xmas 2012 loot

as usual, we made out pretty darn good this year.

Doug’s loot (left to right):

1. The Pacific – DVD TV Miniseries: This is something Doug has been wanting for years now. It was a gift from me. I would have bought him the blu ray version but the price was still a bit on the high side.
2. Spaghetti Western: There’s 20 classic spaghetti western movies on this one DVD. It’s one of Doug’s guilty pleasures so I made sure Santa had this in his stocking.
3. Moroccan Tagine: Another item that’s been on his list for a few years now. The problem was that it was really tough finding a place to buy from where the tagine was authentic and didn’t cost an arm and a leg. There are a lot of modern ones that boasts that it can be used both in the oven and in the stove but the cost is about 3 times the amount. I sent the link from Amazon to my PIL who have a drop off place just south of the border which they go to often (for their store). It was shipped there and so was a gift from his parents.
4. Pirates of the Caribbean – On Stranger Tides: My aunt and uncle bought him the fourth Pirates of the Carribean on blu ray. We have the first three – Doug loves anything with sword fights and adventure.
5. Stories of Survival from the Front Lines of Firefighting: Another stocking stuffer I made sure Santa would bring for Doug. He hasn’t put it down since Christmas day.
6. Beer and Stein Gift Set from LCBO: When I saw this in the store, I really didn’t realize how big both the beer can and stein was until Doug took it out of the box. The can itself is probably around 2 pints or 3 regular beer bottles.

Doug also got a very nice Canadian Team Olympic apparel hoodie from his sister and BIL. Chaeli got him some animal crackers in a box shaped like a fire truck. He also got a slew of shaving lotion, cream and some dipping oil & vinaigrette.

Chaeli’s loot (left to right):

1. Crystal Making Science Kit: A gift from Doug and I. Yes, it’s educational but it was actually one of the things on her wishlist. We haven’t cracked it open yet because I’m saving it for a rainy day.
2. Squishy Squinkies: My parents bought this for Chaeli. And if I never had Chaeli, believe me, I would not know what a Squinky is, let alone a Squishy Squinky. They bought her the gum ball set (since all Squinkies come in these clear, plastic balls that open down the middle) as well as extra Squinkies to kick start her collection.
3. Captain Underpants #5-7: A present from Santa – to feed her obsession with the dude that wears nothing but a cape and underpants.
4. LalaLoopsy Silly Hair Doll: Here’s another item of which I wouldn’t have known about if I hadn’t become a parent. Chaeli loves styling the hair which bends sort of like a continuous crazy straw. This was a present from my aunt and uncle.
5. UNO: There’s nothing more in the word that Chaeli wanted from Santa then the classic UNO game. We’ve played it so much during the holidays that I’m ready to enter any UNO tournament out there. If such a tournament actually exists.
6. My Farm Around the World – for Nintendo DS: Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a couple of DS games. Here’s one that was a stocking stuffer.
7. Operation: A present from my SIL and BIL which I’m happy to say is like the retro, classic game. When I did some window shopping here, all I could find was the Pixar Car’s Mator version. Not that that wouldn’t have been cool – but there’s something about the retro style that just can’t be beat.

Chaeli also got some other cool gifts, like the Phineas and Ferb books, Star Wars Life Saber lip gloss (the lip glass lights up), a Hello Kitty digicam from her godparents and Jenga from Hobbes.

Shy’s loot (from left to right):

1. Body Shop Hemp Gift Set: This set contains hemp cream for my hands, body and feet. And it does the trick! My hands are ultra dry during the winter so I usually need some serious moisturizer but without that greasy, oily residue. The hemp hand cream really gets absorbed into the skin. The scent is a little stronger then I would like but because it is on the musky side, I don’t mind. I’m not a fan of the flowery and fruity (except coconut or citrus) scents. Santa Doug bought this for me.
2. Sims 3 on PS3: A gift from my sweet Chaeli (with help from Doug, of course). I’m sad to say that I have had no time to play this game. Can’t wait, though!
3. National Geographic – The Photographs: A great coffee book with all the significant and influential photographs capturing both culture and history around the world. This was a gift from Doug.
4. Anthony Bourdain’s Medium Raw: A stocking stuffer that will be well worth the read, I’m sure! It’s a softer side of Bourdain now that he’s got an adorable little girl and is settling down into family life. But the softer side of Bourdain, I would imagine, is still edgier then most people’s hard side.
5. Horrible Bosses: I got this from my SIL and BIL. What a great gift! I love this movie and can’t wait to watch it again and again.
6. Snow Shoes: Santa (Doug) got a pair for both Chaeli and I. Doug’s pair is back in T-Bay so we’ll have to get that shipped over soon so the three of us can enjoy it.

