donuts!

So, this past Friday was National Donut Day (read about it - it's interesting!), and I didn't even eat a donut. Not one! Okay, so Canada may not have the official donut day permanently etched into it's list of national holidays, but in my world this is one special event not to be missed. Any way I can make up for it? I think so - but I haven't heard of a genuine, real-deal donut shop here in Forest City, so I might just have to open up my donut cookbook and make some of my own. It's been a while since I've had a good donut - think there are any winners in Quebec City? I am on my way there on Tuesday to attend the 2015 Conversation on Women in Sport conference, and though I'll miss the kids (and Steve) it should be a good trip. Hopefully I'll manage to get some schoolwork done while I'm there, and if I could fit in a bit of shopping, find a donut shop, get a few workouts in and meet some new people, I will be happy! 

Alana  Professor Inkling

We've had a great weekend so far with Steve's mom and dad here visiting - the kids love having them here. And of course we do too - good company, help with the kids, sharing great meals... it's all good! We had a few friends over last night for fajitas and volleyball (watching); World League was on, and everyone had fun eating dinner in front of the TV. I fit in a bike ride with a friend this morning (it was aaaawesome), got together with some library friends last night (also awesome) and feel like going to be in the next hour (it's 7:59). I know - with how well I stick to the "going to bed early" resolve - that it won't happen, but at least there's nothing planned for tonight. With Marg here, I might pull out my new sewing machine (early birthday present) - to get a pro's take on things. 

today, picking maple keys out of the gutter

I was going to list all of the tabs I have open, but there are way too many, and the couch calls. Hope everyone is enjoying June!

Steve and former teammate Chris Wolfenden - reunited in Strathroy. It was great seeing him - we miss our friends from volleyball, who are now all over the place...

yard progress and more

The grass is greener! All of our hard work (mostly Steve's) has paid off, and though things are pretty patchy in spots the lawn is loooooking goooood. The kids are spending so much time outside and if we manage to get them in after dinner with enough time to wrestle them into the shower or bath, they go to bed clean; if not, they go to bed with dirty feet and messy hair and big smiles on their faces from hours of outdoor play. We bought them scooters last week (kijiji), and it's amazing how quickly both kids have figured it out. We sometimes scoot to and/or from school, but this usually means Alana will ride halfway there and then it's up to me to carry her the rest of the way there and back.

our lil' slugger last week

We signed Hendrik up for Little Sluggers, and last week's first meeting was great. The kids - about 40 of them - were divided into little groups and rotated through stations; our guy was switch hitting off of the T, tossing and catching (and watching airplanes), running bases and more, and seems to like it. I had an all day volleyball tourney today (reverse 6s, we lost in the 1/4 finals), so Steve was at the field with both kids for picture day - stay tuned for a look at Hendrik's first baseball card (CUTE)!

I'm keeping busy with a condensed course for school (over in the next three weeks I think), and any and all free time is dominated by the kids - but that'll change next week. I start coaching Monday and Wednseday nights, and with just a month left of school we'll be hitting summer mode before we know it. Thanks to a day full of play, the kids were ready for bed by 7:15, and both were quiet upstairs by 7:30; this means what? That they'll be up early. We'll watch hockey and then go to bed EARLY. Actually. I was up late all week gripped by the amazing story and real-life characters in All the light we cannot see, and now that I've finished it I can go to bed at a reasonable hour (before 1:30). I hope. Signing off!

thanks for the photo hendrik!

swimming lessons for three

brief brief

Another week bites the dust! It's awful that I don't have any pictures of the back yard to post - there's grass growing and it's green - green! It's been two weeks, so there are quite a few dirty, bare patches, but I managed to keep things moving in the right direction even with the chief of lawn staff out of town for five entire days. Steve spent the weekend (plus) in Calgary, socializing and catching up with volleyball friends and teammates and briefly hanging out with his sister and her family. I would have loved to have joined, but I think it's a trip best taken without kids, as the only schedule I'd like to follow in volleyball-land is my own (and that of a handful of other teams). With club nationals running at the same time as both women's and men's national team games, most volleyball folk from across the country were in Cowtown, and this means nothing but fun.

