... funny things are everywhere

10-10-10

Turkey dinner on 10/10/10. Happy Thanksgiving!

.....

For the record, this is Thomas' first turkey dinner for Thanksgiving. He's starting to get more adventurous with his food and added turkey to his list of "likes" just this summer. :)

.....

In no particular order, here is my list of ten things I'm thankful for.

• our family: We're not perfect, but we love and support one another through whatever comes our way.
• the boys' school: There is such a positive vibe there, and the support we've received there is second to none.
• tennis: It is so much fun and keeps us active; plus it's helping the boys develop a good work ethic and a good sense of sportsmanship and fairness.
• a good tennis coach: I'm thankful I've found someone who's kind and patient with my boys - and he's someone whose attention to technical details is perfectly in line with my way of learning. 
• my job: I love the people I work with, and I love that I get to mix science and social policy with a good measure of analytical thinking.
• books: The boys love to read so many different things, and I still enjoy the odd novel or work of non-fiction whenever I can fit it into my day.
• my health: I love to play tennis, run and teach aerobics; and I feel fortunate to be healthy and injury-free so I can do all this stuff.
• true friends: I'm fortunate to have a number of people I can share pretty well anything with and know I'm not going to be judged.
• Grey's Anatomy & Private Practice: I love the characters and the storylines and the musical selections.
• coffee: I cannot lie - I love my morning coffee enough to put it on my gratitude list.

Six on Sunday

I spend a great deal of my time doing things for other people in my life. No, this is not a complaint - I realize it's just a fact of life for most moms, and most days, I don't really mind it. I quite like the life I lead, thank you very much. :)

I am taking stock of my life as I write the content for my very own Me: The Abridged Version album, as taught by the fabulous Cathy Zielske over at Big Picture Scrapbooking. As I go through the bits and pieces of my life, I realize I'm actually pretty good at taking to heart an important piece of advice that so many of us women give one another. You know... the bit that goes like this:

"You spend so much of your life looking after others. You need to make time for YOU."

I am really quite good at doing this. Regularly. It's almost embarrassing, actually. There are days, like yesterday and today, when I feel almost hedonistic - I spent a LOT of time on the tennis court this weekend, and I loved every moment of it.

In honour of all my friends who make time to take care of themselves... and as a reminder to those of us who sometimes get too busy to do so, I present to you the following list. Here are six things I do for me:

.....

1. Play Tennis
At first, I thought I'd learn to play tennis so I could hit the ball with the boys and avoid paying for lessons every time they stepped on the court. After my second private lesson, I was hooked, and I haven't looked back. While I do enjoy playing with the boys, I now play and seek to improve my game purely for the joy of getting better at something I love to do.

.....

2. Scrapbook
When I first started scrapping, I thought of it as a way to put my photos and memories into an album so the boys would have a keepsake of their childhood years. Oh, how quickly that changed! Before long, it was all about the pretty papers and the fun, creative things I could do with the rather expensive tools and supplies I was collecting. Then it morphed into a desire to get a pat on the back from fellow scrapbookers who looked at the scans of my layouts that I posted in online galleries. After that, I became obsessed with getting my layouts published in magazines - thankfully, that phase did not last long! These days, scrapbooking is about telling stories with photos and words (just like it was at the beginning), except I do it for one person only. Me. And if Mike and the boys happen to love the albums I create, that's just icing on the cake.

.....

3. Run
In my mind, there's not an activity more hedonistic than running. I am not using the term hedonistic in a negative way here. Just in a matter-of-fact way. Running just feels good. I run because it makes me feel strong. I run by myself because I like the time spent alone. I run with friends because I like to chat and catch up on what their kids are doing. I run because it makes my clothing fit better. I run because I enjoy the scenery along the Ottawa River. I run to clear my mind. I run because I like blasting aerobics music on my iPod to push me along. I run because it means I can eat dessert guilt-free. I run because I like the rhythm of breathing, syncopating perfectly with the sound of my feet hitting the ground. I run because I can. I run for me.

.....