I also got a $50 gift card for Reitman’s from my PIL. They inserted it in one of these beautiful, hand-painted wine goblets (Doug got one too to make it a set). I also got season 1 and 2 of The Cosby Shoe from my aunt and uncle. And a DVD remote control from my parents for our PS3 system.

there’s just not enough hours in a weekend

i don’t want to say that there’s not enough hours in a day. because that would mean that i would just end up spending even more of my daytime at work.

but hours in a weekend? yes, please. at least leading up to christmas.

i can’t believe the “biggest and best holiday of the year” (according to my 7 year old) is less than two weeks away.

TWO WEEKS!

thankfully, shopping has been done but now the dreaded part awaits – the wrapping. and i really wanted to start this past weekend but it was hard enough to fit time in to decorate the tree.

we did it though – i mean, we had to get pizza delivery just to get it done in time without a late bedtime for chaeli… but we did it.

we also kicked start the season with Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Cafe Christmas Show this past saturday. we went with new friends, p. & l. this year, something p. and i floated around as an idea last year.

a good idea it was! we met up for some yummy pub food at a local irish pub. the difference with this pub’s food is that it’s a bit more upscale without the upscale price.

then after the show, we went to another bar for some midnight snacking and beverages.

i can’t remember the last time doug and i stayed out until midnight. this is exactly why babysitting is required every now and then. i need to remember that!

it was such a fun night. and while the show was superb, my favourite times were more just the talking, laughing and general good merriment experienced by all.

banned books week

banned? really???

well, we’re approaching the banned books week and while skimming through some of the books that have been recently added in the past few years, i noticed that the children’s book, and tango makes three (based on a true story), has been banned for the last few years.

i suppose i’m a bad mother – i bought this for chaeli earlier this year and she loves this book. she now wants to go to the central park zoo just to see this family of penguins which this children book is based on.

question: will these penguins be going to hell as well?

about the birds and the bees talk – the questions get tougher

chaeli asked a boy at school to be her boyfriend.

this happened on a tuesday.

the thursday of that same week – a mere two days later – she dumped him.

:/

i asked her why she did that. and with each question, she answered me with a shrug and ‘i-dunno.’

“did something happen?”

“i dunno.”

“did he do something bad?”

“i dunno.”

“what… did you just change your mind?”

“i dunno.”

“well, is he okay? is he sad?”

“i dunno.”

it’s like she’s 7 going on 16. this isn’t good. not at all.

so we had a talk where she can’t just go around playing her friends like that. and that if she’s going to ask a boy to be her boyfriend, she should at LEAST commit to it for two weeks (which for their age is the standard time of a long-term relationship).

a day later, my parents picked her up from school. my mother told me that chaeli had asked them, “if i have a boyfriend, does that mean i’ll get pregnant? i don’t want to get pregnant.”

then my father pulled me aside and said, “when you two are alone, TALK TO HER!”

most likely, the mystery of why she broke up with this boy only after two days has been solved.

and i’ll be honest… it is tempting to let her believe this myth. just think… staying away from boys! for fear of getting pregnant! any chance i can let this go on until here teen years?

probably not. and the anxiety it is creating isn’t healthy. damn.

i’ll be checking out, It’s So Amazing!: A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families pretty soon.
 

my little book worm

i will admit that i’m about to share a very proud moment as a mother.

but it’s not with any conceit. it’s because i usually wonder how much i’m screwing up my own kid.

parenting is hard. period.

every now and then, there are moments that remind me that i’m not doing half bad. that while i’m certainly not perfect nor ever will be, the kid is doing alright.

last night was one of those moments.

just to back-track, chaeli was a bit slow on learning how to read at the level she was suppose to be at. not because she couldn’t do it, but because she was in an environment for JK and SK that didn’t give her a kick-start. which really, wasn’t a problem for doug and i. we were actually trying to allow her a childhood before she was forced to grow up five times faster then normal once she started grade one.

of course, due to a crappy school in our area with no before/after childcare support what-so-ever, we made the leap into enrolling her in a private school… one that was slightly more academic and had her put into a grade two and sometimes three level scenerio.

this caused massive panic attacks for me. i questioned myself day in and day out – was this the right move to make? am i putting too much pressure on her? perhaps i didn’t worry about this daily – but it was on my mind a lot in the first month and a half.