My independent study (Physically active girls in children’s picture books: the power of exclusion, inclusion and depiction) is coming along slowly but surely, and the kids have latched on to a few books that I'm taking a close look at - namely My Favorite Run. We've read it mid-day and before bed, and the mid-day reads have inspired runs around the block as a family - which is just about the cutest thing you ever did see: Hendrik in the lead (semi-coordinated, pumping his arms), and Alana and I loping along (her wild hair flopping everywhere) and me sporting a pink owl purse (Alana's, empty, cross-body - at her request). Throughout the run Alana recited lines from the story, my most favourite being, "This is my favourite run mama." Adorable! I'd recommend you check it out of the library, but it's unlikely that it's there - look for it on Amazon or better yet, make a request at your public library (check Worldcat to find the closest copy).

Signing off here - it's too late to do more work and I'm in the middle of a Flavia mystery (and I'm sure Alana will be up early). When do kids start sleeping in (past 7:00)? I know I should be counting my lucky stars (and not saying anything) that she's doing a better job of making it through the night, but 6:30 is early (especially when a good book keeps you up until midnight). Bed!

eureka!

Oh the irony! I'm doing a condensed course looking at how girls and women are portrayed in sports-themed picture books, and I haven't exercised since the master's tournament (two weeks ago - boo!). A walk is planned for tomorrow, and that's as good as it'll get for now; because of this tight timeline (I need to be ready to present at a conference in ... less than 4 weeks (!!)), schoolwork takes priority over fitness. Anyways! This post is really about Hendrik describing his eureka! moment, and what he does when the lightbulb goes off at school:



I love it!

suddenly summer

One of the best Christmas presents from 2014's festivities is a subscription to Maclean's (thanks Secret Santa Bob) - the mag arrives on Monday or Tuesday, hits Steve's side of the bed first, and I usually read it a week later. And so I just got around to reading this article about Zahed and Najah, an incredible story about survival, reunion, hope, and much much more (the trailer for a short film is here). I often think about how incredibly lucky I am to have been born in Canada, to have two loving, caring, supportive parents, and to grow up in a safe and stable environment. Why? I am beyond lucky, I know.

I am also beyond lucky to have two healthy and happy children who are going to crawl into bed with me tomorrow morning and be reminded by my one and only to say happy mother's day and shower me with love. Happy Mother's Day to all of you mama's - in heart, mind, body and/or soul - I hope you get to spend some quality time with your little (or big) loved ones. (For me that will be balanced with some alone time - at the YMCA and/or the Bay - at least that's the plan for now.)

Steve has done a serious job on the back yard over the course of the last week, and with seed planted and the hot hot sun beating down, fingers are crossed that grass will grow. It is suddenly summer here, with a humidex of 31 (yesterday) and 30 (today) - for real. Summer met winter last week, and we all-of-a-rushed out to look for sandals and hats and summer jammies for the kids this afternoon after replacing the storm windows with screens. What else? Hendrik has an eye appointment next week and is getting the full deal complete with drops and all-out-eye-exam, and we're thinking we'll take him to Cora's afterwards as a special treat (the appointment is at 8:00 - bleh!). I just booked a flight to Laval for a conference next month, and need to put the pedal to the metal to have everything prepared just so, just in time. Not much else new -  bed time here... or maybe a glass of wine first? Yes!

whirlwind weekend!

we need an updated photo, but you can see the progress made (and the sand table Steve built) in the back yard

It's May! And we're just back in London after an amazing whirlwind weekend away in Toronto (me), Bowmanville (family), and Gatineau (me and Steve). I took part in the 37th annual Ontario Women's Master's Basketball Championships, and our team won! We played four games, and then, since the team I'd just joined was hosting the tournament, helped out with the banquet - where we ate good food (including a build your own sundae dessert bar), won door prizes (I picked a Gonzaga t-shirt jersey), enjoyed great company, and listened to a few inspirational speeches - one of which was "the most important part of this whole thing is ... the after party." So, for the first time in much too long, I took part in some late night dancing festivities and slept for but a few hours before catching the bus east to join my family in Bowmanville. From there Steve and I drove to Gatineau where we saw our long lost-for-8-months friends, ate good food (sushi), slept like the dead, and met with a realtor. This was the real purpose of the trip (to list our place), and there were a few run-around errands we had to do to get the apartment looking half decent. The turnaround was quick though, and we were back on the road approximately 24 hours after we arrived, feeling quite satisfied with our current living situation - i.e. we like London and our house in London a zillion million trillion times more than we like Gatineau and our apartment there. We enjoyed less than 24 hours in Bowmanville - I tried to get some school work done (I have so much work to do!) - and then were back on the road again, headed for "our London home." The kids slept (and ate) very well at Grandma and Grandpa's, and I'm hoping things continue to go well here - though I have my doubts (it just took me close to an hour to get Alana to settle down for bed). There's much more to write about but I'll leave it at that; here are some pictures - more to come soon, promise!

