Boxing Day feast

Once again, George pulled out all the stops for a delicious Boxing Day meal. Seb and Sophie set the table by themselves and organised an appetizer (cracked nuts and slices of cheddar cheese). For his efforts, Seb was allowed to pull the last two Christmas crackers.

We finally staggered away from the table to play a couple of hands of Sleeping Queens - our new fave card game; even George joined in.

(Good shot of Sophie's new blunt bob; funny how the kids got lots of grooming products from Santa: 2 brushes, a comb, toothbrushes, bubble bath, body wash, hand soap, more body wash...)

For my father-in-law

Thanks to him we have a whoopee cushion in our house. (For those of you who have not been exposed to such things - or call them by another name - they are plastic envelopes of air that are secretly slipped under a seat cushion waiting for someone to sit down; at which point, they make a rude noise, and someone else - usually George - bursts into laughter in a nearby room).

Our recent visitor who is 17 months old was very very taken with it.

Great minds, George, great minds.

Coming at it backwards

We will now proceed to Christmas Eve.







One of our traditions is to open the ornament boxes and each choose 2 of them to hang on our ring. Then our house guests each choose one too.

The dad of the house valiantly tries to remember details about each ornament but unless it is a mouse motif (his through childhood) he doesn't usually remember a thing and we have to ask Nana the next day.

Another paternal tradition we have is to recite the nightly Christmas stocking verse one last time and then the children pounce on their candy canes.



And yes, all the Hallowe'en, birthday and Christmas candy have failed to rot or snap Sebastian's baby tooth out. It wriggles and jiggles but just won't fall out!

More snaps of holiday merriment

Here are some from the less formal part of Christmas Day. Seb getting his 3 piece (plus tie!) outfit from Nannie, and him reveling in his new fire rescue boat.

Yet another lovely snap of Sophie and her Gramps, admiring her "G" ornament.

And the one of George, Sophie and Mike getting a hoot out of the former's present from us - the Akward Family Photos book - http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/; I dare you not to laugh so hard that you cry at least once but may we never appear in it!

We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you...

were all with us.

Young reader on the loose

Sebastian read half of a chapter book last Saturday morning. He read half because a parent read every other page. But he was gripped and motivated and it was a thrill to see and be a part of. OK, so it wasn't the greatest novel in the world (one of the very plain Magic Treehouse series), but it has characters and plot and tension and words to sound out. He was thrilled, as were we (thus the blog post!).

He is reading another almost as fast yesterday and today - we just don't have the time to sit with him as much. Perhaps he will tackle one by himself before the end of the holidays, though I sense that he likes the companionship of reading aloud.

To reward all that perseverance, he got to dip into the 'book bag'.

Hockey Night in Dufferin Grove

Seb played his first game of on-ice shinny last night. He scored "a couple of goals, maybe 3 or 4". But he has been pegged as goalie, as our neighbour John has now added a glove (the size of his head) and a puck to his kit. Umm, anyone got him the helmet and facemask yet????

Not sure why his fists are up. Hope he is not an enforcer.

There will always be gingerbread...

No matter how busy this time of year is and this year more than ever, we will always manage to make gingerbread shapes. We never seem to get round to decorating them but eating them is a easy-peasy.

Thanks to Grandma, we will be munching away on freshly-cracked nuts, mincemeat tarts (with tops), and stollen over the holidays. And look out for some gorgeous candles too. Plus there is the yummy Christmas pudding that we have bought from the One of a Kind show - it was a smash hit last year.

Gingerbread keeps, so tell us when you will visit and we will save you some!

Seasonal theatre

Wearing her vintage coat, Sophie & I stepped out to see an adaptation of the Snow Queen with our neighbours last week.

On Jan 2nd, we are all off to see the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe!

Meanwhile, Mike and I are debating tix to Priscilla, Queen of the Desert for some upbeat and colourful fun.

Trees with stories

We don't do Christmas trees - opposed to them for atheist and environmental reasons. A fir tree covered with lights and snow is glorious. A pine tree covered with nostalgic ornaments from over the years is also touching. We just don't do it (see reasons above), though Sebastian might wear us down one year...; we have our own traditions instead.

One is for the children to assemble the tinsel tree that has been passed into their care. It must be at least 44 years old, perhaps several years more.

It sat on the bar that my love's grandfather tended and when he realised that his pregnant daughter and son-in-law would spend their first married Christmas without money for a tree, he gave it to them. It's been assembled with pride virtually every year since. Seb received it when he was 3 and each year, he clamours for it to go up. This year it sits in the children's bedroom sparkling in the light of their bedside lamps.