well, last night, she was asking me if she could have some extra time to read that night. not wanting to ever take away the joy of reading, i told her that i would allow her 15-20 minutes before we had to get ready for bed.

and that’s when i discovered that she was 2/3rds into her chapter book. granted, it was ‘captain underpants’ but as i watched her read, i could tell how much she was into it. she was laughing at the funny parts and serious at others. she wasn’t just reading but completely absorbed into the story. so i asked her later, which book she was going to read next. her library shelf has a section where she organized all her chapter books – she showed me the next two she wanted to read with sheer excitement.

i think what made me proud was that she was showing so much enthusiasm. and i know i didn’t get into reading until much later. grade three was probably when i started to enjoy it.

it’s a valuable tool. i’m happy she’s picked it up. reading has been a way for me to gain so much more knowledge. it makes me think about things and the way the world is… the way people are. and of course, the ability to escape… even if just for 15-20 minutes.

things i miss doing that i want back in my life

reading. oh how i miss always having a book on hand. it’s been months since i’ve read a book. and really, it’s my quest to start reading again as the summer months approach.

i loved using the library and still hope to take books out. but the reality is that unless i take a book out that’s not on hold (i.e. popular books), i won’t have the chance to finish it before i have to return it.

i may resort to purchasing books through kindle-amazon – digital books. if the price is good and it’s a popular book i really want to read.

blogging. of course, i still blog but it’s not as often as i like. but i want to get back to posting at least once a week. blogging has always contributed to my creativity and to not get this outlet as frequently as i use to saddens me.

traveling. unfortunately, this is one area we won’t be able to afford doing for awhile. but i think it’s important that we do one or two weekend get-aways. just for our own sanity. i’m not placing this high on our list but it’s definitely something not to be completely ignored.

hiking. the weather is getting warmer which means we’ll be taking more walks and hikes on the weekends. yeay! it wasn’t just the exercise it gave all of us, but a chance for us to explore different trails and towns outside of our city.

yoga. i do do yoga, but not weekly like i want to. in fact, there was a time i did it twice a week and it felt great! so i’m going to try and squeeze it in at least once a week, on top of my other workouts.

the one thing i have had more time for is working out. for the past couple of months, i have found a way to introduce it back into my life – on a more consistant basis. it’s not perfect and sometimes, it needs to change week to week in order to fit it into my busy lifestyle, but i’m happy that i’m at least doing something.

so here’s to the end of winter and all the things i hope to do!

vinyl cafe, udon and more baking

i’s been a really, really, ultra-short weekend. simply because it’s been just so much fun that time flew by way too quickly.

chaeli stayed at my parents place for a 2-night sleepover – and i so needed this. a break from motherhood even if just temporary. doug and i did a lot – things we had to do and things we wanted to do. after all, it’s all about striking that balance:

• friday night, we went over to my aunt’s and uncle’s where hobbes was staying during the day. since chaeli and my parents were not joining us this time, we took the opportunity to get some spicy indian food. of course – yum! winter and spicy food (especially if curry is involved) is my comfort food from the cold. sure, sure – i love a mean stew every now and then. but it just doesn’t beat some of my favourite spicey foods – indian, west indies, thai, just to name a few.
• i did take saturday morning to do things on my to-do list – p90x cardio-x and cleaning the house. afterwards, though, doug and i got to doing some more baking which we will finish up today and then sort all six kinds into several tins to be handed out this week. feels good to almost be done. as much fun as it was, it does take up a lot of time. i’m not at all sure if we’ll be doing this each year. but if we do, i need to try and do it in november and then just put the cookies in the freezer. it’s nice to have one less thing to do in december, since preparing for the holiday festivities is already jam-packed as it is.
• we went to see stuart mclean‘s christmas tour last night and like last year, it was not at all a disappointment. what i love about his stories are that they are not just hiliarious but touching and humble and down-to-earth. they are fictional characters but over the many, many years (close to two decades?) these characters of dave, morley, sam, stephanie and arthur the dog have become so real and so very much part of our lives.
• before heading to the show, doug and i stopped at the grange for some japanese noodles. same place as where we went last time. the service is fast and with our two dishes and two appetizers, the whole meal came out to less then $30 after tax and tip. plus, the piping hot steam coming from the food was like a warm blanket from the winter evening walk.
• hobbes was a great sport. we rarely leave him on his on for more then five hours – if even that! but due to the show starting late and the traffic coming home, he was pretty much on his own for almost eight hours. but he did really well – no accidents and the kitchen wasn’t in a mess when we got home (well, his toys were everywhere but that was to be expected).

