10th BIRTHDAY in the BIG CITY of TORONTO!

AS you know, my Son turned 10 last week. To celebrate....we(Grandma and myself) took him out to LIVE the HIGH LIFE in TORONTO!! All he knew was that he was going away and was eating dinner at The Harbour Sixty! He was excited knowing that he was dining where Hockey Players, musicians and just some plain old, famous people dined at!! I gotta say...the food was delish...the chairs so comfy and bouncy and the wine bottles aligning the walls...HEAVEN!!

We rode the Subway...and then travelled under ground to the hotel....The Fairmount Royal York!! He was amazed and thrilled!! I believe...in my other life... I was rich and had everything at my finger tips! I was meant for finer things! I realized this as I flopped down on the bed for night....down comforter and feather pillows! I just wanted a nap....after having kids for 10yrs....I needed a nap! But there was no time for that...we were on a tight schedule! Next was the play!!!

He wanted to include the pic of his Dinner!

Josh has had a love for the Titanic since it celebrated 100yrs! He has watched National Geographic specials, read books and watched movies and documentaries. He knows it all!! He wants to go to Ireland one day and see the BIRTHPLACE!! I promised him that we would....when the time is right, more like when the accounts are right!! So...the next best thing was the Musical! He was excited! We all were! It was wonderfully done...my eyes were wet!! Especially at the end.....!! A must see while in Toronto!!

His Beignets!

Then....dinner at Harbour Sixty!! Josh had the Salmon and loved every minute!! His dessert was Beignets!! He has always wanted to try them since watching the movie "Chef'.....his weekend was complete!! By the end of the night, he was walking ahead of us on the streets of Toronto...hands in his pockets...walking and watching the city life at night! He owned the it!! I am so proud of my 10yo!! He is becoming a great man!! He has so much to look forward too...so much he can be...so much love to give and so much love he receives!





By the end of the weekend...he said "this was the best present ever!"
I was glad to share it all with him.....

My Son's 10th Birthday made me realize.....

Pardon me for being RUDE...but I've had a FUCKING FANTASTIC LIFE...and I'm only reaching 40(next month)! Today is my FIRST Baby's, Birthday.....Josh is turning 10!! He is now into the double digits!! And where did the time go?? I can recall turning 10 myself....standing in my Mom's bedroom doorway...curtains were pulled to block the July Sun that afternoon.....I recall standing there...thinking, "I am 10..I am OLD, I am no longer in the single digits...I am double digits for the rest of my life...that's it!"

((See...if I was thinking that back then, no wonder I am having issues turning 40 this year!))

Homemade WAFFLES and Blueberries!

But for my Son...who is turning 10...didn't I just bring him home yesterday!? I can remember everything!! Playing poker...while waiting for something to happen!! Not feeling the contractions till they broke my water...and that was it......here's BABY!! I vividly recall the hemorrhoids!! How he was the ONLY baby sleeping in the ward(was something wrong with him)!! And I thought, as we brought him home and sat him in his chair ..."this is it..you are here...here we go!" And we did go!! It's been amazing!!

He is such a smart, young man!! He definitely has an old soul! He loves to cook! He loves History! He is kind and considerate! He even lectures friends and younger kids on the IMPORTANCE OF HEALTHY EATING!! I almost get embarrassed when he is passionately telling people, "white bread is bad for you....and hot dogs aren't healthy....that cereal is sugary...and why would you eat at McDonald's!?"
Gotta thank JAMIE OLIVER for that!! And he is right....!!

I think Hubby and I are doing OK!!

Going over photos from the past 10yrs.........I realized I've had a fucking fantastic life!! And it's only the first half......

MOTHERS DAY....AND I'M BEING SELFISH! BUGGER OFF!!

It's the day before Mothers Day WEEKEND...that's right, I take the WHOLE weekend!! Whats wrong with taking a WEEKEND out of the YEAR!? NOTHING!! I get to relax...OK, not all the times..lets face it, our Mother radar doesn't shut off!! I constantly jump to whatever demand this army asks! I'd rather do things than having them do it! Cause in the end...I'm cleaning up what they started and couldn't finish. AND come Monday...when things are back to normal(sigh)...the HOUSE has to be put back together! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my BRATS...just sometimes its more work for me, once the day/weekend is over!

I hear/read about Moms planning or suggesting what they would like on their day! Cards, flowers, dinners out, spa days etc etc...I've also seen surveys on what MOMS want!! There was one, and only 8% wanted a bottle of WINE!! What the hell is that about....8%!?

YEAH YEAH...every MOM is different, I get that!! But seriously....!? 

For the previous Mother's Days, we have gone to my favourite restaurant for BRUNCH...Milestones!! YUM!

Then I am allowed to BROWSE, ALONE...at the Antique Market! AND chose a gift!! Then, we end the day with me making Bruschetta(which I love doing....I am my happiest in the kitchen)...munching on olives and sipping WINE!! That is PERFECTION!!

Until this year.....