4. Sing
Trust me on this one - it's a good thing that I sing for me, and me alone. I tend not to sing when others can hear me. I used to sing in a choir as a young girl, but I can't imagine doing it as an adult. Every now and then, I might sing in front of Mike or the boys, and sometimes I've even sung while working out in the spin or aerobics studio alone at the club, but that's about as public as my singing will ever get. (Geesh, I hope no one was around those times!)

.....

5. Drink Starbucks
The $4.00-coffee - it's my guilty pleasure. My reward for going to school for long enough to get a decent-paying job. I could settle for less, and I often do, in the name of convenience, but whenever I can, I treat myself to a grandé non-fat latté.

.....

6. Blog
I could pretend that I write on my blog to leave bits and pieces of my life for my children to read, but quite honestly, I'd be surprised if they had the inclination to sift through all this blah-blah in years to come. I used to think I blogged to share pictures and stories of my kids so my out-of-town relatives could keep tabs on us, but they must be bored silly by my incessant talk of scrapbooking and tennis, so I will be honest and admit that I write this blog for me, and me alone. I quite enjoy the moments of introspection I experience as I blog. Are you a blogger? It's really rather self-indulgent, don't you think?

.....

What about you? How do you make time for YOU in your busy life? :)

random Friday fun

We're nearing the end of week 2 of the school year, and I am just exhausted. All this making lunches, signing forms, volunteering at the school, rushing home to get them to tennis... it's all wearing me out. I don't remember being this tired last year. Hmmm. I'm thinking this is where it would have been good to have my babies earlier in life, no?

Oh yeah. The title of this post said something about fun. So I'd better lighten up the tone, right? :P

.....

I love this layout I made a few weeks ago. It features an old photo of me, taken in my dad's childhood home. I took a photo of that same entranceway in June when we travelled to China. I love the connection I feel to the past when I create pages like this.

.....

I was going through some of our summer 2010 vacation pictures a few days ago, and I stumbled across this picture. This is me with my youngest sister, Bren. I love her to bits and wish she and her son lived closer to us.

.....

Things I am looking forward to in the coming days and weeks:

• playing tennis with Jamesie on Saturday mornings
• taking a one-day workshop on how to teach indoor cycling classes
• doing the Terry Fox Run with my boys at their school
• running but not racing - being sensible about my achilles tendonitis
• working on a scrapbook all about me in Cathy Zielske's Me: The Abridged Version class over at Big Picture Scrapbooking
• shopping for some new fall clothes and shoes
• creating 8x8 pages for my mom and dad's gift album

.....

One last thing. Did you see my post about double-page vacation layouts on the Ella blog last week? It was the first of three posts, featuring a few of my best Canadian scrapbooking buddies. Look for my second post later on today!

As always, I thank you for dropping by to visit me here. I always worry that I'm talking to myself here on my blog, but when I check my stats via Typepad, I know that I have a visitor or two dropping by every day. lol

Have a great weekend, everyone! :)

is it bad... ?

I have issues with guilt. <sigh>

I have perceptions of what others expect of me, and I feel obliged to meet (too many of) those expectations. It's part of being a woman. And a mother. I blame it on my genetic make-up. I often find myself feeling bad for having certain thoughts. For thinking some of my "what ifs."

Today, I found myself writing an email to a friend. It was entitled, "Is it bad... ?"

Seriously. Why do I care so much about what other people think?

.....

As a remedy to the guilt and to get the "is it bad?" feeling out of my system, I present to you this random list.

