Did You Just Say What I Think You Said?

I just took my daughter to get her hair cut.  We go to this great place called 'Kuts 4 Kids'.  She sat up on the rocking horse to get her hair done.  All of a sudden she states, loudly and clear as a bell, "Penis!" - just out of the blue.  Like it's okay to just shout out private body parts in public.  I just stared at her in shock.  She has never done that before.  The hairstylist and I were chatting, so I don't know if she was trying to get our attention, or what.  It's moments like these when the fact she has two older brothers is really obvious.  Anyway, as I was still staring at her open mouthed, and the hairstylist was trying not to laugh too hard, I guess my daughter could tell by the look on my face that she was about to get into trouble.  She thought quickly and said hastily, "That's a bad word and we don't say it, right, Mommy?"  Good one, honey.  A little late, but...good.  I mean, it's not a bad word, but it's a private word.  Okay?  Private!  Kids...

Rick Mercer Has It Right

I love Rick Mercer.  He's so funny and politically smart.  His rants are awesome.  This one is particularly timely.

Mumford and Sons!

I went to a concert last night.  I haven't been to a concert in ages.  I love Mumford and Sons so much, and I didn't think I'd get a chance to ever see them.  I was so excited when I heard they would be right in my city of Hamilton!  Even though I was waiting for the exact moment the tickets went on sale, I still couldn't get very good seats.  Of course, their show was amazing, even from up high.  They're a band that sounds even better live.  Their music has so much energy.  The new songs they played sounded great; I can't wait for their next album.  It was an amazing experience.  

I Am Not, Repeat, NOT Cranky!

It seemed like a good idea at the time.  My son had apparently grown an entire foot since last winter, and I didn't have any warm pants he could wear, so I thought I would take all the kids to Zellers to buy pants.  I usually try to avoid taking even one child shopping, let alone three, so I'm not sure exactly what I was thinking but let's say I was extremely optimistic.

It started out well.  When I picked them up at school, they wanted to have friends over, so I said enthusiastically that we couldn't do that because we had to go shopping!  Surprisingly, they didn't pick up on my happiness.  They became very upset and complained loudly about it.  So we were off to a good start.

We got into the van.  My one son began going on and on about how the last thing in the world he wanted to do right then was go to Zellers.  I tried to lighten the mood by talking about my oldest son's birthday.  That backfired, as my daughter began crying because it wasn't HER birthday.  You can't anticipate these things.

I noticed I was clenching both my jaw and both hands on the steering wheel.  I said, "Can everyone just stop being so cranky?"

My son yelled, in the most irritable voice ever, "I am NOOOOTTTTTTT cranky!!!"

There was a startled pause, and then we all began laughing hysterically.

I felt much less cranky after that.

Trip to Cape Breton

Good stuff about camping:

Jiffy Pop (unless you leave the cardboard top on by accident and set the whole thing on fire - although I have to say it was the most exciting popcorn I've ever made)

Smores (who am I kidding - all the kids wanted to eat was the chocolate and marshmellow - hey, is there such a thing as a chocolate marshmellow?  If not someone should invent it!)

Hot chocolate

Fresh air

Being right in outdoors (and we were sun burnt and bug-bitten to prove it, but we were LIVING it!)

Smell of campfire

Snuggling in sleeping bags on cold nights in the tent


I would highly recommend a trip to Cape Breton.  It's unbelievably beautiful.

Princess Doll Cake and Sponge Bob Cake

These are the cakes I just made for my daughter and son.  I was happy with how the Princess Doll Cake turned out.  I was scared of using fondant, because I'd never used it before.  Luckily it was easy to work with and very forgiving (sign me up!) and that made it fun.  I was going to decorate the skirt more, but my daughter wanted me to keep it the way it was.

When I showed my son the Sponge Bob one, I said, "I know it isn't perfect, honey, but here it is."

My son looked at it and said, "It's perfect to me, Mom."

That's when I said, "I will make you any cake you want, every single year, forever and ever!"

You've Got to Watch Those Dragons!

My oldest son was telling my middle son a story, the kind I used to read where you could make decisions about what would happen next, and turn to the corresponding page.  Except Colin was making the whole story up on his own.  He was saying, "You are walking your dog and it turns into a dragon.  What...Do...You...Do?"

My middle son, who was taking the whole thing very seriously, didn't blink an eye or miss a beat.  He spoke quickly and forcefully.  "I punch it in the privates."

This was an acceptable answer so my other son continued with his story.

I was laughing very, very hard.

I asked my daughter the same question, and she replied, "When it's a baby dragon we can hold it and rock it and sing 'rockabye baby'!"

We All Need Food Ideas, Right?

What do you put in your children's lunches?

• pasta and tomato sauce in a Thermos
• macaroni and cheese (Thermos)
• hot dogs (Thermos)
• chicken noodle soup (Thermos)
• sandwiches with bread, bagels or wraps - cheese, soy butter (nut-free), or leftover dinner meat such as ham or beef
• hard-boiled egg with muffin or roll and some fruit

What about dinners that kids like?

• homemade pizza on whole wheat dough (you can buy the dough at the grocery store)
• steak, roasted potatoes and beans
• ham, brown rice and corn
• tacos or fajitas
• whole wheat pasta with Parmesan and olive oil
• lasagna
• barbecued chicken, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes
• scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon, toast and o.j.
• salmon, brown rice, mushrooms

What do you do?

Ultra-Marathoner Envy

I want to be a 61 year old man.  That's right.  You heard me.  He's an ultra-marathoner.  I read about him in my paper the other day.  I think he has run over 84 marathons or something.  I admire that kind of discipline.  And his commitment to his sport - we all love men who can commit, am I right?  Not to mention that possessing that kind of energy level is truly impressive.  Some days I don't feel I have enough energy to sort socks.  Okay, that would be most days. 

I've run half marathons (21K) and several 25 Ks.  My next step may be the 30K Around the Bay race.  But eventually I feel I have to do a real marathon.  None of this half stuff - I want to do the whole thing.  It's a goal for me.  I may not do it until I'm 45, but now I've said it...and there are witnesses.  I want to be able to say that I've run a marathon.  Bring on the training!