The making of an omelette

During our Value Village foray a couple of weeks ago, Craig and I bought this great omelet pan. At least when we bought it we thought it was an omelet pan. It is one of the best buys we have made in a long time. Sterling never liked eggs but now he is addicted to "Moms 3 Egg, Bacon and Cheese Delight Omelet".

I thought I would show off my cooking expertise (ha) and make the offer that next time you're in town, I will whip up one of these beauties for you, should you wish. Thank god for bacon bits in bulk and cheese in big bags thanks to Costco!

0-0

Eating in the van before the game - we packed a picnic and ate while waiting for the team to show up

On Monday night we had our first exhibition game. The field was at Trent University, about an hour from home. It was great that we were all off and were able to attend. It poured with rain throughout the afternoon and all the way to the campus and just before they were starting their warm-up the rain let off and we lucked out with an evening of soccer and no rain. As soon as we got going home the rain started again.

Kaedo is one of only 2 or 3 boys who are rookies this year and the coaches have made it known that playing time is based on performance and that at the rep level not everyone will play equally. We were a little concerned when Kaedo was not a starter but Kaedo wasn't concerned as he knew he wasn't going to play at the beginning. About 5 minutes in, he was on the field. We were so thrilled. He was nervous and a little hesitant but we were thrilled for him. The game ended up being 0-0 but was a great first time out.

After the game Kaedo explained that he was very nervous as he wasn't sure what to do with so many kids on the field and the last minute change in positions but after a few minutes, he was feeling good.

It was great to watch him and I took tons of pictures. Be aware that you will see a lot of soccer over the next few months!

Gettin' His Gear

Thursday was an exciting day for Kaedo. He had soccer practice and then he got all his gear. He seems to think it was free. My wallet is still whimpering from the $500. He got a great track suit, a home jersey, away jersey, two pairs of white socks (groan), shorts and a bag. Everything had his number stitched onto it and he has been wearing his jacket constantly when not out scootering. We learned on Thursday that there will be no fundraising (yay!) as they had enough sponsors step up. This will pay for all the tournament entries, refs, etc and we may even get a cut on the hotel rooms for our away tournaments. I hope that happens. Stay tuned for some pictures of Kaedo's first game - it was Monday night at Trent University. Our first road trip.

week 31

Week 31 and the weather is rainy. Sterling had a school project to work on and spent 2 hours out in the rain filming his project. By the time we got a chance to take this picture he was soaked - as you can see by his shoulders. Kaedo wanted Ketchup in the photo this week so here he is.

We are expecting rain for the rest of the week but Craig says the rain is supposed to get better for his football game on Saturday. Here's hoping. I'm just happy it's not snow!

Easter 2011

Happy belated Easter to all. I am shocked to say that this is the only picture I took. I guess when you are no longer doing egg hunts, the camera doesn't come out. Yesterday we gave the boys their gifts and hung out together. In the afternoon Craig and I went out for a bit - our weekly date. We ended up at Home Depot - their garden centre was open. We looked at plants and Craig checked out the paving stones. We almost had a heart attack at the price of the trees. Thank goodness we don't need to buy any. Last night we watched a movie, Craig watched the hockey game and the boys watched YouTube videos. It was a quiet day but very nice and the weather was great. The highlight of course was speaking with our families. Thanks for the chats. A special thank you to the wonderful grandparents who sent Easter money to the boys. They were thrilled.

My Desk

My desk has a collection of things the boys have collected with me in mind and some of my favorite photos. I love looking at these things. They remind me of the boys, specifically of Kaedo as most of these treasures come from him. The wooden dog he made with Baba, the Lego creature he made, the egg was an early Ester present and Winnie the Pooh is a recent find.

Sterling added the two little creatures and I also have my two favorite photos of him sitting here for me to look at. I love my desk with all these keepsakes of my boys. They make me smile and reassure me of how much I am loved.

Lucky Friday

Shirley's comments reminded me of that Easter they were here and our trip to Niagara Falls. Sterling thought it was called Lucky Friday instead of Good Friday. For years after we called it that. That was a wonderful visit. If I remember correctly it was the first time Stan and Shirley came to see us. We have always had such wonderful visits with everyone who comes to see us and while today is called Good Friday, I think Lucky Friday is a good name too. We are so lucky to have all of you in our lives.

