birthday boy...

So with the mouse caught and out of the way...we were able to restore order in our home in time for Justin's birthday party sleepover. Once his friends arrived and were all accounted for...( 2 didn't show up)....we headed over to our local bowling pit where I had a lane reserved for a few hours of glow in the dark fun..and rounds of pool. Leaving them to their own devices, Katie and I left. When we got to the car she was not amused...and told me that Justin's party sucks....why wouldn't her teenager brother want her at his party??!! I offered her some chocolate and told her that boys are strange ..which seemed to satisfy her. Picking up some now energized boys who just finished some friendly competition.. they needed food. At home ..Katie helped me make the pizza while I prepared the homemade fries and wings. Wolfing down the meal, between burps and stupid jokes they were ready for cake. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to light 14 candles and sparklers without burning one's hand. Rushing to the table in step with the Happy Birthday song...most of the candles blew out...the boys were laughing....I realized teenagers laugh at everything. Time to cut the cake..........umm frozen cake...frozen ice cream cake........nothing like getting the knife stuck in the cake 20 times before eventually serving the large slabs to the boys...who thanked me for their brick. At 10 o'clock I left them on the couch in the great room with cots and sleeping bags... the XBOX & Playstation ready to go...and a few midnight munchies. I headed to bed but woke up at 2am to the faint sounds of teenager laughter and noises from the game. At 6 am I heard the toilet flush...I woke up at 7am to check on them. The boys were sprawled out on the floor and couch from sugar and video game fatigue. The empty bags of chips and bottles of pop surrounding them. I thought of waking them up for breakfast but am rethinking I may make them lunch instead...it looks like they may have pulled an all nighter! BOYS...TEENAGE BOYS...HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUSTIN!

UPDATE: Managed to wake the crew convincing them to get outside for some tobogganing fun.

bad timing...

Talk about bad timing.....within an hour of Brian leaving for Ohio....I see it as I walk through my front door.....running across the kitchen floor....EWWW!...and under my fridge.....A FRIGGIN MOUSE.........the hunter is away and now they come out to play....just my luck.....I have been a nervous wreck all day...in fact I left the house for 6 hours after setting up 14 billion traps by the fridge, along the island floor, near the registers and dishwasher.......but no luck...came home to my spring loaded traps still set and no mouse.....so now I am off to bed soon with one eye open hoping to hear the infamous snap in the middle of the night....thankfully Jamie is not afraid and has graciously volunteered to dispose of the vermin once caught......I just hope it happens before tomorrow night, when the herd of teenagers come through my door with stinky feet, pizza boxes and sleeping bags....they just may get a surprise in the night!..I was thinking of a fun " catch the mouse" birthday game may be in order with a generous loot bag for reward!....damn I hate mice, damn I hate country living....well for today anyways!

Uncle Tony.....Pavarotti spoof

We got the call on Tuesday from our Ohio relatives that Uncle Tony passed away in his sleep...shocking news as he was only 68 years old and relatively healthy. Fortunately he came to my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary party this June and we were able to spend a weekend with him and have many pictures and video reminding us of all the good times. I am posting a funny spoof from the party..Uncle Tony is the man on the right with glasses. The gentleman in the middle is Peter Marino who is a well known performer in Atlantic City and Vegas. Rest in peace Uncle Tony.



spoof from Camille on Vimeo.

Katie and her pool...

Have you ever met a kid that actually begs their parents FOR SWIMMING LESSONS....well meet KATIE....a stange child indeed....I think she is part mermaid......seeing all this snow has really got her grumpy about accepting the fact that our pool is closed till May.....she is cursing the snow.....hoping for spring...until yesterday ...I found an indoor SALTWATER pool ( cuz my poor child has never had to endure chlorine)....that runs lessons in the winter.....Katie goes for her assessment tomorrow ...no she has never stepped foot in a public pool for lessons.......yes bad mother over here but the kid started swimming in our jacuzzi bathtub at 18 months...she's a natural....so why would she need lessons....until now...cuz the kid is asking for them...nothing like having a 5 year old make your decisions....she told the instructor she wants to race other kids....this should get interesting....but for now ...we are looking out the window at the new fallen snow and telling the pool to hold on...its going to be a long winter before Ms. Katie is back.

snow and deer tracks...

Living on a large piece of land surrounded by farmers fields can lead to strange meetings.I was washing dishes looking out my window the other day when I saw a 4X4 truck pulling a trailer with an ATV heading out behind my property. I decided to get my jacket and boots on curious to see where this vehicle was going and why. The property outback is 85 acres in size with an old abandoned railway trail, ravine and forest which is home to a large population of wildlife. Technically it is still part of my lot that was originally part of a 200 acre land grant that was given to David Willson, a Vermont Quaker who came to town in 1802.....and although the land was severed years ago now being owned by a prospective buyer who leases the land to Farmer Don ..I still felt I needed to check out these characters trespassing on the land. Running back about 3 acres I saw them....as I approached the truck...they were pulling gear out of the pickup...hunters dressed in camouflage from head to toe suiting up with bow and arrow in hand on the look out for deer. I frantically waved my arms making human noise...hoping I wouldn't be their target and suddenly thinking how stupid I was to put myself in danger. It turns out Farmer Don had given these two permission to legally hunt. The deer have been wrecking his crops and wants them to be hunted to help control the deer population. Before turning away, I pleaded with the hunters to leave the mama deer alone... (I am sure looking like a total PETA nut in the process) ...but the cranky old hunter grunted at me that he was only looking for the stag......and although it didn't make me feel any better ..at least I knew the mama deer would be saved.........heading back to my house.....I saw her tracks in the snow..the same tracks she had made only the morning before when she was beside my fence hiding in the brush looking for food.........I only hope she will outsmart those two old farts and hide out till spring and tell the stag to be on the look out.

just because...

