. And
that just won't do. So we only use soda fountains that pre-chill our
drinks to the perfect temperature. That way, it tastes right, every
time.

A&W. It's all in the details.

Music to a Virgo's ears.

And they give the company's history on their website too. Cool.

You've gotta love a restaurant that serves root beer......

School suspends 20 in Web probe - Security - MSNBC.com

School suspends 20 in Web probe - Security - MSNBC.com

I don't understand why or how the school got involved in this.

I need to start understanding what goes on in schools these days. I've got four (or less) years to figure this out. Scary freaky stuff.

Road Rant

Drivers who slow down long before they have to stop…

We’re talking at least 5 car lengths before the car stopped ahead of them. Then they slowly, bit by bit, creep up behind them. I completely don’t understand it, and it just drives me crazy. Or even those who, while at a stop, move ahead an inch every 10 seconds or so. Why? Why do they do that? Why can’t they just stop at a stop?

Sweet Ride

Miles and I finally got a chance to get out and take his new ride for a spin. We've been waiting for this chance for ages. I can only take him out on the weekends, and last weekend I was sick. It was chilly and the wind was biting, but I was too stubborn to wuss out and go back home. Miles didn't care though. He was snug as a bug in his snowsuit. Besides that, I made sure to also buy the all-weather cover when I ordered the stroller. We can walk in any kind of weather I can handle now.

This is a Tike Tech ATX All Terrain Model RTT-16 in Pacific Blue. As I said, this was our first time out with it, so I can't honestly give you a raving review, but I have no complaints so far and I look forward to my next chance to take it out. I found it through this site, and most of the reviews in there are quite good.

As you can see, Miles looks pretty happy. I think we're good to go.

Proud to be Canadian

Aunt Sherri sets up theme weeks for the boys and the playroom. For Valentine’s, everything that could be found that dealt with love or hearts or red or pink or purple was brought into the playroom. Included in this collection were three red hats – each of them had CANADA embroidered onto them. Miles chose his favourite and wore it proudly.

TPK

If you don’t already know, The Philosopher Kings got back together and released a brand new album on Valentine’s Day - Castles.

GET IT!

At first I thought it wasn’t as groovy as their previous albums, but I’ve been listening to it non-stop, and now I can’t be without it. I strongly suggest you check it out.

Waiting on the train

A railway line runs through our city, connecting the three little towns to the rest of the continent.

Awesome.

However, it crosses the busiest road in the city at the busiest intersection in the city. This really ticks a lot of people off. Folks will drastically change their driving routes home just to avoid the possibility of being caught by the train.

I see it as an opportunity though.

An opportunity to take a deep breath, turn up the radio, and take 5 or 10 minutes to relax. Heck, I’d take a nap if I knew I’d wake up when the road was open again.

Some days I wish for the train to be crossing when I reach the tracks.

Choo-choo!

Grandma's Glasses

Miles has developed a fondness for glasses. Perhaps it started way back in January 2004 when he received a pair of sunglasses.

But it continued this January during Uncle Bob’s birthday preparations.

Soon after that came Grandma’s glasses.

Hmmm…what a silly boy he is, my Miles. I have to honestly say that he comes by it naturally.

The Model

And now we have Miles, modeling some sports-inspired outfits that his Grandma Shirley sent to him all the way from South Carolina....

Here is the baseball warm-up suit:

Sure, you can play hockey when dressed for baseball.

And now a dashing golfing ensemble:

Ahem... you may also play hockey when dressed more suitably for golfing.

As well as something very scholarly:

Of course you can play hockey with a soccer ball while dressed for school! We are CANADIAN for cyring out loud!

Hockey is ALWAYS allowed!

Thanks Grandma Shirley!

Another First

Back near the end of January, I had finally had enough of picking little bits of lint and fluff out of Miles’ curls. It was time for action! The time and place were ideal as well. While Miles was bathing, I pulled out a fine-toothed comb and a pair of scissors and went to work. I called for Grandma to grab my camera and come on into the bathroom to document the event. After I looked after the top section, I just kept going – the strands that curled back over his ears was driving me crazy too! He took it all in stride, as he does with most things. Miles just looked at us, wondering what we were doing. I think his hair looks much nicer now without those bits of fluff decorating it. I wasn’t able to get a good “after” picture in the days following the haircut, but perhaps in the days and weeks to come you’ll The New Miles.

Note: If anyone ever wonders why Miles' bath water always looks a little mucky, there are two reasons:

1. The tub is Olive Green - an original from when the house was built.

2. Miles gets an oatmeal bath every night to aid his eczema and prevent it from becoming an issue again.