these two!

Auckland Ballers! We went 4-0 to win the tourney - so much fun!

check out what came in the mail from Team Quebec last week - a hand-written card, a JERSEY and a watch: "congrats on your amazing career" - !!

late-ish cookie post

I'm baking cookies at 10:00 at night - weird. And I'm just home from my first hot yoga (Moksha) class in hmm... maybe five years? And it was so-so - not something I'd pay $15 for, which I think is the going rate from drop-in yoga - crazy. (I had a free class coupon that expires in two days, so I figured I'd better use it! It's been on my board since September.) I'm starting a must-get-in-shape week in preparation for this weekend's basketball tournament, in which our team will play four games in less than 24 hours - yowsa kapowsa! I ran yesterday, yoga today, run tomorrow, hoops with Steve on Wednesday, and rest Thursday; this is my big exercise plan - so peak physical shape (pah!) happens on Friday at 4:00pm.

Hendrik went to his first from-school friend's birthday party on Sunday and had a blast. The group got together at a huge play gym (Adventures on Wonderland), and the kids ran wild in a giant climb-on structure that was a mini version of the colossus that we visited a few times in Beijing. I stayed for a bit, left to go for a run in ridiculously chilly temps, went grocery shopping and arrived in time to peer in on the partygoers eating cake and watching the birthday boy open presents. Hendrik and Hudson were the last two standing, and after dinner and bath the kid was zonked in bed for a solid night's sleep.

Looking back on this blog from April 27, 2013 I'm reminded of the fact that Alana also slept through the night last night - who knows, maybe after a full day of gymnastics (her first on-her-own class) and several hours of outdoor sand-table play, she'll do it again tonight. We'd signed her up for a parent and tot class - which was slotted for kids up to 3 years old; but with a pretty poor coach to athlete ratio, they suggested a move to the older class and it was so much better. I wasn't so sure that she'd run off on her own without a worry trailing behind, but she did - she waved at me from the mat every now and then and followed along with the rest of the kids (she must have been one of the youngest, but was also definitely one of the tallest). We sure were spoiled by the gymnastics club in Gatineau - where there was a ton of natural light and the equipment and facilities were brand new; FCG doesn't measure up in terms of space or equipment (not many places would!), but Alana had a great time - I wish I'd taken some pics.

tea party behind the couch

Alright, I should get going - and deal with these cookies... Until next time!

mash-up

The semester's classes finished Friday, and since then (since taking my kids to the last Children's Materials Birth-7 years class - to watch short picture book films - including Doctor De Soto, Scaredy Squirrel, A Boy, a Dog, a Frog and more) I have been completely engrossed in The Goldfinch. I have 20-ish pages left to go, and I am so amazed at this work - how on earth did she write this? How long did it take? It is so well written, thought out - the characters are amazing... details amazing; if you haven't read it and you're in for a case of book elbow (at 760 pages, it weighs several pounds), join the wait list at your local library - or look for it at the uni! The wait list at LPL was 100+ a few months ago, but immediately available at school. Anyways, it's been on my to-read list for a while, and now that it's out of the way (almost), I can step out of New York City and back into my life of mom and student. School starts again today - or tomorrow; I should have started work on my next course this morning, but took Alana to gymnastics, went grocery shopping, and, after wearing running clothes for three days FINALLY went for a run. Hurrah - and tonight, I'll finish this book.

pre-breakfast, back-porch saturday

Hendrik received his first ever from-school birthday party invitation, and he was all over it - so focused on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles card and pleased as punch (though whether it was the envelope with his name on it that did it - or the fact that he was invited to a party, not sure!) - he held on to it for a good hour after we were home from school.

