Season Opener

Kaedo's season opener was last night and the weather was beautiful. They got their asses kicked but Kaedo played great. And I forgot my camera! This picture was taken with Craig's phone and it was shot in a series so all the images are Kaedo. Pretty cool, eh?

It is amazing to watch rep. There are 10 boys on the field for each team and the field is much bigger. They play 80 minute games and the noise level of them communicating with each other is just awesome. I really am not one for sitting in an arena watching soccer all weekend (as you have heard me complain about many times) but this is just excellent. I could watch all night. Last but not least - even as a rookie - Kaedo got a lot of playing time. I was thrilled.

Special shout out to Cheryl - who still after all this time is reading the blog - love ya!

Our garden

Yesterday was spent getting our yard ready for summer. With my "fragile" emotional state right now, I was bound and determined to work outside and get it looking beautiful. It was more than a chore it was something I needed. I don't know if that makes sense but for someone like me who suffers from mental illness and who is in the throws of what my doctor calls a mental breakdown, the need to create something beautiful and calming was very important. We were able to create this on a shoestring budget (as like everyone else, that's all we have).

Mom and dad hauled this cream separator across the country 5 years ago and it had never received a makeover so I bought some spray paint, Craig cleared out the garage, and spray painted it for me. I love red. It makes my heart sing. What a nice change. I should have taken a before picture but forgot to. Sorry. The flowers were ones I found on a wonderful deal at Costco and the sign was on sale at WalMart. I think it is a cheery entrance to the front of our house. Craig just hopes the weight of the separator doesn't go through the deck!

This sits on the front deck as well. Sometimes it is nice to sit outside and listen to the boys playing and it is a nice inviting space if someone drops by. (not that anyone ever drops by :)) We have had the chairs for 6 years and they are part of a patio set but because we have a built in bench seat on the back lower deck, we don't need all the chairs so we put them here.

Gnomee found a new home overseeing the back garden.

We bought the plastic fencing from Dollarama for $1 a section and found the mulch on sale for $3 a bag at Lowes. We only needed 5 bags, so that was great. Our neighbor gave us the ground cover fabric last year and so it was finally put to good use.

Many of the plants back here are perennials and so we just cut them down at the end of the season and they pop back up the next year. I have to thank my Aunt Roseline who came here on my birthday 7 years ago and planted everything with me. She generously donated the clippings from her own garden.

Craig bought me the swing for my birthday about 5 years ago and last year all the cushions were ruined. We had to throw them out as they were unrepairable. I searched high and low for new cushions as it is unusable without them and my swing has really been my sanctuary over the last few years. I finally after searching everywhere found them at WalMart. I was so happy I did a dance in the aisle. While I would love a new swing with a canopy (ours was ruined in a wind storm), I am happy that I am able to use this one again.

We also have a table and chairs for the lower deck that haven't been put together yet that we have had for many years. Our furniture is a little rusty and we hope that maybe next year we will be able to replace it but for now we have a a beautiful place to sit and enjoy the weather. Special thanks to Craig who worked his ass off with me while I was in full manic mode wanting to get this done. He was a dream.

Had to show these pictures now as soon the trampoline and pool will go up blocking all view of my beautiful garden. That's OK - the boys love it and that's what matters. Now if only I can convince them that putting up the trampoline is truly a "blue job".

Rite of passage????

On Sunday I decided that Sterling was ready to learn how to weed-whip and mow the lawn. To say he was thrilled was an understatement. At first I had him weed-whip the edges and after a few laughs and mis-starts, he finally got the hang of it. Once that was done, I asked him if he would like to learn how to mow the lawn. He was so excited. He went into the garage and got out the mower and brought it to the backyard. I showed him how to prime it and get it started and in our excitement we flooded it! Haha. We finally got it running, with some help from Craig and Sterling got started. After an eagle eye watching by Craig and some re-dos, Craig was satisfied and Sterling was so happy with the job he had done. Another blue job off my plate! Yahoo! Now I just have to get him to vacuum.

Nice Hat, Man

Kaedo has a love for hats and shoes. He currently owns 8 different caps that he has had customized and brims rolled just the right way. On Friday he decided he HAD to have a flat brimmed hat. I don't know if you have seen these, but these are all the rage. The brim is totally flat and the kids don't roll them. They are usually worn backwards or on an angle and in most cases, by boys with their pants around their balls. Thank god we haven't gotten to that!

