A Week in the Life... August 16-22

Time to say goodbye to my Dad - thanks for a wonderful visit and we're already looking forward to next time!

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The three musketeers in Victoria Park, exploring and feeding squirrels...

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Without a doubt, the kids ate far more peanuts than the squirrels did!

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Play time in the shark pool - despite the water being "straight from the hose" cool, everyone had a blast!

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Mmmmm... that "new baby smell"... there's nothing in the world like it.

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How obvious is it that Sophie's asking "Can we get a bunny??? PLEASE????"

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My little honey and I at Heather's bridal shower. Sophie was starting to get a bit tired of watching presents being opened without being able to open any herself!

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Sophie and "Red Haired Grandma" enjoy snuggles over breakfast at The Farmer's Kitchen

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Another busy week - it's no wonder the summer is flying by so fast! Chris and Sophie spent some extra time at Tecumseh this week, as we volunteered for the annual summer watering program. So much naturalization work has been done on the school grounds that it's important to keep it watered and cared for throughout the year - not just when the kids are in school. Luckily there's a great group of parents and community members who volunteer to be "in charge" of the school yard's upkeep for one week each summer - it takes the pressure off the organizer of the naturalization project and allows a large group of people to feel a real sense of ownership and connectedness to the flowers, plants, trees and gardens at the school. It's also a lot of work, and I commend Chris and all the other volunteers for giving it their all - the yard looks lush and wonderful thanks to all your hard work!

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Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to my Dad this week... it's been great having him here but real life beckoned and he had to head back to Montreal. After we dropped him off at the train station I took Sophie, Rhys and Rowan down to Victoria park to explore and feed the squirrels, one of my personal favourite simple and old-fashioned activities. The kids had a blast and wore themselves out - but not enough that they couldn't come home and splash around like crazy in our little shark pool!

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My youngest cousin Heather is getting married this fall (you may recall I blogged about making their wedding invitations earlier), and this weekend was her bridal shower. Unfortunately Chris had to work, so Sophie and I made the long drive by ourselves. We made the best of it, stopping both on the way up and back at a few cool places to stretch our legs and either picnic or shop, and I made the trip on so much more sleep than last time that it felt like a breeze! We stayed with my cousin Sandy and her family which currently includes a five-week-old foster baby, so I got a much needed dose of "new baby smell" in addition to a really great visit with her. Throughout the weekend we dearly enjoyed spending time with not only my cousins but my Mom, Grandfather, Aunt and Uncle. Family: they feed the soul, they really do.

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A Week in the Life... August 9-15

Sharing a laugh with Grandpa while we visit with my Grandmother in Wallaceburg

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Sophie checks out some of the nursing home`s resident fish

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My freshly made peach jam... yum!

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Sophie practices some moves in the pool with one of her instructors during her last week of classes.

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Hard at work making dolmades - a vegetarian version so I could enjoy them too.

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Viola - the finished product!

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This is Sophie's last week of swimming lessons - we've done four weeks in a row of daily lessons, so as great as they've been I think we're both about ready a change of pace. Unfortunately it looks as though she won't be passing on to the next level, as she still refuses to dunk under the water - she's come a really long way since the beginning of the lessons, but that one hurdle she just can't bring herself to overcome. We'll take a break for now, and hope that when we tackle it again she feels a bit braver.

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This week I've been feeling rather domestic - yearning for the "comforts of home" I suppose. On the way back from visiting Grandma in Wallaceburg on Tuesday I stopped at a roadside fruit stand and bought a whole lot of peaches - now they're looking lovely as several jars of home made peach jam. I also made dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) from scratch, and several other "put the apron on and grab a glass of wine because we're going to be here for a while" kind of recipes. It felt good - it felt grounding, and there are times when I really need that.