Weather has been better, so we've been outside digging in the backyard, washing windows at Liz's and biking and running up and down the sidewalk in front of the house. A few days ago Steve discovered that there were a good 25+ concrete slabs buried throughout one side of the backyard, and it sure has been a job digging them out. The house was up for sale last summer, and when we moved in it was done up nicely - wood chips covering areas that must've been mud and dirt for years; grass won't grow through concrete! So we've been digging and finding bricks (maybe 20) and concrete slabs and lots and lots of worms, which of course has been super fun for the kids.

Que mas? What can I say? My sisters (K & C) are coming to visit in June, I have the Ontario Master's Bball Championships in two weeks in Toronto (yay!), and apparently our Christmas in Vancouver visit will correspond with my best friend flying home from Australia. Will my parent's house always be "home"? Or is it Vancouver that does it? We're settled in here, but until we know we're staying (or not) for good, that feeling won't be there in that same solid and definite way. Anyways, since I'm likely to be spending the night on Alana's floor (again), I should go and get these last pages of The Goldfinch done and read. Until next time!

gardening, washing windows, art-from-school, rolling breadsticks (whilst making vegimal noises) and le backyard

spring!!!

Spring is here! I can almost guarantee that the people who were in shorts and tank tops yesterday were in winter coats a few weeks ago - myself included! Okay, I didn't go so far as to wear a tank top, but I did go on a nice long bike ride (the first of many I hope) with a friend and it was warm and sunny and I wore shorts. I've been on the hunt for my own bike, and, not wanting to totally break the bank, I've been scouring kijiji for just the right thing. Just the right thing? Unfortunately, I don't know  what just the right thing looks like - mostly because I've been spoiled riding Steve's XL hybrid bicycle. Just like the pizza and donuts in Japan, the pasta in Italy and the pastries in Greece, I've been spoiled, and no Canadian Tire special is going to compare to the wheels I've beens stealing. Anyways! I need a bike to get to school here soon, so I'm either going to buy an el cheapo just to get to and fro, or (this is what I really should do) go into a bike shop to see what size of frame might best be suited for my tallish frame... and go from there.

how awesome is this water table? at THE museum in waterloo

The semester is winding down, and it's highly unlikely that I'll ever take four courses again - especially because the upcoming electives won't be as easy as some of the required core courses I now have knocked off the list (thank goodness). This summer I'm doing a guided research project to present at the Conversation of Women in Sport in Laval in June, so I've got to get going on things here pretty quickly - and that's it! Just one course. That way I can coach, travel and coach (Toronto, Vancouver), and travel (Greece!!) - without missing nary a class. Pretty soon here we're going to do a serious number on our half-mud half-weeds backyard - dig up the weeds and sod and seed and then we can set up the new trampoline. Ee! Did I say that (/write that) out loud? I did. We bought the kids a small 8" trampoline and they are going to LOVE IT. I loved having a trampoline when we were little, and I can just hear my mom saying "Heather, you'd be out there for hours." - because I was. Our yard is a little little for a full size jumper, but with some rules and moving around we can make this smaller t-line (our code word for it - the kids still don't know about it) work for us, the yard, the neighbours and the kids.

Signing off - Alana will probably be waking up soon!

more waterloo museum fun

happy easter!

Instead of doing homework last night, I sat around with my favourite guy and ate chocolate, drank wine and hid Easter eggs and jelly bean bags around the house. After a sub-par sleep (the usual), I woke up on Alana's floor with news of nibbled carrot nubs downstairs - the EASTER bunny had been here! I trailed after the kids with eyes half closed, but the excitement was just too infectious to keep them that way; coffee + chocolate + happy kids brought me back to life. So here we are 12 hours later and the sugar is still coursing through their veins - they're playing tennis downstairs, whatever that means! And the snow that was all around us this morning is gone (thankfully), along with 1/3 of the Easter basket haul (might explain the late-night tennis). We had a great day of food, swimming (the YMCA was open - !), exercise (me), visits (with neighbours) and treats; the only thing missing was family. And warm weather. (All in good time, right?)