He decided to have this one customized as well. He had "Strikers # 2" embroidered on it. When they first did it they made a mistake and Kaedo was mature enough to point out the error and request that it be re-done. I was so impressed.

In his opinion it was money well spent!

New 'Do

On Saturday Sterling decided he needed a new haircut. I was saddened as I LOVED his hair long. We had made a bet that whoever cut their hair first would owe the other $5. We headed up to Great Clips and being 13, I was sure that he would be able to explain how he wanted his hair cut. When the hair dresser gave him a mohawk that was less than a centimeter long, Sterling almost stroked out. Way too short! He was devastated and to be honest, I burst out laughing. So did Craig, and Kaedo. Poor kid. I must say, it has grown on me and I really like it. Sterling moped all weekend and didn't know what he was going to say to his friends and all the teasing he was sure he was going to get. We decided that he would tell his friends I paid him $20 to get it buzzed. That seemed to work, after the initial shock and good natured jokes.

I don't care if his hair is to his bum or bald, he's one of the handsomest young men I know. Needless to say, I didn't make him pay-up. He was devastated enough.

week 35

Week 35 and the weather is beautiful. It has been touch and go for the last few days with rain and sun combined to make it dicey when deciding what to do. Busy day today with a doctor's appointment, a trip to Costco, laundry, laundry and more laundry, picking up the boys, recycling and garbages and many other misc chores. While I'm not working I'm working hard to stay busy and do what I can around the house to keep the pressure off Craig. Things seem to be working out and the number of "blue jobs" I've done lately are more than I have in our 15 years of marriage. And you know what? I don't mind a bit.

Love It!

I received this card in the mail this week from my sweet Emma. It was a card with an Anne Geddes baby on the front. I love this note and it now has a prominent spot on the lockers in my kitchen. She is growing up so fast. I can't believe she will be six in a couple of weeks. Had to show off her mad skillz! Love it.

Party like it's 1989

A couple of weeks ago the boys were at their friends house and Craig and I went to Value Village. I could say it was to shop but mostly it's just to laugh at some of the things they have there. Take these pants for instance. They were a steal at $4.99. Unfortunately they weren't Craig's size or I so would have bought them for him. They were however Kaedo's size but he informed us he wouldn't be caught dead in them. There is no accounting for taste.

Hey Baby! - that's what that look reminds me of. Thank god he's not using it on girls - yet! Not sure what reaction he would get but it sure made us laugh.

Week 34

Week 34 and yesterday when this photo was taken the weather was miserable. Oh well, what can you do. We had some really nice days last week but this week not so much. The boys are busy with school and activities. Sterling is working on a huge project for school which I am hoping to video tape so you can see it. He has done an amazing job. I am so impressed. Kaedo is busy with soccer. He was bummed not to play on Sunday but had practice last night and was happy to be on the field with his buddies. Just received an email from the team manager about one of the away tournaments. We had to book the hotel through this team booking website and were advised that there was a minimum 2 night stay and that the cost was $114 per night. Yikes! You pretty much have to stay with the team so that's the way it goes. I figure if he and Craig don't eat all weekend we should be ok. Ha!

Gross

I hate this tree. It sits in my neighbors front yard and for about two days it has all these flowers on it (which I hate - ugly) and then all the petals drop off and spread out all over the yard (uglier). I don't know what it is called or why anyone would plant such a hideous thing but if I ever bought a house with that tree in the yard I would rip it out by it's roots and burn the pieces.

Nuff said.

A real soaker

What a day yesterday. It was so exciting and awesome. I loved every minute of it. Kaedo and I headed out early and stopped at Starbucks (thanks again Stan and Shirley). We headed out to the tournament site and got there just as the rest of the team was arriving. The boys were psyched and there was a real sense of camaraderie amongst them. I really have to say that I am so impressed with this program and the coaches and every thing they do for these boys. They give up a lot of their time and experience to help these boys be the best they can be and I am so impressed.

The first game we lost 5-0 but the boys remained positive and said they were going to get the next one. There was no chiding from the coaches just some pointers on how to do better and work as a team. They don't go easy on them but they also don't have the philosophy that they have to brow-beat them to get them to perform. One of the big things I noticed was how much the players talk to each other during the game. It is loud and noisy and fast and so exciting.

The second game it started to pour. Torrential downpour. As you can see from the picture above, Kaedo was trying to get the water off his face. You can sort of see the rain coming down.