This year...Hubby is giving me the GREATEST GIFT EVER...he is taking OUR KIDS to the COTTAGE for the WEEKEND!! I will be alone and will LOVE it!! This weekend I can chat with myself, garden, write, read and drink WINE!! How PERFECT is that!!! For me...to be a BETTER Mom, means having ALONE time!! So take the kids away...bugger off!!!

I can tell you...when Hubby comes that home night..BOOM CHICKA BOOM BOOM!!

Happy WIFE(errr....MOM).....Happy LIFE!

JUST as I am finishing typing  this up...my 7yo daughter came to me and pleaded to stay home!!

She says she won't bug me at all...unless she needs something!! She also says that she wants to write too...!!

Hmmm...there might be a leak in my economy size bottle of wine......!!

Putting together a SHED from a BOX tests RELATIONSHIPS!

Snow has melted, days are warmer and brighter...its time to venture outside! Pasty white legs and toes peek outside the doorway, like a timid mouse, and seek the sun...its SPRING in Canada.
Flowers long ago forgotten, are starting again...its time for us all to start anew.
Its time for outdoor renovations!! UP GRADES!!

This year we bought a shed!! And a storage bench!! They were both in a BOX!! A BOX!!
YES...that means we have to get along like good little children and build!! I truly believe that every couple, before marriage..should be given a BOX of something....and told to build it!! If you can get along enough to build a shed and a storage bench...you will live a long life!! Perhaps too, that couple should be given a few kids...you know, to HELP in the process of building!!

There were a few slight hiccups along the way for the shed...for one, how we were going to get the HUGE BOX home!! Thanks to a friend with a pick up truck....we were back on track!! I strongly believe, that certain BIG BOX STORES should offer free delivery...especially if you are spending close to $1000!! Now this store also offered "installation" but they charge too much per hour...and I SOOO wanted somebody else to put it together!! I saw neighbours last year constructing a similar shed....let's just say, they had a few drinks that night!

Hiccup two....while constructing the frame, Hubby found out that "his" Son fried his phone....and after being on a help chatline for some time, the phone had to be reset...everything was gone!! Overall...it tested our relationship and I STRONGLY believe, it is safe!!

The SHED that can sleep 2, comfortably!

The following week...it was the storage bench! You would think, something smaller would be easier!!
I'm trying to think how to type this and still save my marriage.....it took Hubby, I think(?) 3 tries to complete it!! Let's just say "leave me alone and don't talk to me" were used a few times!!
So I did leave him alone.... and took 2 kids shoe shopping!! BUT I still believe...one shouldn't have eaten at a Buffet for lunch, then attempt to BUILD THE BENCH!

The BENCH that nearly ended it for us!

But we made it....the property is looking great and he is PROUD of what he accomplished! And he should be! I am PROUD that we are still married!! And talking to each other!!

NEXT WEEK WE MIGHT BUILD A BBQ!!
I'll keep you posted.....!

From SWEET DREAMS to REALITY......!

This was a recent morning, most of it happened before school started! Now not all mornings are like this, but like the saying says "when it rains, it pours!" There comes a point where you just have to laugh at everything that is happening!! And then wonder...why is this ALL happening to me?  IN ONE DAY!? What did I do? It started off with the KIDS fighting....Alex got punched in the face...by Katie(why, cause she says he is annoying)....to 6 kids making SNOWFLAKES in my kitchen and me having to sweep up all the bits of paper. And I swear, these kids were cutting just for the sake of cutting!!

Then as we started to go to school, the kids were running on the snow covered ice(regardless of my yelling "don't run, there is ice there")...to which Katie falls and then declares she will not go to school....to me finally bribing her to go, cause if you can't go to school then you can't go to a birthday party tomorrow! She decides to try school and since we don't have any tissues on hand, I use my red mitten and clear the snot off her face.

When I finally arrive home, sweep the floor from all the sand off their boots, put away all the PS3 equipment, I noticed cat puke in the corner!! While cleaning that up, my headache, which I have had since waking up, is intensifying and I wish that I could go back to my dream....BUT no, in the fridge I notice that a bag of milk has been leaking for about a week, and NO there wasn't any sour milk smell.

Finally cleaning and organizing things, to a point where I thought I could breathe....the phone rings....it's the SCHOOL!! Katie is too sore and is crying to go home! In the back of my mind...I was thinking about my DREAM!

My DREAM...cause it most certainly was a dream...I was being PAID to go to PARIS and WRITE!
I was travelling to the EIFFEL TOWER! I was just starting to walk up the stairs when I woke up......!

And you wonder why I like to have the occasional glass of wine!!?

After a Twitter Party, I still #ChooseAverage and thats OK!

Last night I partook in my first Twitter party...it was on the recent release of the Dove commerical........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DdM-4siaQw.

After reading tweets, favourites, retweets and commenting here and there...I left the party and thought about what was written as I laid in bed...it was hard to fall asleep. Sentences were forming in my head! Comments I should have said but the 140 word character was crippling my expressions.