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Sounds like a nice segue to talk about something that's left me feeling pretty ungrounded actually... I haven't bothered venting about the many, many phone calls and trips to government offices I've made to try and replace my ID since the theft (and believe me, I could), but I will share this: I had an MRI scheduled this week, and without my replacement Health Card had to be billed for it. Should you be interested, an MRI in Ontario costs $247.00. Thank God my OHIP card came in just a few days later so I was able to have the charges reversed... I am once again thankful for being Canadian, and won't be complaining about where my tax money is going any time soon (not that I was before - but this certainly drives the point home!)
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A Week in the Life... August 2-8

One of the stunning pieces we saw at the Expressions in Chalk festival this week.

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Again, more amazing chalk art. It's incredible what people can do with such a rough canvas and relatively simple medium!

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Sophie, Charlotte and Rachael do some creative sliding out in Tiffany and Scott's backyard after a swim. We had a great visit...

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The bar at one of my four Beer Tastings this week - a warm summer weekend meant the samples I offered were gratefully accepted by LCBO customers!

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The table's set in anticipation of family arriving for Sunday brunch in honour of Mary's birthday

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This summer has been so busy that I find myself shocked when I realize we're already a week into August. I remember back at the beginning of the summer thinking that I would need to organize lots of activities for Sophie because I knew how much she would miss the social interaction of being at school every day... and even without scheduling a huge host of events I've found it's flown by. Sure we had the Library's Reading Club, swimming lessons, and gymnastics - but honestly I was concerned about the "Mom I'm bored!" factor rearing its ugly head this summer. I needn't have worried. This week we supplemented our schedule with not only lots of Grandpa time (he's still in town from Montreal) but a visit to the Expressions in Chalk Festival, a family brunch to celebrate Aunt Mary's birthday, and a visit to Cambridge to enjoy an evening with our friends Tiffany and Scott and their two girls. In addition to all that socializing and culture, I worked four beer-tasting events for the LCBO this week to support their Ontario Craft Brewery promotion. Not only has the week flown by, but it seemed there weren't enough hours in the day, and I ended the week in need of a good nap!

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A Week in the Life... July 26 - August 1st

My dad picked a good week for a visit - I really needed his support. Here, Sophie and Grandpa enjoy the swings at Thames Park

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Two beautiful girls at a very fun birthday party for Sophie's classmate Elijah. Wasn't the face (and body) painting wonderful?

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My Dad, Grandmother, and Sophie during a weekend visit to Wallaceburg

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I have had a difficult enough week that I can't even really write this entry... so I'm going to share an email I sent to a friend earlier this week instead. You'll get the picture.

I've had a rough day. A super shitty day actually... while I was at the park with Sophie and our friend Kenzie this afternoon someone broke into our trunk and stole our stuff. We had been at swimming lessons and had a picnic lunch, and after lunch I decided to take our things back to the car so I wouldn't have to keep my eye on them while the girls were playing. The irony is that I was worried someone would grab them if I got dragged to the far side of the park by Sophie wanting to be pushed on a swing or something. Someone popped the trunk open and scooped the whole lot of it out - they took Sophie's backpack, Kenzie's swim bag, and our cooler bag. I had my wallet in the front pouch of the backpack so it's gone, as is my digital camera, and my prescription glasses. I've spent most of the afternoon filling out a police report, calling banks and government agencies, and I'm doing the whole damned thing wearing my sunglasses since they're the only thing I can see with. I called the place I ordered my last pair of glasses from and they refused to even consider making me a new pair because it's been too long since I've had my eyes checked... so I have to wait to hear back from my Optometrist about getting an appointment (which I have to PAY for since OHIP doesn't cover it) before I can get a new prescription and then PAY another arm and leg to get new glasses. And PAY to purchase a new digital camera when I can afford one. And PAY to replace all my ID (ex. $35 for a birth certificate, $10 for a SIN, $20 for a Driver's Licence), which I have to somehow figure out how to produce ID for - since they all want two pieces of ID to prove I'm me before they'll reissue the ID. Which has all been stolen. Chicken? Egg? Oh, and they're happy to help me by charging my credit card for those fees so I can conveniently take advantage of their online request systems, but WAIT... all my charge cards have been held because they were stolen too! I'm going to loose my mind!!! I've alternated between crying and being furious most of the afternoon, when I haven't been filling out the police report (online again - because a car break-in isn't serious enough for a police officer attends in person) - although sometimes even the police report beat me up because it kept timing out on me as I had to stop working on it to do things like drop Sophie off at the library - and I would loose all my work and have to start again from scratch (no "save" button... not sure why...?) I want to scream. And then cry some more. And seriously... they stole the kids BATHING SUITS??? And our leftover LUNCH??? Aaaaaaaarrrrrrgggghhhhh!!!!!!!