I'm going to try to use the camera a bit more (instead of the phone) for pics, so I'll actually have to keep track of it - and take it with me. It didn't get left behind on a recent trip to a sugar shack - where, on one of the first moderately balmy days (I think it got up to 5), the kids were LOVING being outside; the pancakes and jugs of syrup were a distant second to the swings and tree houses and wood chip piles found out back. Combined with Friday morning's trip to the local park that makes TWO park visits in the past week, and we are all getting excited about spring (and summer). 

Quick updates:

since i couldn't find a recent one, i picked an oldie. age = ??

Me

I stayed up way too late last night finishing Alexander McCall Smith's The Forever Girl - an impulse pick-up on a library run (for kid's books). It was good, as most of his books that I've read are (I couldn't get into the Professor von whatever series, but everything else I've read has been fabulous). School is winding down and only a few assignments loom before the summer semester starts; I'll be doing one self-directed study and will hopefully have it wrapped up by the end of June, leaving me with a few months of coaching, cottage and... Greece! Can't wait. Semi-finals and finals of the women's vb league happens tomorrow night, as does Easter dinner (not sure what we're eating) followed by raspberry cake (yum).

Steve

A new project is on the go - a table, for somewhere. He's signed himself up for a spring hockey league, is contemplating playing in Nationals in Calgary, and is staying busy with the kids. I'm sure there's more, but I'd have to ask him and he's currently building lego houses with Alana (8:44pm), who is showing no signs of slowing down. 

music

Hendrik

Hendrik wrote his first piece of music tonight, titled Where is the penguins (I think); see picture. He's reading up a storm (we gave the kids an Octonauts book and they LOVE it), and - yes, Octonauts; they play or watch or read or colour Octonauts things for most of the day. Today swimming was a huge hit, jelly beans and Cadbury mini eggs (he called them Robin's eggs) were also big, and hockey and lego rounded out the activities du jour. Favourite foods... hm: toast with butter for breakfast (or waffles), PB&J for lunch, pasta for dinner (tonight he ate a huge burg, all of it) or beef and rice. He's all day at school except for Wednesday, and seems to like it - and he's signed up for baseball (starting next month) and swimming lessons, and that's it!

Alana

This girl could really work on her sleeping habits - as you've heard. She had her first gymnastics class last Monday and loved it! She was definitely shy with the other kids and adults but was all over the trampolines and mats and climbing equipment; it was her first organized class - swimming (parent and tot) starts at the end of the month (at the Y) - but not the last. Octonauts is also a big part of her life, as is anything that Hendrik does. Mostly she's nice to him (he's much nicer with her these days), but she definitely presses his buttons - and knows she's doing so (scallywag). She loves grapes, cheese, yogurt and crackers; icing and chocolate round out her favourite food groups. 

I'm sure I'm forgetting important things - like the fact that I'm starting to really love the Octonauts - but this is a sizeable post for this time of the day and with kids running wild. Hoping everyone had a fabulous Easter weekend!

one of my favourite all time books, for so many reasons. 

the worst!

I am becoming the worst! blogger! I have a few reasons for becoming the worst! blogger! but they are the same reasons that I don't get other things (like exercise or reading) done either, and they are family and school. I sometimes (today) wonder how a stay-at-home parent can be anything other than a parent; time is so dominated by children and family duties, and time away is dominated by eating or showering (sometimes) or one of many things that one could do (grocery shopping, laundry, oh... homework). I really shouldn't be saying this, because last weekend I was a mom and a basketball player - ! I played in a tournament with a great group of women, all of whom I met for the first time an hour before game #1, and it was great. It'd been 13 years or so (I figure) since I'd last played in a real game with refs and everything, but it came back to me like riding a bike, hurray! We won two of our three games to finish third and even did something social that evening, despite a few horrific nights of "sleep" around here. Steve and the kids joined to cheer us on on Saturday, and cheer us on they did; one of the women on the other team said, "who's that kid and what's he saying?" I got to lay claim and clarify that he was saying "GO Auckland ballas!" - it was great. Auckland Ballers because this is the team (I think) that is heading to the World Master's Games in Auckland NZ in 2017 - wouldn't it be great if I could join? Sounds super fun. Anyways, one thing at a time and that next thing right now is posting this blog, hanging up the laundry and going to bed. This "other" time - doing homework and very briefly quickly blogging - is too late (it's 12:38). I have some things to say about starting April off right (with a sugar shack visit and warmer climes) but I'll save it for next time... whenever that is!

of books and babes

Kim Ji Hyuk

Isn't this picture just perfect? Books, a comfy chair, an open window and an afghan - this might be me one day, if spring ever finds her way to town. (And if I ever purchase an oversized (it'd have to be extra-oversized) blue chair.)