5 minutes into the game, the ref - who was terrible the first game - got called out by our head coach, questioning a call. Barely any discussion was had and he was thrown out of the game. It really was a shit thing to do and while usually I do not condone that kind of behaviour, our coach did nothing wrong. I sat next to his wife and she said in the 5 years he has been coaching rep soccer he has never been thrown out of a game. Funny thing I learned after was that while he sat in his van, he talked to the assistant coach on her cellphone the entire game, directing the kids. Ha!

Kaedo's coach came up to me yesterday and told me a funny story - he said "Kaeden came up to me and said am I starting or will I be on the bench?" the coach replied, "what do you want to do?" Kaedo said "be on the bench". The coach said he had never had a kid say that to him before. After the final game he checked in with Kaedo and was told he wants to be a starter. Coach thought it was hilarious.

I got up this morning, got dressed, ready to go and checked my phone and their was a call from the team manager/assistant coach saying that because of all the rain they we cancelling today's games. Kaedo is really bummed and I am too. I decided yesterday I would be going today and so that is disappointing. Oh well, another tournament in two weeks. Looking forward to it.

And just for the record - Kaedo played amazingly - his coach was quick to point out how far he's come since the beginning. Needless to say - he was beaming.

And So It Begins

It's 6am and I am up and ready to get organized for our first soccer tournament. We will be playing in Bradford about 1.5 hours away. The boys have two games today and I am excited to see how they do. Kaedo is psyched and spent some of yesterday evening packing his bag and making sure he had everything he needed.

Craig is playing football this morning and Sterling isn't much into watching soccer all day without a super long extension cord for his computer.

They play again tomorrow and Craig will head out there with him then. I am taking my camera so I hope to get some good shots and will let you know how well they did.

A very happy birthday to our nephew Jacob yesterday. Happy 5th. We love you.

Also a big congratulations to Emma who got a high gold in her dance competition yesterday. We are so proud of you.

Happy Birthday to Me!

***** Had meant for this to post yesterday but Blogger was down - so here is to being 39 + 1 day!

Hello All - in honor of my 39th birthday, I thought I would post "39 things you should know about me" - so here goes!

1. I love to read

2. Chocolate is my friend and my enemy

3. I love sleeping in

4. My guilty pleasure is the Maury Povich Show

5. My cell phone has a hot pink case

6. I surf to People.com about 10x a day

7. My favorite color is pale blue

8. My other favorite is grey

9. If I wasn't allergic, my next dog would be a Boxer

10. I'm growing my hair because Craig loves it

11. I'm addicted to diet coke

12. My kids think my grey hair is cool

13. I love a clean kitchen

14. I hate making school lunches

15. Spring is my favorite season

16. My heating blanket is one of my favorite gifts ever

17. I don't wear eyeshadow

18. I could go to Chapters every day

19. I'd buy a new dishwasher before buying a new TV

20. Niagara Falls is one of my favorite places

21. Day trips to the USA with Craig and the boys is one of my favorite ways to spend a day off

22. I love to get magazines in the mail

23. I send mail every week

24. Mowing the lawn is one of the worst jobs ever

25. I love Mobile banking

26. Breakfast for supper is one of the best meals

27. The weekly gnome picture is my favorite two minutes of the week

28. I never listen to music

29. I hate pumping gas

30. My day hasn't properly started until Kaedo kisses me goodbye in the morning

31. I listen to my iPod every night before bed

32. I will always see an action movie over a romance

33. I know White Tea is good for me but it tastes like ass

34. I always let Craig watch what he wants on TV

35. I love the sense of accomplishment I get from folding the last load of laundry

36. I love tulips

37. Seeing my kids hanging out with their friends makes me smile

38. I feel no pity for Craig when he complains about his football injuries

39. I love it that my mom takes the time every day to Blackberry Messenger me

So there you have it - 39 things! Who woulda thunk it? Happy Birthday to me!

Last but not least - this is my 999th post! Amazing really. Can you believe that there have been 998 before this and you're still reading! Here's to another 999!

Today I plan to hang out - watch Maury Povich (ha), use my Bath and Body Works gift certificate (thanks Kelly and Tica), have a Starbucks (thanks Stan and Shirley), buy some flowers (thanks mom and dad) and enjoy my day.

week 33

Week 33 and the weather is beautiful. The boys posed for this picture this morning wearing their shorts and t-shirts - no jackets taken to school. They are so handsome!