As you can tell, I was completely shaken by the theft, and frustrated by the resulting work and cost. Enough time has passed now that I can recognize several "silver linings":

1. While I don't understand how they got into the trunk, I know it wasn't by breaking a window or punching out a lock, which would have resulted in us not being able to use the car for a while and having to pay a larger repair bill - it's a mystery, but one I'm thankful for.
2. While the culprits did manage to use my credit card before I could call the bank to report the theft (they moved fast - I was on the phone within an hour of discovering it), it wasn't for too much and the bank has assured me I'm not liable. Whew.
3. It was a break-in, not a car-jacking or a mugging. No one got hurt, and especially since I had children with me I'm very, very grateful.
4. My family & friends were very supportive. In addition to several sympathetic emails and phone calls, my mom stepped in and sent money for my Optometrists appointment, my dad and girlfriend Tiffany helped me get a new camera, and my dad also acted as a loan officer so I could buy a very good-quality pair of prescription glasses, instead of the cheep-as-I-can-possibly-find version I was actually going to get. I'm very lucky.

We rounded out this difficult week with a welcome influx of family. In addition to my Dad being in town from Montreal we went to Wallaceburg to see Grandma, then met my Uncle Ray and Aunt Mame for dinner and a visit - they live in Edmonton so we see them very rarely. When the going gets tough it's nice to find yourself surrounded by family, that's for sure...

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A Week in the Life... July 19-25

Staring at the pool in trepidation...

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Sophie takes her first ride on her new "big girl bike", with Rowan and Mommy spotting her! To watch her discover her bike, check out the video posted at the bottom of this week's entry...

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Our neighbour's cat had kittens, and we enjoyed a little visit with them on the weekend... cute as cute can be.

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Chris, Sophie and I on our rather impromptu road trip to Niagara Falls - as you can tell, we had a blast!

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One of the many natural beauties we witnessed on our trip to Niagara - these grapes were growing on the edge of the Niagara Gorge, in the parking lot where we stopped for a picnic.

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Sophie poses outside Chateau des Charmes, a winery in the Niagara region that Chris and I both really enjoy, and where we found ourselves during our Sunday Drive.

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Sophie started swimming lessons this week - it's an interesting setup, as they offer the lessons daily instead of weekly, which was how she'd taken lessons before. It seems to be a bit much for her, and we've had several swimming-lesson-related meltdowns this week. Sophie is not a brave child - she's cautious, which in many ways has served her well. She was never the child climbing book cases or falling down stairs - in fact, she's the only child I've ever known who even when she was a baby would pick something up off the floor and show it to me for approval before putting it in her mouth. I've been thankful for her caution a number of times, but it's a double edged sword. Her lessons at The Little Gym were in many ways inspired by her fear of climbing up and jumping off things, and her swimming lessons have been a bit of a trial as a result of her cautious approach to life. She does not want to put her fact in the water, let alone dunk under - she does not want to attempt to float either on her front or her back, unless someone has a heck of a firm hold on her and even then it's a struggle - she does not want to jump into the pool from the side, but will slide in as long as it's into someone's arms. The swimming teacher at Thames Pool is a bit flummoxed by Sophie, because she gives every appearance of loving the water and having fun - until she's asked to try something that makes her uncomfortable and then the fight begins. That said, swimming is a vital skill to learn even if you are a cautious person... and I need to figure out a way to get her comfortable in the water even if it takes all summer.