The kids are home and life is back to its beautiful, chaotic normal self - sleepless nights, rushed mornings, and piles of homework. It felt so good to wrap my arms around these two little beans - there they sit so still and calm with each other - entranced by The Octonauts. They are still obsessed: the majority of play time around here is Octonauts-themed, and Alana's latest thing is pretending to heal wounded sea creatures (me or Steve) just like Peso. She'll ask if something is hurt (yes) and then whip her arms around in an I'm-bandaging-your-arm motion (you know what I mean, right?) and then say, "There. Good as new!" - it's adorable, and I should do my best to get it on film. I'm fading - bed time needs to happen asap... more details more info more updates next time (do I always say this?) - only a few more weeks and the semester is over, so I should have more time then. Right? Not so sure...

five days of flying sola

This house is so lonely and quiet without children in it! It's been kind of amazing being here by myself, mostly for the sleep - I've had solid sleeps (knock on wood) every night with no wake-ups, no crying kids. Our children - really I should just be talking about Alana - so, Alana used to be a good sleeper (maybe even a great sleeper) but she sure isn't winning any awards these days - even though apparently, she's been sleeping soundly in B-ville all week. So the sleep has been wonderful and making decisions based entirely (!!) on what I want to do has also been fabulous. Ending soon! But I'm happy... I miss my people! I'll be waiting on the steps for them when they pull in tomorrow afternoon.

So what else has gone down this week? We've had all of the wiring in the house replaced already, and what awesome timing having the kids gone while walls are ripped open with tools (and wires) left here and there and busy workers coming and going. I've had a few social nights out - for a volleyball banquet tonight and for beers with classmates yesterday - and have made some serious progress on the tsunami of assignments due this week and next. Still, despite hopes that I could work work work and get it all done - there's more! There's always more. But that's okay, I'll just keep working away. With just 4 weeks left of classes (I think - eep!) it's crunch time... so I have to keep working away. But for now - I have a good night's sleep I need to go and get before my little bunnies come home!

octonauts family!!

I'm just back from my second run of the year, and it feels so so good to get outside and exercise! The snow is melting and spring is trying to edge her way into our lives - thank goodness! Unlike many others I know, I didn't find winter that awful - it was long but not that cold; there was (and still is) quite a bit of snow, but we were never in the grips of -20s weather... or at least not for very long. Okay enough about the weather - what I should be talking about is the big news of the day - of the year! Of our right-now lives: we own our house! Everything closed today, and we didn't even have to move. Electricians are already at work rewiring this almost 100-year old home, and we'll have a good deal of work to do in the back yard once the snow melts - weeds rule back there, and I'm sure it'll be one messy mud pit unless we do something about it. (P.S. Aren't the Octonauts masks Marg made ah-mazing? The kids are IN LOVE with this show, and I have to admit, I'm a big fan too. If we start now, we could all have Octonauts costumes for Halloween!!)

More big news: I'm home alone - all week. On one hand I'm excited - I'll get work done, I might actually get some sleep at night, and I can eat when I want and what I want, and do what I want whenever I want. On the other hand, man oh man am I ever going to miss my family, little ones and big one. They've taken off to Bowmanville for March break, while school and an onslaught of assignments is keeping me here. Hopefully I'll be able to put the pedal to the metal and get things DONE!

No other news really, other than... hm. We did a clinic in Hamilton yesterday with LP (and Tim Cooper) and Jump Volleyball and had an awesome time, and... let's see - I'm playing in a basketball tournament in a few weeks and Steve is going to a Raptors game in a few weeks and I only have 6 weeks left of school. I'm know there's more to write about but I'm going to eat dinner and get some work done. Until next time!

