Getting to Know Me

A fun game for when I don't have much to talk about. :) Click the above to go to the original site. :) Love surveys! :)

1. Have you ever snooped around someone else's house?
Not as an adult and not maliciously. I was a nosy kid so when I was younger yes - and I'm probably less shy than I should be if I'm looking for something (such as toilet paper, or a pen or pencil in someone's desk) about opening cabinets and drawers etc. But poking around for poking around's sake? No.

2. Can guys and girls be friends? ( thanks Jen!)
Absolutely and I can do you one better - I think even guys and girls with a romantic past can be friends! I'm still very close with my first boyfriend. Also, my best friend for a very long time was a guy (although that was never romantic).

3. Can you curl your tongue?
Curl it yes. Turn it over no.

4. Have you ever stolen anything?
Not intentionally. I've walked out of a store with something, realized it and returned it but that's about as close as it comes.

5. Would you rather talk on the phone or text?
Depends on with whom. Anyone who matters, I like talking to on the phone lol. But I'm also big on email/IM/chat. Not a big texter though.

6. Memorial Day plans?
No Memorial Day in Canada but we had Victoria Day last weekend. I spent the first night at my house with my in-laws, who babysat Little Tyke the next night while we went to Montreal for a birthday party, and then my parents came back with us to help us set up our back yard on the Sunday. The Monday we went swimming with my in-laws and had an early night as we were all sick and tired by then (literally, lol, not of each other).

7. What do you do to relax?
Depends. I'm a big reader, TV watcher, and internet surfer, so probably one of those. Or video games if I'm on a kick (not often, but when I do I really get into them).

8. Do you do anything to honor those that have died fighting for our freedom?
I'm incredibly close to my grandfather who's a vet, and my uncle and brother who were soldiers; we donate to charities when we can for fallen soldiers' families etc., and we observe Remembrance Day without fail. We've visited the National War Museum a few times as well, which is a wonderful and moving experience.

Not much to say ...

It's been a quiet week around here. Little Tyke caught a cold from us, which went to his poor little chest, leading him to be on his very first antibiotics. He's contagious, which means one or the other of us has been home with him all week, and which also means we've fallen behind in much other stuff - housework (except actual CLEANING, germ control etc.; tidying is a different matter). No biggies though, we had a really busy and exciting weekend so it hasn't been a bad time to stay home, and fairly quietly too (he hasn't exactly been Mr. Energy - although as the antibiotics are kicking in he's getting there, which is nice to see).

It's been a quiet week for work for me too, which considering LT being sick hasn't been bad - I was recovering from a cold which knocked me on my bum too, as was Ari, so really no complaints about the low-key-ness. Which should continue into the weekend - our only plan is having a couple of close friends over to test out the new back yard and barbecue for lunch on Saturday (provided LT is no longer contagious - we were going to take him to a drop-in playgroup for the first time, but thought better of it so he doesn't make the other kids sick). The rest will be getting the house back into shape after a sick week, getting back into the swing of church, and keeping up with my online school marking. And hopefully we're all back to routines - work, babysitter, etc. - next week.

Aaaw ...

Such a nice weekend.

• Friday we had a nice evening with the in-laws, although tired.
• Saturday we went to Montreal, our first overnight without Little Tyke, who stayed with his grandparents. While we stayed at kind of a skuzzy hotel, we still had a lovely time doing dinner with my family to celebrate my uncle's birthday. We hit the cobblestones on St. Arthur afterward and wandered the main before having some debaucherous fast food dessert and poutine and calling it a night.
• Sunday my parents 'followed' us to my house where they and my in-laws prettied up our yard and threw me an early birthday celebration, cake and all. Out back, we now have a gazebo, and a barbecue (YES!). It's so super-duper nice and I loves them for doing that for me.
• Today we took Little Tyke out to the wave pool before the in-laws headed home.

Our house is a disaster again, we're exhausted and I have a cold ... but all in the name of a lovely long weekend, it was worth it.

Happy Victoria Day Weekend Canada!

Enjoyed a lovely evening with the in-laws tonight ...
Off to Montreal to see my grandma, my parents and my brother who are visiting her ...
Having everyone at our house Sunday ...
A quiet Monday.
That's a long weekend, Canada Style. :)
Hope all of yours is as fun, enjoyable and full of love.