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The actual day of Sophie's birth - the culmination of several days worth of celebrations - was this Tuesday. It was a busy day, with the aforementioned swimming lessons in the morning, an appointment with her Speech Pathologist Beth in the afternoon, and Gymnastics class in the evening. In amongst the classes and appointments Sophie opened lots of presents from Mom and Dad, including her "big gift" - her very first two-wheeler bike (check out the video below for her reaction). Before bed that evening we re-read her a story that we've had for years: Sophie's Wheels, which features a little red-haired girl named Sophie and all the different types of wheels she uses as she grows from an infant to a big girl - it culminates, as you may have guessed, in her riding around the neighborhood on her first two-wheeler bike. Not a dry eye in the house when that story was read this evening, I tell ya.

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Sunday marked one of the few days we've had this summer with no obligations, no appointments, no work that needed to be done, no... nothing. So we decided to go on a good old-fashioned family "Sunday Drive". We started out just saying we wanted to get out of London, and somehow that one guideline turned into a 12-hour journey to and around Niagara. Spontaneity at it's best! Although I prefer to experience our road trips fully prepared with snacks, Sophie's favourite toys and videos, a picnic basket and more - it turned out to be a great journey without the prep. We stopped at the Upper Canada Cheese Company in Jordan for some wonderful cheeses and fresh bread, took an impromptu (the word of the day, really) tour of Cave Spring Cellars where we picked up an amazing Riesling, and then picnicked in a park along the Niagara river on our way to see the Falls. We haven't been to the Falls in well over a year so it was a lot of fun bringing Sophie down there to check out one of the natural wonders of the world and showing her some of the classic tourist attractions (like Clifton Hill, the Floral Clock, and so on...) and we certainly enjoyed our time in the local wineries. I was surprised by how "into" the winery experience Sophie actually was - I thought she'd be interested as long as there was something in it for her (ie: a special grape juice to try), but she not only was the one who insisted that we take part in the Cave Springs underground tour, but asked several really good questions of our tour guide along the way. I'm beaming in pride - you just can't see it from here!

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A Week in the Life... July 12-18

The absolutely stunning back garden and pond at Heeman's Greenhouse

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Sophie enjoys a walk around Heeman's, picking out some beautiful new flowers for our front porch

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I've been making batch after batch after batch of muffins over the past week and a half - blueberry and chocolate chip being family favorites after some experimenting

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Sophie and I share a bowl of vegetables and vermicelli in black bean sauce at Ben Than on the evening of my birthday

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Sophie's birthday party was a very bouncy affair!

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Deflating the Tumble Track using body weight - the kids wanted to blow it back up again just so they could enjoy deflating it once more!

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The whole gang from Sophie's birthday party at The Little Gym

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Opening presents during our "family party" at Aunt Mary's house

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I've been meaning to get out to a place called the Heeman Greenhouse for a while now - it's a garden centre and strawberry farm just on the other side of the airport, and they have a reputation for having a wonderful selection of fresh berries. I've been making lots of jam lately and I want to have a crack at making black cherry jam - I knew I had to check it out when I found out they offer pitted cherries by the 10lb pail. We went and were so impressed by not only the berry selection but by the enormous greenhouses and the centre's amazing landscaping - it made for a wonderful afternoon and we brought home a couple potted plants for our front porch, some fresh herbs, and cat nip to help keep Gabbie and George entertained. Sadly, they were out of fresh cherries but I was able to place an order for when they come in - so cherry jam will wait for a bit. Not that I'm hurting for things to do in the kitchen mind you... I've been on a real muffin kick lately. I baked four dozen muffins this week alone, and aside from a dozen I brought over to a friend's house we've eaten every last one of them. Sophie is my "muffin monster", and if given the choice will eat two muffins for breakfast, another as an afternoon snack, and a fourth before bed. No really - I actually gave her the choice one day and that's what she ate. I think I'll take a break from muffin baking for a bit so she doesn't turn into one herself!

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One hiccup in my plan for the week involved an intended visit that fell through: I've been excitedly waiting for a visit from my mom, who was supposed to spend most of the week and all of the weekend with us - unfortunately she's been derailed by illness so we've had to go without our visit. I hate that she's ill, and I know she's incredibly frustrated having to miss this time with us - we're all feeling a bit sorry for ourselves as she had planned to be here for both my birthday and Sophie's, and her presence would have made those days extra-special for us. We'll have to make the time up when she's feeling better...