10 days ago it was snow-stegosauras weather... soon, spring!

boy + graph

This past week (and next week and the one after that) has been (and will be) packed with school work and commitments. A few weeks ago I made a comment to a friend at school that life couldn't be any more full - and she warned me not to tempt fate. Has it become more full? Maybe. But a full and busy (and rewarding) life is better than one that is slow and empty... right? That being said, I sure am going to enjoy sitting on the beach in Greece in August with nary a to-do list or school assignment in sight. That's right people - Steve booked our flights to Greece! We're going to a wedding there (Nik and Constantina), and I'm looking forward to thinking about it and getting excited about it once this riptide of schoolwork subsides.

An assignment that is requiring a good deal of my time these days is a group presentation on Data Visualization (for a research and statistics course), so imagine my surprise when yesterday, Hendrik started making graphs. Really. He came into the kitchen after dinner and asked Steve, "Daddy, are you happy?" Steve said yes. He left the room for a few minutes, and then came back. "Mommy, are you happy?" I said yes. He left the room again, and Steve and I peeked around the corner to see what he was up to. We asked, and he answered: "I'm making graphs." What a guy. Here are a few pictures of his graph, and a description of how you make a graph. (If only I could include this in my presentation!)

In other news, we are in the midst of purchasing the house and there have been so many things to take care of - I've been calling electricians and insurance companies in between classes and group meetings, and meeting with mortgage brokers in between dinner time and kiddo bath time. Steve has been making most of the dinners and has made a few "restaurant" meals (deluxe) - recipes coming soon. As always, I have more to write about but it's time to run - schoolwork calls!

a weekend in the city

the big city

February was the paltriest post month EVER! I'll start things off right in March by posting on its very first day, and hopefully the rest of the month will follow with better posting habits. So...

We're coming off the heels of an amazing weekend in Toronto, and it was just the little vacay that we needed. We'd been tossing around the idea of going on vacation somewhere, but with different spring breaks for the students (mine was last week - not much "spring" happening around here) and expensiveness all around, we'd kind of given up on the idea of a warm weather getaway (okay we hadn't - we were still dreaming). Then a small coaching thing came up this weekend in Toronto and our staycation plans were born; Steve trolled the net, found us a killer deal at an amazing hotel and booked - 'twas a go! The kids were super excited, and it turned out to be a great two days - great because we saw friends, Grandma and Grandpa B came in, I caught up with some volleyball friends and coaches I hadn't seen in a long time, we ate good food (no prep or cleanup required - and the kids ate for free all weekend), and we stayed in a  swank and upscale place (loved it). While I was in the gym (and then out for lunch) on Saturday, Steve and the kids met up with Grandma and Grandpa B and the whole crew of them visited the new (-ish) aquarium, lunched, and took a dip in the pool at the hotel. Due to afternoon naps, the kids didn't go to bed as early as we'd hoped they would, but nevertheless we were all in bed and almost sleeping by 9:30 (maybe 10:00). Somehow we managed to sleep in until 8:00 this morning (ah-mazing), and packed up and visited friends (the Jansons) before heading back home to reality. Laundry and school stuff ruled the latter half of the day here, and a busy week looms; with only 6-ish weeks left of school for me, the pickle of work (thanks autocorrect: pile) grows and grows and grows. On that note, I'll get back to it - laundry and schoolwork...

running in the halls (semi-quietly) brought me back to beijing - it was a go-to activity there!

sitting in style

short and sweet!

Big weekend here folks - the volleyball team I'm helping with up at Western won a bronze medal at the OUA (Ontario University Athletics) final four, and it looks like we are buying this house. Yoiks! Piles of homework are getting bigger and I have a long list of productive-things-to-do I could pick from, but instead I'm going to sit down on the couch with Steve and watch TV and think about what we'll eat this week for dinner (after perusing Great Food Fast (I should get cookbooks out of the library like my maman!) this list looks something like this: pork chops, lentil stew, pasta, shepherd's pie, beef and orange stir fry, and/or flank steak + who knows). Laundry first, Crabbie's second, couch third - oh so much more to write about coming... some day! 

short and sweet

As usual, there's mucho to write about and not so much time. The whole family has been tired tired - Hendrik even took a nap at school today, a first for him - so we've been trying to get to bed at a decent hour (something I can do if and only if I'm not in the middle of a good book; last week's late night's were Eleanor and Park's fault). We had a great Valentine's Day (what did we do?!) with heart-shaped pancakes and a huge humongous win on the road - ! We just barely made it into the playoffs, and knocked the first place seed out in the first round - they didn't know what hit them. Next we play Toronto in Guelph (Friday, 8:30) and then a bronze or gold medal game on Saturday - eek! Can't wait.  Here are a few pics - I need sleep!

tired kids sleep like this. really.

valentine's galore!

and SNOW galore

there was a valentine's day party at this guy's school, and he came home with a box of cards

books!