We were invited to trim a tree this season. We headed over to Kevin & Arthur's place last weekend to eat a yummy brunch and then decorate their gorgeous pine (carried home aloft 6 city blocks). Besides the usual circus act that Arthur and the children perform,

it was lovely to hear about each ornament and the trip on which it was bought. And yes, they have a disco ball.

Check out the ever so thoughtful personalised ornaments that Arthur made for the children.

Gentrifying

Our neighbourhood is gentrifying. Slowly but it is happening. Here is the business association's latest effort - huge seasonally potted plants. Clumped 3 or 4 at a an intersection...

For the great-aunties

Here is a lovely shot of the kids with their dad's cousin's wife and baby who popped in en route from Japan to Saint John. It was a brief but lovely visit and oh my, what a sweet baby.

Lace up, Toronto!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/group-given-100000-grant-to-upgrade-rinks/article1844072/
Our main park's main activist gets her skates on.

Is there an L in SOPHIE?

I was in class with our kindergartner last week, cross-legged on the floor mat in front of her teacher.

Sophie is learning to spell. She is starting with her name. Seems like a good place to begin.



Teacher: If you have an R in your name, you can now go and play.

Kids pile off the mat leaving 9 or so children.

Sophie (starts spelling her name on her fingers). I don't have an R.

Teacher: (Catches her eye) No you don't, Sophie. Pause. If you have an A in your name, you can go off to play.

More kids pile off the mat, leaving just a handful of classmates.

Sophie (despite having done it, oh, 40 seconds earlier, spells off her name again on her fingers; looks up). I don't have an A.

Teacher: If you have an S in your name, you can go and play.

Sophie (beaming) I have an S!

Me? I was silently cracking up.

An Open Letter to Santa

Dear Santa

I don't believe in you. At least, I don't until mid- December and then I get hopeful - and perhaps greedy.

Anyway, just in case you are checking up on me, I thought you should know that I have been good - at least on occasion - this past year.

If your elves (I mean, if I believe I might as well believe) could find one, I would appreciate a new slotted spoon in my stocking. I hope that is not too much to ask.

Much fondness for the unadulterated notion if nothing else,
me

P.S. My 4 year old daughter would like to give you a present for all your efforts and the joy you bring to so many. If you don't want to know what is, don't read any further.


A toy - because you give all of yours away.

Little Red Riding Hood - without the hood

Miss Sophie drinking from her red & white hot chocolate bowl from Marite. She is wearing her snowfolk dress (cozy sweatshirt material) and her 'candy cane' tights.

A visit to Sick Kids makes you grateful

We have made several visits to Sick Kids Hospital over the past 30+ months of living in this affluent city. We have visited the ER and the labs, the allergy unit and the respiratory specialists; oh and dermatology too.

I never fail to be impressed by its professionalism and skill. I know other professionals critique some of its ways of working and no doubt those insights are right some of the time. But as a lay person, I am so appreciative of being able to access this wealth of skill and information - and for my lowly tax dollars.

I sit here (at our new card table) and glance down at the lab test requisition sheet that Seb was given yesterday.

NYD
Asthma
Cystic Fibrosis
Bronchiolitis Obliterans
Cough
Pulmonary Fibrosis
CDH
PCD
ILD
Other____

Only Asthma is ticked. And my throat wells up at the thought of the other child patients - ones with many ticks - and of the fortitude that they and their families need to get through a regular day.

Turns out that while Seb has asthmatic episodes (always linked to colds), he has perfect lung capacity (he can snort like a bull and puff like a dragon). We will need to tune our parental ears to the wheeze because he doesn't need to start puffers at every sniffle that comes along.

I am grateful and I will remember that next time he takes all his breath and yells at me in anger.

I am so happy for him that as he races through childhood he can add so much breath to the wind.

Still scrubbin' up o.k.

Last week was the year-end party at that place where M hangs out most days. He wears a suit to work now, so not much extra effort was undertaken.

But me? I went at least 8 of the whole 9 yards - had my hair coiffed and nails laquered, new blouse to hide (or highlight) middle-age. Donned my beautiful gifted earrings and some once a year mascara!

It was a fine evening, even though we won nothing in the draw/auction, and we both acknowledged that we are bad at this schmoozing thing.

Clunk in the wee hours

I work best in the wee hours. Silence in the house, internal focus (see post of yesterday).

I am always amused to note the time at which there is a loud THUNK - the sound of a book slipping from the hand of a soundly sleeping child who finally releases his/her grasp.

12.06 tonight.