so we’re now off to do a little shopping and to go meet up with my parents and chaeli for some all-u-can eat sushi! hopefully, if the weather does not get too crazy, we’ll also be picking up our tree on the way home.

book introduces same-sex relationships

as mentioned yesterday, the topic of same-sex relationships came up in our household over the weekend. since then, i’ve been on a search to find a good book to read to chaeli.

i think i’ve found just the one:

book introducing same-sex relationships to children

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 3-This tale based on a true story about a charming penguin family living in New York City’s Central Park Zoo will capture the hearts of penguin lovers everywhere. Roy and Silo, two male penguins, are “a little bit different.” They cuddle and share a nest like the other penguin couples, and when all the others start hatching eggs, they want to be parents, too. Determined and hopeful, they bring an egg-shaped rock back to their nest and proceed to start caring for it. They have little luck, until a watchful zookeeper decides they deserve a chance at having their own family and gives them an egg in need of nurturing. The dedicated and enthusiastic fathers do a great job of hatching their funny and adorable daughter, and the three can still be seen at the zoo today. Done in soft watercolors, the illustrations set the tone for this uplifting story, and readers will find it hard to resist the penguins’ comical expressions. The well-designed pages perfectly marry words and pictures, allowing readers to savor each illustration. An author’s note provides more information about Roy, Silo, Tango, and other chinstrap penguins. This joyful story about the meaning of family is a must for any library. - Julie Roach, Watertown Free Public Library, MA

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

mommy – why are those two boys kissing?

i’ve always thought of myself as one of those parents that would raise her daughter to grow up with tolerance. and to fight discrimination.

(which should be interesting – because given the reactions of my SIL and BIL upon seeing two men hold hands at a park when they came a couple of years ago, i’m not at all sure how they are going to bring up my niece and nephew. because as their aunt, i would be really tempted to teach them the right way of tolerance.)

so the other day, we were watching will smith’s hitch flick when smith’s character, hitch, asks his client to show him how he will be doing the whole ‘end of the date first kiss’ move. the client took it somewhat too literally and planted one on hitch’s mouth.

it was at that exact point where chaeli gives a big, “EWWW! TWO BOYS KISSING??? THAT’S GROSS!!!”

i was surprised and shocked. but why should i be? we haven’t discussed same-sex relationships. at all. and it’s not that i have been avoiding it. i just didn’t think i would bring it up until the questions started to come out.

and while i totally get that the ew-reaction is quite normal for kids her age, i suppose it was wishful thinking on my part that one day she would just come home, put her backpack on the table and say, “mom… we need to talk. some one told me today that canada allows same-sex marriages. what’s that all about? i thought men could only marry women. and women could only marry men. i’m confused and i need you to set the record straight.”

okay – so i know it wouldn’t have played out exactly like that. but the reaction she gave made me feel like i had failed to stop THAT way of thinking before it started taking over the way she thought on the matter. i know, i know… not the end of the world here. but i can’t help but to wonder that if i had started this talk earlier, it would have made things easier.

so now i’m looking into some literature out there – good books for kids – to read to her.

not easy. there’s a slew of books out there about sex education but i haven’t found ones specifically dedicated to same-sex relationships. other then one book that discusses sex education and grazes over the topic of sexual orientation.

but there’s got to be something – even a children’s fictional book called something to the likes of ‘i love my two mommies/daddies.’

anyway, i can’t wait to find something good. and then tell my in-laws about it. *big grin*

half vacation – half staycation

we planned our camping trip to only take part for half of the week on purpose – it allowed us to have somewhat of a staycation. of course, when it comes to camping, you do need a day or two to unpack, re-store equipment, do loads of laundry… there’s somewhat more work.

still – in between all the work, it’s been nice to go at a slower pace and to not have a routine for a couple of days.

in fact, i regret not doing a staycation earlier this summer – just a week where we can do just this. it’s somewhat surreal for me but also extremely relaxing. i would say that it’s even more relaxing then any vacation because no planning and organizing is involved.

i’ve got a 3 more days before going back to work. aside from a house warming party with good friends, we don’t have anything planned this weekend.

so… i’ll get to do a bodypump class. and some yoga and/or a bodyflow class.

and watch some movies on dvd.

reading… definitely some reading as well.

ah summer. you’ve been good to us. it’s definitely hard to let you go so soon.