1. Is it bad that I purposely go days without washing my hair because I think it looks better after a day or two of working out? (Don't worry... I shower daily! I just don't wash my hair every time.)
2. Is it bad that I want to shove all my paper and glue scrapbooking supplies into my To Donate bin? My desk is a mess, and my scrap area needs a Clean Sweep. Yes, here we go again...
3. Is it bad that I don't want a bigger, better job right now? Is it wrong to be happy in a job that's not a the top of the management/corporate ladder, even if I'm perfectly capable of moving up?
4. Is it bad to wish the rest of the boys' summer vacation away because their constant bickering - caused by spending too much time together - is driving me NUTS?
5. Is it bad to have mild but chronic sports-related injuries that require the use of ice packs and Advil on an almost daily basis?
6. Is it bad that I don't want to (or can't) give up running, playing tennis and teaching my classes, despite the aforementioned injuries? My family doctor has suggested that my slow-to-heal injuries were typical of someone who's getting older. <sigh>
7. Is it bad to admit I have a box of crayons in my desk at work... and that I used them to doodle while I was supposed to be working, just the other day?
8. Is it bad to be planning to fill my days with crazy amounts of fun, exciting ventures, even before my current ventures wrap up?
9. Is it bad to turn down facebook friend requests of people I know but have no desire to reconnect with?
10. Is it bad to eat chocolate chips, intended for baking, by the handful because there is no other chocolate in the house?
11. Is it bad that I haven't gone through all the photos from my trip out east yet? We've been back for a week and a half already, but I just can't face the sorting and deleting and editing just yet.
12. Is it bad that I have specialized shoes for each of my three different fitness-related activities and that each pair cost upwards of $130?
13. Is it bad (or boastful) to stop and think, "Hey, that was a really nice thing I just did" and pat myself on the back?
14. Is it bad to oooooh and aaaaah over other people's (often strangers) babies and tell them how much I adored the 12-18 month old stage?

.....

I'll leave you with a picture of me with my first-born, taken during that magical one-year old period, back when he was learning so much every day, loved  me unconditionally and generally just wanted to please the adults in his life... man, I miss those days!

: )

Happy Thursday!

what I did on my summer vacation

We are home. And not a moment too soon. I think we were all getting pretty tired of sleeping on hotel beds, mattresses on floors and fold-out sofas. Not that we didn't appreciate the hospitality extended to us. Really, we did. It's just that getting home after being away... well, nothing compares to it.

What we did.

1. Saw some dear friends.
2. Went up the CN Tower.
3. Hung out by the ocean.
4. Read books.
5. Crashed a Class of 85 reunion.
6. Visited numerous theme parks.
7. Ran.
8. Played tennis.
9. Took pictures.
10. Ate too much.

Places visited.

1. Toronto.
2. Montreal.
3. Digby.
4. White Point.
5. Moncton.
6. Montreal. Again.

Pictures to follow.

TGIF... and a layout

It's funny how short workweeks that start or end with a statutory holiday always seem to be the longest weeks ever. Or is that just my out-of-whack perception of the situation? Anyway, it was a short week for us, but I'm exhausted... thank goodness Friday is finally here!

On my To Do list for today:

• Go to Starbucks and get some coffee for the house. We're out of the good stuff, and man, I haven't had a cup yet. I'm sure the shaking and cold sweats are just around the corner if I don't get some caffeine soon. ;)
• Do a bit of shopping. I need to buy some spring clothes. I am hoping to get a pair of crop pants, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to squeeze my legs into the skinny cut. Even though I stopped training my legs years ago, I still have big quads and calves, just from aerobics and running. Muscular legs might look okay in really short running shorts, but they will never, ever look good in skinny jeans. *sigh*
• Teach an aerobics class. Even after all these years of teaching, I still enjoy it. I love the participants, and the ones who go to my Friday lunchtime classes are among the nicest folks around.
• Work on my tennis backhands. I emailed my coach to say, "Mostly backhands?" and he replied, "LOL"– I'm guessing I'll hit at least 200 backhands today. I wonder how many will go over the net.
• Tackle the bottomless pile of dirty laundry.
• Pick  up some groceries. Oh, and before I do that, find a healthy recipe or two to try this weekend. I'm trying to do a little more meal planning before I hit the store. I know that's the way it's supposed to be done, but I never seem organized enough to do it in the right order.
• Help James with his book report that needs to be presented in front of the class on Tuesday next week. And by "help," I mean that I'll sit there and ask him questions to help him organize his thoughts so he can write it down. Otherwise, he just gets anxious at how big the assignment is and he just can't get going. (Sounds like me at work some days!)  Thankfully, he's almost done the written portion, and we get to move onto the fun part where he prepares props to use in his presentation.