I guess with the invention of facebook, instant message, and email...hand written cards and letters are obsolete....when do you really remember the last time you received such an unexpected surprise in the post box?....nowadays only bills with nasty reminders of arrears can be found.....the kids are always puzzled to why I don't frequent the mailbox on a daily basis....kids are always anxious of the unknown....not me...my simple reply...there is nothing in that box that can't wait till tomorrow or next week.....but to my surprise......I found it........a perfectly square handwritten envelope...crisp white with a postmark addressed to me.....return address of a wonderful friend and understanding mother... who took the time to send me such a card.....and no it wasn't the card I have been waiting for........it was a "just because" card....it said that right on the front......a wonderful note letting me know that someone was thinking of me........and even though it probably took her less than a few minutes of constructive organization to get that card to me.....I spent the rest of the day and today thinking about how nice it was to receive such a personal card. Thank you Vern....you have no idea how much I needed that card.....just because!..

town hall meeting....

Last night I had the privilege of getting together with my rural neighbours while attending a meeting about the urban development and upcoming road changes to my area that is being projected over the next 25 years. We are a community fortunate enough to live close to urban development but having property nestled within farmers fields and wildlife. The surrounding towns want apart of our untouched community and therefore road work and budgets are planned which will greatly impact our rural living. We were a strong force to be reckoned with last night with over 40 people showing up representing a 2km stretch of road hoping to maintain the status quo and stalling the future changes. I meet old man Tom, an 86 year old senior that was born in his home and has lived in this community all his life...in fact his picture was on the wall in the room of that town hall where our meeting took place. His young picture smiling back at us representing himself as the first legion member and community organizer. Farmer Don spoke about attending school in the one room brick house beside mine and travelling with his school mates out back throwing sticks into the ravine and chasing the girls on his tractor. Others spoke about the numerous wildlife sightings waking up to deer in their yard and falling asleep to the sounds of howling coyotes. One lady spoke with emotion as she retold her story about her families farming business and how she woke up at the crack of dawn to help her daddy harvest. This community I moved into is not just a place where I live...this community has a past...a history with faces and I can greatly empathize with their resistance to change...letting go of the past is saying goodbye and they are not ready to forget. We came away from the meeting feeling someone vindicated that our stories were heard but knowing that final decisions are made by the bureaucrats. My community will change over the next 25 years but the people that started it will be known to all those who come into my home when I share their stories of the past never forgetting how I was so fortunate to be apart of it.

forts and frost..

I woke up in the night to the sound of ice pellets hitting my bedroom window...another hour passed and the snow trucks were out clearing our concession road..the snow had arrived and by morning the kids were eager to play in it..out the door my 9:30am building forts to stage their massive snowball showdown ..after some drama with a winner and a loser......they surrendered together and built a Jack Frost snowman.

kicking and screaming...

Can you tell that Justin is gritting his teeth for the camera?...Suddenly I have a child who flatly refuses to get a photo with Santa...a cherished family tradition being compromised by a teenager!!......not so fast kid.....you owe me this...I am your mother.....but the protesting started and didn't stop until I bribed him with an ice cream... reminds me of when he was two ........so before he changed his mind ....I threw the kids in line being on look-out for any known friends that may see Justin...told the photographer to make it snappy...only one photo please....and Santa to skip the questions......2 seconds of embarrassment......marked in history with a photo....thanks kid...
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Careen on the brain..