I would have walked through the average door...that's what I feel...I have always felt average! But now that I am approaching 40(gulp), I am more comfortable with my average self...slightly! I am average on the outside! On the inside, I #ChooseBeautiful! I have a huge heart that is full of kindness and laughter....it oozes out of me! Isnt' that more important?

Beauty comes from within. And lets face...most outer beauty, in today's society, is fake. Make up and plastic surgery haunt our every move...we see it daily...hourly....through ads, magazines, tv and even hear about it on the radio.  It is fed to us, subconsciously...maybe we really don't hear what is being said...but deep down we HEAR and SEE it! Women and men, are competing...who is thinnest, smartest, prettiest, handsomest, sexiest and wealthiest. Those that are suckered into this are influencing their children...and so the cycle continues. Its scary! I have to admit...I am guilty!

I want rid of my grey hairs, flabby tummy and flapping arms. I read about various exercises and tried things out....only to quit after a few weeks...and partake in the once in a while regime. Slowly I am realizing I have that flabby tummy cause I gave birth to 3 huge, beautiful children. Flapping arms...well, I was slightly bigger years ago(and I should rejoice and celebrate that I am no longer that older self). So I am a work in progress! I realize THOSE ads are GARBAGE! But what about our younger, vulnerable generation? Perhaps Dove is targeted towards those(of all ages and gender) with self esteem issues? For those that are easily swayed by society ....Dove wants to encourage strength and #ChooseBeautiful.

But for me...I know I am average...and I am OK with that!! I will never have that waist, that face, that hair, those arms....but I will have a beautiful heart which will outshine it all...and make you fall in love with me!
 I am teaching my kids....my Daughter and Sons... that they are beautiful on the inside...even when they don't think so! That we should love and respect ourselves(our true self)...perfection does not exist, there are flaws in everything...and that most of society, media, fashion and Hollywood(minus a few great actors/actresses that know the truth)are fake! Be you! Love you!

After I #ChooseAverage, this was part of the next screen, along with a kit to help me #ChooseBeautiful::

"Beauty is a choice available to all of us every day. However, it’s a simple truth that women all over the world don’t feel able to see themselves as beautiful.
Mindfulness is a way of helping us all think more positively about ourselves by learning to appreciate our own unique beauty."

Here come the TWEEN YEARS...first sign, "I'm running AWAY!"

As a parent you know most school mornings are a rush.....trying to get everything done and motivate your kids to, let's say, SHOWER!! Currently my 9yo dislikes SHOWERS and does a dance of frustration when it's his turn!! This happened yesterday...as a result a mini-battle ensued and he lost privileges to the PS3 for the rest of the week!! Any parent knows....you have the power when you threaten to take away the PS3! Quickly their attitude changes...it's their life line..(sadly)...and once you take it away...they become a puddle of mush on the floor! But after doing this, things change...the child actually does other things!! They go outside, they read, they draw...!! It's a miracle!! They're ALIVE!!

This morning he was back on the PS3...I reminded him about his punishment!! He thumped upstairs and I didn't see him for awhile! Getting the other kids ready for school, I walked past his door...he was dressed, poster down off the wall and he was bunching up his bed sheet! Curious...I asked what he was doing!

"I am running away, I am giving the poster to Alex...and the sheet is for the food that I am taking....I'm just gonna walk to school and sit on the curb and wait for the bell."

My reply, "What are you gonna do later? And you can't take my food. You use your OWN money to buy food. And you will need lots of money to survive. And if the police see you, they will bring you back to me or take you to foster care. You will live in a strangers house and most likely go to another school."

He thought for a bit...."Well, I'll get a job delivering and buy my own food. I just want a new life."

I listened to his speech and he seemed determined in his running away! I could only think of this, "Well food is really expensive now a days...delivering doesn't pay much...you are going to be eating a lot of pasta and you don't like pasta! Also...you want a new life? By doing this you WILL have a new life for sure! But you know what, you will leave THAT new life too, cause you didn't change. You need to change your thoughts, attitudes and perspective and life will be amazing...if you stay here and just change your attitudes and accept that you have to shower, DAILY...you will have an amazing life!! And you know what...if you don't shower..you are gonna be alone...cause you will be STINNNNNKY!! Life can and will be hard and it will be harder when you leave. If you stay here...you have Daddy and I to help you! We will always be here to help!"

We sat on the bed and decided to have a "redo"!! He is currently in school and his bed sheet is back on his bed!

The running away made me think of myself! When I was around his age...I ran away!! I didn't like how I was being treated...and that part is fuzzy....I can't remember WHAT triggered the running away...but I was determined!! My little Brother was standing by the tree...crying, cause he didn't want me to leave! I remember THAT vividly!!
I ran away....and returned shortly after!! Mom didn't even know that I was gone!! LOL!! I feel like I have come FULL CIRCLE!

I have 3 kids....it's just the beginning, isn't it!?