Pax!

The West Wing and Glee

Are two shows I have gotten into in the last couple of weeks, bigtime (West Wing obviously on DVDs as it hasn't been on the air in 3-4 years, and Glee via On Demand Programming and Tuesday nights on Global, 9pm). I highly recommend both if you are into (in the first case) political drama that tends to delve into 'funny' too, or (in the second case), well really, musical theatre, but funny, edgy, yet also campy musical theatre. This week's episode had guest stars in Idina Menzel and Neil Patrick Harris - both absolutely fantastical. And I recommend the Power of Madonna episode of about a month ago to anyone. :)

Life Update

So I haven't posted many of these of late as life has been too busy to write, but not interesting enough to write about - at least for anyone else (of course I personally am endlessly fascinated by the things I learn from my students every day, the new ways Little Tyke learns to communicate almost by the hour, etc.). But I figured enh.

• I'm doing alright. Still subbing, but that's picked up a bit, as has my work with the virtual school. All's well, more good days than bad days in the substitute teaching world, which means few complaints from myself, my employers, or my students. :) It's hummin' along, and as a sub who's qualified on the high school and elementary levels it means every day's a new adventure. I LOVE teaching different age groups, it keeps things fresh and I always learn something new from it that I can take along with me to other classes. Looking forward to some adventures in the month or so ahead - a week from tomorrow we're heading to Montreal for my uncle's birthday. Our first weekend away from LT, who will be in his paternal grandparents' capable hands. The Monday, my parents are 'following us' back to Ottawa, as well as my brother, to get their own LT fix. And one month from this weekend ... FLORIDA AND THE MOUSE!!! YES.
• Ari is doing pretty well as well - same things as me on the personal life front, and I think also getting a great deal of fulfillment on the professional front. Good performance reviews, good friends at work - we actually have a couple of things socially coming up in Ottawa with some friends of Ari's from work, and mine from Wondercafe ... it should be good.
• LT is developing along nicely. Walking, playing, and his comprehension is fabulous (he can point out his hair, nose, mouth and tummy on demand, say Dada, Yeah, No, Good, Up, etc. with *some* consistency). We aren't terribly concerned about his development at all at this point, but to the extent there's anything he's on the 'low end of normal' with its his communication, and we're heading to a speech therapy screening on Saturday. Everything else though speaks to a happy, healthy little boy - and even that, he's still hardly way behind, and it's still more than in the realm of 'normal kids develop differently'.

So yup. Some good times for our little family. How about YOU and YOURS?

Call Ya Muddah

If you haven't already, it isn't too late.

All seriousness aside, Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's I know. I'm not going to list them here because I'd no doubt forget someone ... but there are so many moms I have loved raising my children alongside, and I'll just trust you know who you are and how inspired I am by you.

But I do especially want to give a shout out to MY 'moms' ...

First - my actual, y'know, mom: I can honestly say there is no one I admire more than this woman. In 28 years, I have not met one person who doesn't think she is an awesome person. In recent months, I have only grown to understand more about her, her strength, and the true extent of what selfless really means. She sets an impossible standard that I can never, ever live up to - but I will spend the rest of my life trying.

My gramma - my mom had to come from somewhere right? She always has the time to speak to her grandchildren, and even when she's going through a tough time, she always managed to find a smile and a laugh for us. She and I have always, always been close and that means so much to me, and I hope it never changes.

My step-mother - I've said this about my step-dad and my mom, and I'll say it about her and my dad - anyone who can love and take care of someone who *I* love so much, and be so wonderful to me and my brother to boot ... this woman puts any tales of the evil step mother to complete, total and utter shame. Every year I get to know her I develop a new admiration for her and I love Monique very, very dearly.

My mother-in-law - Val is the coolest, calmest, most sensible person I know, and I think might even put my mom to shame at times with her excitement over being a grandma. OK ... then again, maybe not. That's a toughie lol. But especially nice when someone who is so often 'the voice of reason', is also incredibly fun and funny - which Val is. It's been such a pleasure getting to know her, and especially getting to see her with Liam the past year and a half, it's been a whole other side. :)

I love you ladies so very much. Thank you so much for taking care of me, and the men in my life. You are all awesome. Thank you. XO