'Tis the season for Valentine's books! These are some of my favourites - though I'm sure there are more gems out there, waiting to be discovered. I have 25 minutes before class starts, so here's a quick post-post-post before I get back to school business. BULLETS:

• I got my hair done (highlights and a cut) yesterday, woot! Upon my return home Hendrik expressed confusion: why my barber shop visit didn't result in any drastic reductions? Why is your hair still long?! Good questions my friend. It would be easier having short hair, but.... then I'd have to go to the hairdresser more than once a year. Long hair it is!
• More importantly, our team made the playoffs! EEEEk! I'm super excited, and so so proud of the girls. They won both matches this weekend (x York and Nipissing) to secure a playoff game against McMaster this coming Saturday. I'll be there with all I've got to try and get them into the second round.... 
• I'm writing a paper about girls in sport and just got this book out of the library, and I want to read it from cover to cover and then read everything in it: 

• I know there's more... (I have a lemon cookie recipe I want to make, I want to make lemon bars, last week's lemon meringue pie has me thinking lemons lemons lemons) .... but I can't think. I need lunch! 

on her way out the door this morning, with robin doggy 

notes in the mail from my kiddies - love!

first of feb

It's February, and there are pile and piles and piles of snow on the ground. Piles. Mountains of shovelled snow flank the driveway, and winter wonderland continues to get whiter as the snow keeps on falling. To tell you the truth, it doesn't bother me (yet) - winter might be growing on me as time goes by, and I'm thinking it's because it's not as cold as last year's deep-freeze winter in Gatineau. Minus 10? No problem. Snow? I'll take some exercise (Steve and I shovelled four driveways on Monday). Sure, I prefer summer and warmer climes to these colder ones, but like a good Canadian girl, I'm coming around to sort of liking the cold and snow. (Maybe it has something to do with my new warm-warm-warm Sorels, or our neighbourhood (quiet and calm), or the fact that it's easy-ish getting the kids out to play (we have a backyard) - who knows!)

Steve's parents were here for the weekend, and the kids were beyond excited to see them (okay, so was I). We went out to dinner on Monday night - we walked and tugged the kids on sleds - and Hendrik showed some serious skill with the menu: I read him the kids meal options (he had a menu in hand), and he said, "Well, what about the pulled pork?" and pointed at the pulled pork in an entirely different section. Well sure you can have the pulled pork! If you can read it you can order it? That might depend if there's a dessert menu... right?

Speaking of dinner (this problem does not apply with dessert) - what do people make for dinner every night anyway? I'm going to ask for some meal suggestions on Facebook I think, and also plan to make a giant poster of meal options organized into categories: fish, chicken, vegetarian, side dishes, etc., and then classify them as a one-pot meal or ready in under 20 minutes or requiring specialty items etc. Right? Should I? YES! But really no I will not make a giant poster with classifications and subclassifications, since that is only something I could do if I had full-time childcare and nothing else to do with my time ever. I like the idea, but I also am aware that something like this would probably never happen. So - google maybe? Maybe. Add it to the list...

I have much more to write about (the summer is starting to shape up, I'm doing a really interesting assignment for my Children's Materials course) but really, I have to get to those next time. Dinner calls (tonight is minestrone (homemade - recipe from The Joy of Cooking), cornbread and salad) and I need to wake the sleeping babe (Alana: she's been staying up WAY too late (10:00) and then napping - a vicious (I mean it) cycle) - so those items are on the list for le next blog. I'll leave you with my February calendar page:

our across-the-street neighbours brought this over to us tonight apres dinner - it was AMAZING! love this neighbourhood!