I think I'll stop there. I'm srue that's more than enough for one day. ;)

I'll leave you with this layout that I put together last night while listening to the latest Paperclipping Round Table podcast... click here to check it out. :)

Thanks for dropping by to visit, and have a great Friday! :) 

how I spent my Sunday...

  

The boys played in their first tennis tournament on Sunday morning. There were 12 kids in this U9 tournament, and most of them were first-timers. They kept score on the court, with minimal arguing over points (much to my surprise), but the tournament as a whole was all about friendly competition, and there wasn't really a winner declared. No matter, the boys really enjoyed it, and they played their best tennis ever during those three hours!

Look at the yellow lines in the second photo. They put down temporary markings for the 3/4-sized court, and they play with slow play balls (two-coloured balls, as the boys call them)... it's all part of the Progressive Tennis program the club follows. The kids master tennis skills gradually, starting with half-court play with large foam balls and then moving to the 3/4 court with slow-play balls, so they have great form by the time they're ready for the full court using regular balls (aka adult balls).

After the tournament, both kids wanted to stick around for their regular group lesson at noon, so they did... and I sat and watched some more. All in all, they spent six hours on the court this weekend. Crazy! I would never have guessed this is where we'd be when Thomas started taking lessons a little more than two years ago.

 
 

.......

A list of things I did this weekend:

• ran 6.5 km on Saturday... outside!
• went to Eddie Bauer to use the 20% off entire purchase coupon
• bought groceries... lots of them 
• dug up some sheet music for pieces I played as a kid... and played them
• made a couple of cards
• made beef stew for dinner
• took the boys to a surprise birthday party for one of the daycare teachers

And now, it's Sunday night. I'd better get to bed so Monday morning isn't as bad as I fear it will be. Thanks for visiting, and have a great week ahead!

coming soon... Family Literacy Day

We are a family of readers. I don't read nearly as much as I used to, but I still love a good book. The boys, however, love to read and spend a great deal of time with their noses in books or magazines... whatever they can get their hands on.

Every January 27th, Canadians celebrate Family Literacy Day. In honour of this special day, which is just around the corner, I am going to be buying EVERY single book on their Scholastic wish list this month. I haven't told them that yet, but I thought it'd be a fitting way to mark the occasion. We usually pare down the list to a reasonable number, but what the heck!

Also, in honour of FLD, I thought I'd share a peek at a few books on our bookshelves these days:

* I just got this title a few days ago, and I've LOVED every single idea I've read so far. There are so many great ideas in this book... different ways to celebrate throughout the year. It's a totally inspiring launching point for meaningful story-telling on my scrapbook pages. I can't wait to read more!

* My friend lent me this book, and I'm almost done reading. This book was written by a man with Asperger Syndrome, the second such book I've read. It's very different than the other one I read, but both provide a insight into the world of growing up with AS in the days before it was a recognized diagnosis. Heart-warming yet heart-wrenching. I really must finish this so I can return it to my friend.

* James is totally hooked on this series and is collecting them all. As in EVERY single book. Raising an avid reader and an obsessive collector is an expensive undertaking! This particular title is one of two in this series that I've actually read cover to cover. James asked me to read this on my own after he'd finished it, just so I could understand what was so wonderful about it. :)

* This book hasn't actually made it onto our bookshelves yet. It's just been shipped from amazon, so I expect to see it on our doorstep early next week. Yesterday, Thomas and I browsed through the recommended titles for his age group on amazon, and he chose this one. I'm sure we'll be ordering volume 2 very shortly after this one arrives.

* I bought this title for Mike as a Christmas gift. I'm not sure if he's done reading yet, but this one's next on my To Read list. I love current events and non-fiction, and Peter always seems to ask the right questions during his interviews, so I'm sure I will enjoy this book.

