R.I.P.........

...PED OUT!!!!!





Well, not the most becoming pictures of our kitchen as we know it, but we did want to capture the "Before" and "In Between" shots before everything came tumbling down.

Hubby was here to supervise or "help"; they tried salvaging for Restore, but it got too difficult, and the cabinets are almost 20 years old anyway, more than past their prime. Ian loves this stuff; a great time for me to visit with one of my new nieces for the day as well.

There's no turning back now! But you know what? I am so pumped about this ... a brand spankin' new kitchen is on its way! When we were first married I loved to cook, all the time, trying out new recipes. My coworkers were always wondering what leftovers I would bring for lunch the next day! But since we've had kids, it's been tough to be creative, I tend to stick to a lot of the staples (ie. things THEY will eat). It's not the same as being able to crack open a bottle of wine, turn on some soothing Diana Krall, and leisurely cook up a lovely candlelit dinner. No cooking for the next few weeks, which doesn't sound so bad about now. We're hoping that a new kitchen will inspire me.

And I don't have to be here for a lot of it! Kids are the best excuse to vacate a construction site. Whoot!!

BFF's Part Deux

In all the baby excitement of this past week, I didn't get an opportunity to post about another exciting event - meeting up with two of my Blog Friends, the mommanista and Curiosity Killer! It was a great girls' lunch date - would have been better if other buddies (both blog and in person gal pals) Dina and Danielle and blogsister Chrissy could have made it too. But Chrissy's a bit far on the Island, and the others have one-year olds, which can be a challenge at lunch time. I brought along my rugrats, who were fairly well-behaved. For Liam, have Nintendo DS, will travel; little G was napping at first, then woke up but didn't eat anything except her requisite milk. CK spoiled us with the lovely biscuits she brought all the way over from Hong Kong.

I feel like I've known these girls forever even though it's only this year that we've been communicating through blogging; ironically through cyberspace, certain walls come down and I feel compelled to share things that in real-time would likely take years to divulge. It was a bit of a challenge to explain to Liam who these ladies were and how it was that I met them through blogging. I'm trying to be so careful these days with him because he is at the age where he's interested in e:mailing and playing online games. And I don't want him getting into the whole "chatroom" phenomenon. But then, I had already met girlfriends in these ladies' network on "mommydates" so I felt they weren't exactly strangers.

I suppose I've always had an interest in meeting other people through the written word. When I was in 6th grade, I started writing to penpals, and at one point had about a dozen of them. I had a few in England, a few in the U.S. and western Canada, Japan (always got the cutest stationary from them, and was first exposed to Hello Kitty way back then); a couple in South America. I corresponded with my very first penpal until we were in our late teens. I always thought it would be neat to meet a penpal and actually did the one time when I was 16. It was a fellow from the UK who was visiting friends in Toronto - he was about 19, and my parents were nice enough to have him over for dinner. It was the first I'd ever seen anyone drink a WARM beer. He was nice enough, but we sort of lost touch after that visit. The one penpal I regret not meeting in person was a fellow from Sao Paolo, Brazil. I remember he sent me a really pretty bracelet, and I almost flipped when he sent me his photo. He was over-the-moon cute, and at around 14 years of age, that was a major priority for me.

But gal-pals are definitely safer. The mommanista and I had already had a shopping date back in spring with our little girls (fantastic; she is an amazing shopper!). CK is a pal all the way from Hong Kong; who according to Liam "didn't have any accent - her English is pretty good Mom!". He didn't realize that CK pretty much grew up in Toronto and NYC! It was so nice to get together face to face, have some laughs and get to know each other better in person.

So, I was a good girl and brought my camera - but in my haste left the memory card at home! Not as professional as my friends who had their blogging hardware handy. Photos were of course taken, by my budding photographer L-boy - so I'll have to rely on my BFF's to blog on their spaces so I can link-ya over there for the proof!

* Blog Friends Forever

The Great Eight Meme

I was tagged by lovely Chrissy from Life on Manitoulin . This is easy because it's all about ME!

The rules:
1. Let others know who tagged you.
2. Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.
3. Those who are tagged should post these rules and write their 8 random facts. 4. Players should tag 8 other people and notify them that they have been tagged.



Here's my Crazy Eight:

1. I met my husband while working at a brewery as a student. I was dating 3 other guys at the brewery at the time (hussy, hussy, I know, but the ratio is pretty good for women in the brewing industry).

2. I like to drink. Alcohol. We're not talking boozing-before-noon-desperate-housewife drinking, but I love a nice glass of wine (red or white) with dinner or at a party; am partial to martinis, every and all (vodka, fruitie concoctions, chocolate; pomtinis are my latest obsession.). Oh, and beer, especially on a really hot day, or with oysters. So you guessed it…everyone knew almost to the day when I was pregnant!

3. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Sciences and I’m a junk food junkie. I also got my MBA thirteen years later and swear by the “Grandmother’s cash in the mattress” school of investment. Well, I’m not that bad, but my husband does call me the reluctant MBA. If I spent my blogging time as an online trader instead, we’d be filthy rich… or dirt poor. Actually, I made some fantastic lifelong friends in my program – we still get together a few times a year. Most other groups don’t speak to each other anymore.

4. I love to dance, and have done since I was little. First ballet (I studied at the National Ballet School from 5 – 6 years of age) through elementary school; then in high school and university enjoyed jazz dance. Nowadays I get my musical fix through hip-hop cardio class, but I’m thinking of taking up ballet again … maybe as I get closer to 50.