Baileys and Hot Chocolate

Some days a Baileys is just what the doctor ordered. With cold weather this past weekend

I treated myself to a splash of Baileys with some hot chocolate. I love this drink and could seriously drink it every day. Yum. When I opened our measly liquor cabinet on Sunday I saw the bottle I had bought for Shirley at Christmas and decided a drink would make my afternoon. The lid was screwed on so tight I had to go outside and get Craig to unscrew the cap for me. He looked a little surprised as I asked him to open it but didn't comment. I figured it must have been 5pm somewhere!

Deal of the Day

On Sunday Craig and I went to Value Village. We have often donated household goods and clothing to this store but rarely shop there. There is something about seeing other people's underwear for sale that disturbs me. However, I have been looking for a Lazy Susan for our kitchen table and since we were nearby I convinced Craig that we had to stop in. The gods were smiling on me. I quickly found one hideous wood one, and after another moment of searching we came across this green metal one. Wonderfully priced at $1.99! I couldn't believe our luck. We also found a bundt pan and an omelet pan. Our three purchases came to a whopping total of $11.29. You can't beat that. Craig and I then headed to Canadian Tire where we discussed the merits of different spray paints and haggled over what color to buy. I finally settled on red and we brought it home and Craig kindly painted it for me. He's awesome!

Now it has a proud space in the middle of my table. I love it!

Week 30

Here we are at week 30. Freshly showered and ready to start the day. Sterling measured himself against me this week and he is now officially taller than me. Kaedo has grown 1.5 inches since Sterling's birthday and I am continually amazed I am the mother of a teenager and a tweenager. The grey hair is coming fast and furious now. Yikes!

Gas gouging

The gas prices are astonishing here. I don't know about where you live but here we are at 134.9. Craig I were speaking about the gas prices and our memories of gas wars back when we were in Alberta. We have fond memories of $.35/L gas and what seemed like miles of cars waiting to get to the pumps. Here there are no gas wars, and no letting up on the price. What amazes me is that the gas prices can go up six or seven cents in a matter of days. I am thankful that I am no longer travelling to work every day. The $100 it costs to fill the van every 10 days is still too much for me.

Lunchbox Love

At 11 and 13 (gasp) I think it is more important than ever to show my boys how much I love them. One of the ways I do this is to put notes in their lunch bags. They love them and I love to do it. I am always looking for cute little cards or note paper that I can use for this purpose. I don't say much, but I want them to know how very much I love them and that I am always thinking of them.

Writing notes and letters is something I do a lot of. I send random cards to Jessica and have written quite a few notes to Em as well as other friends and family. I like to do it and it is quickly becoming a lost art. With email being so prevalent you rarely get anything in the mail that isn't a bill. If you haven't sent a card or note to someone recently, maybe you should (guilt guilt). The smile they will be have will be worth it!

Happy Birthday Mom

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!

Today my beautiful mom is 65. While I am sure I can think of 65 wonderful things to say about her, I will do 6 instead - one for every decade.

1. Mom, you have always been a source of support, compassion and love.

2. You are my own personal cheering section and have never let me down.

3. You are a wonderful Amma - my boys are so lucky to have you.

4. You have always put your children first and it has taught me to do the same with my own.

5. You are a wonderful friend and confidante.

and....

6. To me, you are the most beautiful woman in the world!

I love you - have a wonderful birthday!

Paintball Love

Friday night Kaedo got the opportunity to go to a friend's birthday party at a paintball facility about 30 minutes from our home. He was so excited and had nerves about it for days before. We were lucky enough to split the driving with another family and we were the pick up crew. 15 boys with guns is a sight to see. They had so much fun that they spent the entire 3 hours playing and didn't even get the chance to see the birthday boy open his gifts. Kaedo and his buddy chattered all the way home about the shots they got in, the bruises they would have, the NEED to get a paintball gun, their opponents's strengths and weaknesses and when they could do it again. Thankfully we had our thinking caps on that night as we had tarps at the ready for them to sit on.

week 29

Week 29 and we are still going strong. The boys still love taking these pictures and I love the week to week chronicling of their lives.

Someone mentioned to me this week how much they enjoy the blog. That made my day. The blog is a work of love. I am as interested in preserving their history as I am of sharing it. Now that I am nearing my 1000th post (can you believe it?) I am looking for a company that will turn the first 1000 into a book for me. As I am not scrapbooking too much these days, I think this would be a wonderful keepsake.