This past week....I have had Careen....(a longtime grade school friend)....on the brain ...........you see I found her on facebook this year after losing contact with her 15 years ago.....after chatting back and forth....
I learned that she was getting married in June.....in an instant...I knew I had to fly out to Winnipeg and surprise her on such a special day....she stood by me as a bridesmaid on my day and I was determined to be there for her......arriving in Winnipeg...I had planned to see her before she walked down the aisle hoping not to distract her from her big day... but things don't always work out as expected and at that moment instead of looking down the aisle to see her groom....she saw me.......she looked exactly the same....vibrant and beautiful...not a day older than I remembered her.......the urge to run up and hug her was resisted knowing at that very moment it would have been inappropiate... .imagine her groom wondering who the crazy lady was attacking his soon to be wife....lol.....hey it could have been worse...I could have been a long lost boyfriend.......so I watched the service through my teary eyes anxiously awaiting for the kiss so I could grab her for myself...reuniting with my long lost friend.....we spent our precious hours together chatting and laughing before I had to fly out the next day....catching up on the past but realizing that we were still the same .......we both were older and coincidentally each had three kids but our time lost was forgotten as we talked on her couch sometimes not really saying anything at all.......we met in grade school...she lived in the same housing complex as me...together we tackled the big bad world while our single mother's tried to cut out a life for us girl's.......we understood each other and our sisterhood.......so when she facebooked me the other day letting me know that a thank you card was in the mail....I headed out to the superbox down the street....I was running late for Katie's gymnastics but having Careen on the brain...checked the mail....out of the corner of my eye...I noticed a landscaper riding his lawn mower tackling a steep hill...heading back to the truck I checked the rearview mirror to turn around when I saw the kid ( only he was like 23...but that's a kid to me) lying on the ground with the heavy machine on top of him...I high tailed it out of the truck...realizing that this kid was bleeding and his arm was stuck under the machine...greatly aware of the gas and oil spilling out of the tractor...I helped him get his arm out....I knew at that point he needed medical attention and wondering if Careen was with me in that moment being a nurse and my intention was to get her card....so I told him to tie his shirt around his head before finding his supervisor who was working down the street....now if you know me I don't do well with blood...but fainting was not an option at this point.......thankfully I found the supervisor and he took over....later in the day I passed by the superbox seeing the tractor still turned over and reminding myself what happened that day...that kid was lucky and wondering if it was fate that I was there at that exact moment.....the next day...I checked the super box again since I still hadn't received the card...and the kid was back ..this time with a new machine and a helmet...he thanked me for my help and all I could do was smile knowing that Careen was there with me......my timing was spot on ...now if the mailman could deliver my card....this story could truly have a happy ending.........

reminiscing

Yesterday I found myself playing in the park with my daughter Katie....2 years ago when we lived in a subdivision...this was a daily ritual apart of our lives just as taking a bath or brushing our teeth.....so when we ended up in our old subdivision park...a flood of memories came back to a time not so long ago...........I thought of the MARCUZ family and remembering what seemed like a lifetime of hours we spent together at the park...passing the time with the kids ..playing referee .. making sure everyone took turns on the swings and slide and spinning our kids till they were sick on the merry go round..... we enjoyed being with our kids while getting some adult conversation and laughs in at the same time.....never fail we could head to the park passing the MARCUZ house and see Liz in the midst of chaos in front of her house.......a litter of monster trucks and juice splatter on the sidewalk and boys whizzing by on their bikes doing tricks and jumps as if they were professional daredevils....she welcomed a break to head to the park...you see she had 3 boys in 3 years.....god love her...and together we had 6 rambunctious kids all under the age of 11. I miss those days...call me crazy...but it was a great time. I took a few pictures yesterday before walking Katie over to our old house stopping in front of what once was the MARCUZ house.....the silence on the street made me miss them more......people really make a home ....and since we have both moved out of the area within months of each other........the subdivision and that park is just not the same anymore...miss you guys....

some- days....

some days being a parent is just downright difficult ..and a parent of a teenager makes life that more challenging....discipline tactics that worked in the past no longer have an effect and suddenly you are at a loss of what to do................we received an email yesterday from Justin's teacher about his disrespectful behavior as of late in her geography class.....to say that I was upset is an understatement but I was not the least bit surprised.....his mood swings and mouthy behavior have been rearing its ugly head at home too....... but when teachers are now on the receiving end...things have to change....frustrated...I grabbed Justin after school in front of his friends and walked him into the principal's office demanding to see his teacher.....the look of panic on Justin's face made me sad but I knew I had to stand my ground letting him know that his behavior was unacceptable...he knows that he is lucky to go to a highly respected private school and can be thrown out at any point so his behavior is of extreme importance along with good marks.........humiliated and red faced...he apologized to his teacher before running to the car.....when I caught up to him...he was crying..and didn't stop the entire ride home...pulling into the driveway....he ran up to his room, crawling into bed and eventually falling asleep from emotional exhaustion....at dinnertime I woke him up to do his homework and I could see he was deeply hurt.....although my heart ached for him...I knew that sometimes in life you have to stand against your child to really fight for them.....he is grounded for the week with the ACDC tickets being held in limbo in hopes that his attitude will change....I am feeling like a bad parent today and guilty that I was so tough on him...but I am hoping that he will get my message....I love him enough to help him become the best he can be in life.....to most I am sure it may appear that I over-reacted but I am just trying to prevent a slippery slope of worse things to come......sometimes I just wish he was a toddler again...I miss that Justin.........

Halloween fright...

Halloween this year was weird.......maybe it was because it was a Friday night and everyone was out partying...or the recession has kicked in big time... ...because only every 10th house was giving out candy...seriously it was "frightening"...how little effort was made this year by neighbours.......we saw few houses decorated and less giving out candy..it was kinda strange.........but in saying that we still managed to score many pounds of candy and came home after an hour and half. The kids have been filling their bellies all weekend...no cooking for me...and when they get sick of the candy which is usually by the fourth day...I throw the rest out.....yep I have lived by that rule for years and it works...instead of sanctioning candy daily until Christmas...I get rid of it in days.....here's some pictures...notice Flat made his appearance too...hope everyone had a happy Halloween.