Yesterday they had Track and Field at school and Kaedo won both his 400 and 800 m races. Sterling said that he left everyone in the dust. He was very proud of his brother. He has qualified to race at regionals so I am excited to see how he does there. We are very proud of him. Of course if it doesn't have wheels, Sterling isn't interested, but he was a good cheering section so I am happy about that.

Today was spent weeding the back garden and doing some work around the house. Laundry always needs to be done, suppers prepared and a call from mom was definitely the bright spot.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a special birthday post and an exciting milestone.

Mother's Day 2011

Me and my guys!

A beautiful card by Kaedo!

A diet coke from Sterling!

Monkey bread for breakfast!

A new pair of Crocs from Craig!

Happy belated Mother's Day to all. We had a nice day. We got up early and had breakfast together and hung out. The boy's had some friends over and then Craig and I headed out to our goddaughter's first Communion. After that Craig and I ran a few errands and picked up a movie and the four of us spent the evening watching 'Bruce Almighty' and being together. It was a nice day and the weather was beautiful so you can't beat that.

Today I am mowing the backyard. Have never mowed the lawn since we have lived here so today is my first time. Craig gave me a crash course in how to start the lawnmower (yikes) and I think I'm good to go. Thank god the neighbor mowed the front lawn yesterday. I'll have to remember to kiss her later!

Have a great day!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to my Beautiful Wife, as well as my wonderful mother, mother-in-law, sister-in-laws and all the other mothers out there. You deserve this special day for all you do.

Selena Gomez

Sterling is a late bloomer. We have always said that. While some of his friends have had girlfriends and more and more of them are seen holding hands or snuggling up with some girl, I am happy to report that Sterling would rather hang out with his buddies than smooch some floozy. Selena Gomez is the exception. She is a cute, spunky 18 year old who has a hit show on Family Channel. Sterling is smitten with her. So much so that he hung up a crinkled picture of her. Of course that prompted us to take it one step further (haha). For Easter Kaedo bought him a giant poster for his room. Ahh, his first crush. Thankfully she's too old for him. And dating Justin Beiber. And lives in the USA. Otherwise we would have a big problem on our hands!

Peanut Butter anyone?

As everyone knows, Sterling is anaphylactic to peanuts, something we have known since he was 2 years old. He has on many occasions commented about how he would just like to "try it" so he would know what it tastes like. Over the years there have been peanut butter substitutes on the market and they have been disgusting. Recently, a team mate of Craig's mentioned WOW Butter, made with soybeans. Craig and I had never heard of it but thought we would have to try it as his friend had said it was terrific. On Sunday afternoon we stopped at Superstore and after some hunting, found the WOW butter in the Natural Foods section. While I try to limit my wheat intake, I had to have a peanut butter and banana sandwich - my absolute favorite thing of all time! Sterling took the leap and tried it as well and while he liked the taste he said it gave him a stomach ache after. I don't know if it is a psychological thing after so many years of never tasting it or if it didn't agree with him. I will say it is AWESOME!!!!! For those of us who cannot have peanut butter in their homes, this stuff is a great substitute.

Week 32

Week 32 and the weather is gloomy. Lots of rain today - all day. Kaedo's practice was even moved indoors. Very happy with that as the munchkin has such a history of chest colds. He was happy to learn that it was a one hour practice instead of two as that is all the field time they could get. Sterling's hair seems to be getting noticeably longer every week. He and I have a bet going to see who is going to cut theirs first. There is five whole dollars resting on it which seems to be a good incentive for Sterling. Would love it if he grew it long again, but I don't think I will be able to convince him.

Easter Money

For Easter, the boys were blessed with money from their grandparents. Thank you. They didn't know what they wanted to buy, so they held onto their money for a whole week - yikes!

Sterling decided mid-week last week that he would like to buy a new wallet. We searched all over the place for one and finally ended up at West49 - a skateboard shop. He found and fell in love with a Fox brand wallet and that ate up all his savings. His comment to me was, "kinda ironic that I bought a wallet and now have no money to put in it".

Kaedo had saved quite a bit of money and so he bought himself a new pair of shoes. These are Adidas ______ Suede, Special Edition, or something like that. We went back twice for him to try them on and he tried to convince me that the shoes he got two months ago needed to be replaced, but I wasn't budging, so he broke down and bought them himself.

So, thanks for the money - it was well spent!