* I ordered this from amazon a while back, but I finally found the right moment to read it with Thomas two days ago. This was the first time we'd ever talked about Asperger Syndrome together, and much to my amazement, he really understood. By the end of the third paragraph of the book, he told me he was just like the main character! After we finished the last page, he told me in a hushed voice that he thought some of the kids at the Boys and Girls Club (where he attended a social skills camp for the past three summers) had AS too. lol

* I am reliving my childhood bookworm days by introducing James to the titles I read as a kid. Two years ago, it was Judy Blume's Fudge and Beverly Cleary's Ramona books. Since he's already collected all the books from those two authors, I wanted to find him something new from the good ol' days. Enter Encyclopedia Brown. Three books into it, he's loving this series too.

* One last book... every 6-10 year old boy must LOVE this series. It's so very boy, the silly drawings and the boyish antics. It's the series Thomas and James both gravitated towards when they outgrew Captain Underpants. And it's not that they truly outgrew the undergarment-clad hero... we put the books on a time out for some reason or another, and they just haven't resurfaced since. Hmmmm. I wonder where they are.

.......

And that concludes the virtual tour of our family library. It's been a great way to get a snapshot of what our lives are about right now. :)

So tell me, what's on your family bookshelf these days?

on this, the 2nd last day of the year

(Hanukkah 2009)

........ 

I was just sorting through some of the thousands of photos I took this year, and I realized that, even though it seems 2009 zoomed right by for me, it didn't. This past year was, in fact, filled with many memorable  goings-on. Many of my memories are happy ones, but some are sad. There were lots of everyday things and a few really special events too. Here's a random sampling of my 2009 memories:

• the bus strike of winter 2008/09 that lasted well into the new year
• the many hours I spent volunteering at the boys' school (oh, how I love that school!)
• the sudden death of my friend's husband (he was about the same age as I)
• my crazy workload this spring as a result of the H1N1 pandemic
• two super-fun birthday parties that led to no new toys, books or craft supplies ending up at our house (charitable donations rock!)
• our family vacation in Nova Scotia and Price Edward Island
• mine and James' big trip to Toronto to see The Sound of Music
• my first Can Fit Pro conference in Toronto
• a big family gathering in celebration of Ellyn and Jamie's wedding
• the end of my friend's battle against cancer (she was just a few years older than Mike)
• my catching what I presume to be the H1N1 influenza virus just a week before the vaccine was rolled out in Canada and my subsequent decreased lung capacity that would see me take a weeks-long break from running (I'm back at it now though!)
• the way too many specialist appointments I took my kids to, for various reasons which I don't wish to relive at this moment ;)
• mine and Mike's trip to southern Ontario for the Thanksgiving weekend wedding of my good friend/coworker, Steph
• our celebration of November birthdays with not too much weight gain ;)
• our laid back Christmas holiday, spent reading and playing and watching and building... and then organizing and decluttering and cooking and baking, all things that are better done while lounging in pajamas, for sure!

How about you? What was your year all about? If you're a scrapbooker, are you going to scrap about it? If so, you must check out Cathy Z's post on the topic. :)

weekend To Do list

Here's my To Do list... it's in no particular order because some of it will be obvious and other things can be done whenever. Some of it's fun. Other stuff, not so much fun.

• Go to the gym for the Power Hour class this morning. I have an hour and a half to blog, eat, have a couple cups of coffee and get dressed to go.
• Put together daycare newsletter. Easy. I reformatted it last time, so it's 100% to my liking, so I only have to edit the text and find some holiday clip art, and we're good to go.
• Find important paperwork buried under scrapbook supplies on my desk. Fill in forms and mail paperwork away. Wait for money to arrive in mail.
• Study. Somebody thought it would be a good idea to hold exams for a job competition just a week before Christmas. AND they gave us less than one week's notice. I won't tell you what I really think. lol
• Groceries and laundry. Even if all the other chores get put off until after my exams, these two cannot. If nothing else, we need to have clean clothes to wear and decent food to eat. Right now, we're running perilously low on both.

You know what? I think I'm going to stop there. Anything else I might add would be wishful thinking at this point. At least I can recognize that, right? <sigh>

Before I go, here's a little something I made yesterday.

 

Have a great weekend, everyone! :)