Goin' for a Joyride...

Saturday afternoon Sterling and his buddy cornered me with the request to take them to Joyride 150, an indoor bike park about an hour from our home. I couldn't think of a good reason to say no, so early Sunday morning the three of us headed out. We were the first to arrive and the boys were thrilled. This is a 90,000 sqft abandoned warehouse that has everything a biking enthusiast would need to have fun. There are pump tracks, obstacle courses, a foam pit and just about anything else you can think of. I think what I loved the most was that there were people of all ages there. Little kids (3 years old?) with bikes with no pedals, scooting around, hardcore bikers with all the gear and their serious faces on, moms reading books, dads working on their computers, families with children of all ages decked out with their helmets and a grin, enjoying spending the day together. I was so impressed. The boys had a wonderful time and I promised a return trip sometime in the future. I loved sitting back and people watching, chatting with my mom, texting Craig and reading my book. All in all it was a great day for all of us.

Tulip Love

Last weeks tulips were a beautiful orange color. I loved them. They had beautiful long stems and opened to magnificently. Awesome. This week I haven't broken down and bought any but I think I better next week as their time is going to come to an end and I know I won't have had my fill of them.

Welcome to the gun show

With the warmer weather, we have seen an increase of outside activities. These include building paper guns and playing with the neighbor. Kaedo has been making them for about a week (see white one) and Sterling got in on the action this week. Sterling downloaded a picture of the gun he wanted to make, cut it out, traced it onto cardboard and cut that out. He added an LED light sight on it (very impressive) and colored it all black. I am always impressed with their imaginations and have come to realize that boys and (toy) guns seem to go hand in hand. I'm not saying this is the case for all boys, but mine seem to like them.

New Cards -

I was recently asked to do some birthday cards for a first birthday. My friend from work has me occasionally make cards for her and always seems happy with the results. It is just enough for me right now as I am not really into creating. I have another project on my plate for Jessica and I am looking forward to that one. Just need to print the pictures. One of Em's friends had her hair cut off at school so that it could be made into a wig for a cancer patient. Jessica supplied me with the photos and I'm going to create a page that Em can give her friend for her birthday. Note to self - get working on it!

week 28

Week 28 - Sterling is officially taller than me, Kaedo's dimples got deeper and Spring is here. With the weather getting warmer and the snow seeming to be gone, the kids are enjoying being outside and away from the video games that plagued us through the winter. This picture was taken yesterday morning on our way to school. Sterling always wears his hat so low you can barely see his eyes.

How many ways can you say proud?

Yesterday Sterling, Kaedo and a friend headed off to our neighborhood skate park to bike and scooter. This is something that occurs regularly and it's no big deal for us to let them go. The age ranges at the park vary widely. From young kids there with their parents to teen and tweenagers, to young adults. While I don't love the fact that some older kids hang out there, it has never been a problem. Until yesterday. The kids had planned to go for a pizza mid-way through their day and Sterling called and asked if they could come home. I said yes, of course but inquired why. "Some kid is smoking a bong here and we don't want to be around it". Now I know the kid was using a bong and smoking the drugs, but I understood what Sterling meant. He explained that the kid was smoking up at the park and that him, his friend and Kaedo didn't feel good about being there. He said they were going to go back to the park from the pizzeria and if he was still there, they would come home. To say I was proud of the choices they made is an understatement. They have both been through a 'Racing Against Drugs' program in school and this was a sure indication that they were listening and had learned a thing or two. My kids ROCK!

Sunday

Good morning all - It is noon, so I guess it really isn't morning anymore. The boys are out with their firend. Sterling and his buddy are biking and Kaedo is scootering. They plan to hang around the neighborhood for an hour or so then head to the skate park to work on their tricks. Kaedo was happy to be included and while he vows he won't 'drop into the bowl' he does plan to try out some new tricks at the park. They plan to grab a pizza and spend the afternoon in the sun. So glad. Craig is heading to the gym and I'm just hanging out. Am not feeling 100% yet. Hope to feel better later or tomorrow. Taking some antibiotic which hopefully will help.

Candy Kid

I recently had the opportunity to spend the day in Toronto with a friend and while we were walking downtown we passed a candy store. When I looked in I saw these giant jawbreakers. I immediately thought of Kaedo and had to buy one for him. He spent a lot of days working on it and it made a lot of mess but he loved it. He is my candy kid.