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Speaking of birthdays, mine was on Friday so I've successfully reached the ripe old age of 37. It wasn't the greatest of days, as I ended up having to take a 4+ hour lie-down in the middle of it to fight off a migraine headache. I haven't had one of those in years, but since I loose part of my vision and most of the feeling in my right hand when they happen, the side effects are enough to knock me out of commission, let alone the actual pain. I was lucky that it was brief, so I rallied by the end of the day and was able to join Chris and Sophie for dinner at a local Viet-Thai fave called Ben Than. The big birthday focus was on Sophie this week though, as the big birthday party with all her friends was on Saturday. We decided against hosting the kids at our house and instead booked her party at The Little Gym - it's a good thing we did, as her guest list grew and grew and grew... we ended up hosting 16 kids all together! The party was fantastic - the kids jumped and bounced and ran and played and had an absolute blast... Sophie loved every second of being with such a great big group of friends, and the staff at The Little Gym made it a breeze for me - in fact, at one point they told me I was trying to do too much and I should really just go sit down. Sweet! On Sunday the "festival of Sophie" continued with a birthday party for family over at Mary's house... where she was surrounded by lots of people who love her, was treated to a special cake created by Nanny and Courtney, and generally showered with attention and presents. I got treated too - I'm excited to use my Chapters and Starbuck's gift cards and enjoy the bottle of wine that I received for my birthday. Quite the "gifty" week... and with Sophie's actual birthday still to come on Tuesday, it's not over yet!

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A Week in the Life... July 5 - 11

Getting ready to read my newly-won book!

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Hanging out on a blanket in the shade at Mitches park, after some playground time and before our picnic lunch

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Sophie and Rowan enjoy the shade and a bit of a rest after our picnic on a very hot day

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One of the many fun events at Chloe's birthday party - the kids were each given a "shopping bag" and some play money, and invited to go to the "store" (AKA Chloe's grandpa, in a tepee) to spend it. By playing games throughout the party they could earn more money to spend at the store!

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While Sophie was at Chloe's birthday party I made a batch of strawberry jam, using some wonderful strawberries from a local farm. Fresh and yummy!

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Sophie enjoys some time at the Tecumseh playground on a sunny Sunday

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I guess we're officially on summer vacation! It still hasn't hit me yet... I'm feeling a bit thrown off by the fact I have a bit of free time on my hands actually. I'm trying to tie up loose ends - make good on some of the commitments I've made to people - and trying to get started on some things I simply haven't had time to lately. One of the things I'm looking forward to doing is getting some reading done - and I'm very excited to say that I just got a new book to dig into! Food Network Canada recently ran a Book Club contest, which I entered and actually won (!!!) so I'm about to start reading my prize: Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain. I've enjoyed both his television shows "A Cooks Tour" and "No Reservations", and while I haven't read his first book "Kitchen Confidential" Chris has and raves about it - I'm sure he'll be taking advantage of my win as well!

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It's been a typical summer week weather-wise... very hot, very humid, very sunny. It's taking a bit of a toll on Sophie, who seems to have inherited my displeasure with sticky weather... a few times when we've been out and about she's asked if we can just go home because she's too hot. This Thursday was a good example of that: I took Rowan and Sophie to the playground to play and to have a picnic, but after about 10 minutes of swinging and sliding it was so hot they didn't want to play on the equipment any more - we spend the rest of our time at the park under a tree playing games instead. Luckily Sophie did have a couple indoor events this week as well - including her afternoon at The Little Gym day camp, which we won for her colouring of a drawing I did of her at the gym. She's already asking when she can go back and do it again...

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July is a very birthday-centric month, with my mom's birthday on Tuesday (Happy Birthday Mom!) and Sophie going to her friend Chloe's birthday party on Saturday. Next week it's my birthday, my cousin Sandy's birthday and Sophie's big birthday party... the week after is Sophie's actual birthday, and the end of the month is my Aunt's birthday as well. Whew - I can feel myself running out of breath to help blow out all those candles already!

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