It's a Lego world

Sebastian has an interesting take on the business side of Lego (Danish contraction for play well, didn'cha know).

He believes that they have "ripped off" the ideas of Playmobil (where his heart - and any disposable cash - truly lie) but he does enjoy playing with it and was awfully upset when his collection was confiscated over the summer. He is earning it back a little at a time (not quite block by block; I am not that cruel). And I am sure one of the Legoland theme parks would rock his world.

In fact, with no whiff of split loyalties, he has asked for one of the company's new build-it yourself board games this year and about 8 items of Playmobil rescue collections.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/lego-if-you-build-it-they-will-come-2151993.html

How many days?

How would we ever deal with the endless "how many days till Christmas?" queries without an advent calendar? Plus, it helps with math (not that Seb needs help in that area).

The realities of a working mum

I have announced to my nearest and dearest and primary bill-payer that I plan on never working full-time again. I mean, if all things work out for us - no illness or accident, no mass lay-offs, etc. 80% perhaps, 60% sounds better, full-time for a couple of months and then couple days/week for the next few months.

Call me unambitious or a slacker (having a house in France does feed this ideal lifestyle, I must admit) but it's my plan and I can only hope to be so fortunate.

That said, I DO plan on working and I AM the primary child-raiser at the moment. I am working too much at the moment. The house and household and friendships show it. My love spent much of his weekend doing laundry, but also playing street hockey or skating with the kids. That's obviously what I miss most - hanging out, playing, baking, cuddling with the children. I don't want to be sentimental, however; full-time child-rearing wasn't for me either.

Today I have my wish, sort of.

It actually started yesterday. Sophie was dropped off at a much-anticipated birthday party. I tried to buckle down to some work. I tried and tried and finally hit "the zone". Full concentration. Tapped out a sentence I liked and actually had the next sentence ready to go. I was on a roll.

The phone rang.

Yup, you guessed it. Sophie was sad and needed some comfort. Off I trotted (because asking Dad to do back-up meant big brother too and that would change the dynamic of the party).

Once I got home, I got the next working-mum-bruise. Carrie was sick and won't be in on Monday. Feel for her and am actually happier to have her getting better at home, rather than risking us all getting sick. Hmm, quick think and came up with new child-care plan for Monday. It involved Sophie returning to to the birthday girl's home to eat leftovers. Ingenious, no! And then I will knock off at 3, pick up Seb from the bus and then Sophie at her playdate, take them to the swim classes (which I have wanted to see for some weeks), dash home to whip up a quick/nutritious/tasty dinner, change into my cocktail dress and greet my tofu-earner at the door with a kiss and a martini - or something.

Flexibility, resilience, sense of humour and the big picture. If I could just work on getting into that productivity zone faster. Might help if I didn't mess around on the blog!

Those lazy grandparents

Some people might think that when they have worked for 35 years and raised 2 kids, they would be entitled to a little relaxation when they retire (and some respect from the next generation).

Not round here. As soon as George and Lorraine arrive (almost always under their own steam from the airport), the to-do list comes out. George cooks, dashes to the store for every little thing our cupboards lack, and tackles tasks round the house that have been lingering, shall we say. Lorraine does laundry, reads endlessly to the children, whips up complicated party cakes. And neither says a word about the general lack of order or cleanliness in our home (at least, not in our hearing).

And then we take photos of them in their pjs and post them on the family blog. (We do respect other visitors' privacy, I promise).

Thanks Nana and Gramps for all your help and happiness, and happy birthday Nana!

Celebrating in Style

More of how we celebrated in style, including a lovely one of Miss Emily who turns 3 tomorrow and who is hosting a tea party.

Just like the Queen

Sophie wants you all to know that she is FOUR - 4 - QUATRE!











Sophie had a second birthday so we could celebrate with friends and her Nana and Gramps, plus we didn't have to haul the prezzies across the world.


And there were loads of them - including a hot off the press Charlie & Lola book and magazine.


Thank you cards will inch their way to you - from Morocco or Toronto.

























As for the party itself, Sophie loves my vintage collection of nostalgic sweet Little Grey Rabbit books, and so that became the theme of the party - pin the tail on the rabbit, reading the Little Grey Rabbit birthday party episode, colouring book of the characters, decorations of each character, an ambitious carousel cake (thanks Nana!).

We asked people to wear their party clothes; Carrie and Sophie wore their best!!!

Carrie made some beautiful decorations - including a mushroom - a magic mushroom... - that had no place in Litte Grey Rabbit's world but it did hide a stash of leftover Hallowe'en candy to dole out and we danced around it merrily.