girls and boys weekend...

Most women would probably be upset that their husband of soon to be 17 years would be away on Valentine's Day for a BOYS WEEKEND...but not me.....nope ...nadda...because my husband he is doing something that is so much more meaningful that buying me flowers, chocolates or jewelry (although I have never seen a Tiffany's box I wouldn't refuse!!)....anyways.......nope my husband is spending time with his boys....taking them skiing in New York State with their Uncle and cousins......a gift that cannot be matched..........Brian is so consumed with the everyday trials of work that getting away is exactly what all my boys need!... Katie and I will manage just fine back home....we are getting our pedicures today with some funky paint design, seeing the Tooth Fairy movie and going for dinner....tomorrow we hope to visit Nana and take her to church and then do some SHOPPING on Bayview Ave in Toronto in the afternoon....Monday the boys are back...and everything will be like it was yesterday!! Happy Valentines to all those sweetheart Dad's out there who understand what love really means!

recommendation for dog owners...

My puppy Kaycee is now 11 months old and it was only yesterday that I finally had a great walk with her....you see we did the puppy classes.. training her to sit, stay, and come...she can do a few tricks if a treat is involved...but she just wouldn't stop pulling when walking her....trying to get her to heel required me to pull on her leash about 50% of the walk.....I went to her doggie daycare yesterday completely frazzled with Kaycee that she was just not getting the "heel" command.....I was willing to fork out some more cash for some more obedience classes when the instructor at the daycare told me for $16 bucks he could get Kaycee to heel...skeptical on my part...he took off Kaycee's collar and put on a "gentle leader".....its a type of leash that wraps around the leather of the dogs snout.. just as a bridle is used on horses....it is unnatural for the dog to be pulled by the nose and therefore when walking with the leader they DO NOT PULL.....and just like that.....it worked....we had an extra long walk today and I no longer felt guilty pulling at Kaycee's neck......apparently a dog her size is still fairly strong and can easily pull a small child in a wagon ..so pulling at her neck while walking will not change her behavior .....who-da-thought.....so I am recommending this contraption to anyone who finds that walking your dog is more like a tug -a-war....just wish I had used it sooner.....live and learn........

a new furbaby....( thanks Janet for that term)

My aunt and uncle had to say goodbye to their beloved dog Maverick in October after a large cancerous tumour was found on his backside. I will never forget that day because my Aunt Maggie brought Maverick to my house on her way to the vet. She was hoping for the best but knew from her medical background that this wasn't going to turn out good. I gave Maverick his last treat and a good belly rub before she left. A few hours later my aunt Maggie called to say that "he was gone"...she put him down because his prognosis was only a few weeks to live. That night as she paced her hallway in tears .. she swore to me that she would NEVER get another dog again because the pain was so unbearable....until today.....my aunt and uncle brought home a beautiful Samoyed puppy named DAKOTA....they just couldn't take another day without a dog in their lives...they missed the jingle of the collar, the patter of the paws on the floor and a heartbeat to snuggle up too.....welcome home Dakota...

sometimes you just need to hear it..

Its my fault really...my little Katie..lets just say she is not so little....I am not being mean just factual...she has size 2 feet, is taller than all the other girls and most boys in Grade one and has a waist that is bigger than my 10 year olds..so when her teacher discreetly came to me yesterday suggesting that "Katie get some bigger clothes"...I was a little mortified until I saw Katie bending over in the playground with her panties and butt crack exposed. Dear lord,...my heart suddenly felt weak...my Katie is not small...she is not like the other petite little girls...the teasing has already started and now I must face that she has to get some bigger girl clothes. The worse part is shopping....have you seen the girls clothes...the XL is what the medium size was back when I was growing up..... and do they think that everyone can wear a skinny pant? This is a girl who is active and eats vegetables....in fact she is a way better eater than my middle "skinny" kid but the truth is she is not small. At the mall we headed to a few stores and she could see my frustration when the clothes were not fitting...the bigger waist size makes the pants way too long with the pockets in the wrong places...and..the bigger shirts make her look bigger..this kid is only 6 and she already is made to feel inadequate when shopping for clothes.......finally we headed to the GAP...almost in tears at that point we found a nice mom who worked there and has a daughter the exact age as Katie who also is "bigger"...she suggested the plus size jeans for kids....they give you the bigger waist without the longer length..so a size 8 fit her proportionately... I bought her some long shirts with ties at the bottom that can be worn with leggings and discovered that dresses work better on her than most pants. I try not to emphasize with my kids that the clothes make a person but they need to know that to look good is to feel good. I am just sorry that Katie cannot wear the average size clothes ..but then again ...who wants an average kid!

life....

As I mentioned, my oldest son will be 16 this year and the conversation of getting his driver's licence has come up more than once. Yesterday Justin understood why we don't take that decision lightly. Yesterday, a boy that went to his school only two years before got into his Volkswagen Jetta and drove his car into a tree killing himself, his best friend and critically injuring his other friend. The cause of the crash...excessive speeding on a rural road. It's sad that my boy has to deal with grief at such a young age considering that he already went to a funeral last year ( his friend's dad hung himself) and had to say goodbye to Sean who was killed at the end of grade eight in a boating accident. Life is tough...protecting our kids from the harsh reality of life is difficult. I just hope that he learns from this accident. RIP and prayers to those parents and family suffering.

just an observation....

How is it that I have my youngest still praying to lose her first tooth while she is still in grade one and my oldest submitting course selections for grade 11 making sure he keeps in mind the engineering requirements for university. Justin is dealing with his future and Katie is just dealing with day to day....There may be lesson to be learned....like in my next life...have my 3 kids in 3 years.......no wait...my girlfriend Liz did that....okay guess I just have to deal with the 9 year age difference!

Principal for the day

annoucements


P and the VP




hall duty


My six year old daughter Kaitlyn was awarded the esteemed privilege of earning the title and function as principal for the day at her school and today she reported for duty. She had participated in a planned meeting with the principal earlier in the month making important decisions about her day in charge including a no homework policy, the dress code would be pyjamas and she would give away two webkinz in a poster contest for the best drawing of her. She was also entitled to a McDonald's lunch and could choose a vice principal to help her during the day. As mother of the principal I volunteered to drop off lunch for my princess...I mean principal and her vice principal. Ms. Lomuto had promised a busy day with some mock issues so when I met Katie in the office at lunch it was no wonder she look exhausted. She complained that she had to do yard duty, take a phone call, deal with a disciplinary issue, and tell a teacher for a third time that morning that "NO" they couldn't get a raise. Wishing her well I told her I would see her at home time but thinking to myself that she may not make it to lunch recess!! Thank you to Ms. Lomuto for making her students apart of their school community and giving them a taste of the real world!