5. I snowmobiled for the first time in my life last August on a glacier in Iceland. Although I thought I would lose my leg when I leaned over too far during one particular turn, I would do it again in a heartbeat. What a rush!

6. I’m pretty quiet and reserved in person. When I was younger people thought I was just a total snooty bee-atch. But I’m not… really, I’m not. As I get older, I suppose (or hope) it comes across as more "wise", which is probably a good thing.

7. Like Chrissy, I can cry at the drop of a hat, usually to some really sentimental song or commercial on TV. I used to bawl during every episode of “Little House on the Prairie”; once on an overseas flight for work I was crying my eyes out during “Moulin Rouge”. And then I’d be laughing hysterically the next minute. My associate was really worried about me. Always nice to see your manager acting manic!

8. Rock/pop music concerts are now officially my husband and my “couple thing”. We used to go to quite a few when we were dating, but not so much once we got married. But we’ve seen some great ones since we’ve become parents of two; Duran Duran, Feist, John Mayer … now we’ve got tickets to see Rush in September, and are thinking about seeing the Cure. It’s so important to connect on that level as a couple. Actually, our taste in music was one of the first connections we really had. However, we’ve yet to be “Dora’d” or “Wiggle’d” in concert for the kids’ sake. Really don’t want to go there unless we absolutely have to!

So, I don't know 8 others who haven't ALREADY been tagged. So if you haven't been and want to play, consider yourself "IT"!

Double the fun; an Auntie AGAIN!!!

Yes, believe it or not, another little girl in the family, less than 24 hours after the first baby cousin! My baby brother's wife went into labour last night after visiting my sister, and their baby was born this morning just before noon! She's a little smaller, and looks a lot like my brother when he was born (but then a lot of babies look like that!).

Unbelievable! Grandkids doubled in number overnight for my folks. They're all over the city now (sister's downtown, brother's uptown), but loving it. Of course my mom is probably going to be slaving away over the stove for the next little while. Her and her Chinese soups; both my sister and sister-in-law have strict orders to finish every thermos of soup that she brings to them in hospital. I think it's great though - probably much easier to digest and tastier than hospital food.

Perfect timing for my baby fix as Giselle is growing up oh-so-fast! We ain't having any more kidlets, so being an Auntie to two newborns is just fine by me!

It's fun to be an Aunt

My sister gave birth to the cutest little baby girl today - she is so perfectly formed and a very nice size - 8 lb 12 oz. Wow, 6 oz heavier than Giselle, so there's a new family record there! She's got the most gorgeous thick hair, with flecks of blonde in it. She's a beauty!

We went down to hospital to see her tonight. My sister looked tired but sooooo happy. And my brother-in-law was beaming ear-to-ear. His little girl fit so perfectly in the crook of his arm. He's just in awe - swears that her look changed even in the 6 short hours since she'd been born! Parents of newborns are just full of awe and wonder... probably mixed with a bit of shock too!

My kids were happy to see the baby but also a bit unsure as to really how to react - the baby is just so little to them. Giselle was a bit afraid to touch her, and was concerned when I stroked the baby's cheek "mommy, don't touch her she'll wake!" Already she's protective!

I'd rather be blogging...

How did this...

Fit into this...

Argghhhhh! I'm cleaning out the kitchen cupboards which are to be ripped out with great gusto on July 30 (or thereabouts). So I've got to do this about 10 more times before the week is out. These are just the shelves of colouring books and arts and crafts. We haven't hit the 2 year old cereal boxes or 1000 year old hermetically sealed jars of Chinese preserves yet.

We're the "House of Expired Goods" junior. My parents' house was the first given that distinguished honour. When they downsized and stayed with us for a few weeks, some bottles of 3 year old salad dressing somehow made it from their fridge to ours. (Believe you me, vinagraitte doesn't age as well as wine).

Starting to get stressed about the reno that's coming up FAST! Breathe, just breathe...

Why bees need to be comfy

Gardening 101

Yesterday was a simply gorgeous day out. Perfect for a soccer match first thing (Liam's team lost, but it was a valiant effort). Liam scored big time after the game with an impromptu playdate at his schoolmate's house. Yeah, he was fraternizing with the opposing team. I bet the boys were making arrangements on the field. Bonus was that his buddy has a Nintendo Wii.

Then I decided to hit my fave Bodyjam class with the awesome TJ, fab instructor, he's cute as a button, keeps me in stitches with his witty quips about clubbing, "Will you ring my bell? Throw that ponytail in the air, holla backgirl !!!!" We were moving to some James Brown, music more vintage than me, even! But classic. Gotta take a video sometime and post it here - it's killer fun. And it's where I've discovered my flat ass can be shaken like a booty; sort of.

So back to Saturday. I took girlie G with me, as she doesn't mind the childminding at the gym. And Dad got some quality time with his garden.

I'm the black thumb. Ian's the green, and he loves to be out there with his plants. A great day for him is going to the nursery, picking up some nice plants and setting them up in the garden. Accompanied by some tunes blaring from the minivan, and some brews. He was on his own, and he loved it. Dads need their quiet time too. And in his words "instant gratification".

When we got home after picking up Liam, Ian was happy to show us his handiwork. There's a patch that has been notoriously bad for any plant/bush we've had in the 7 years we've been here. He decided to dig it out, fill it with new soil, planted a lovely black-eyed Susan. We'll keep our fingers crossed that this will work.

Giselle was paying attention to her Dad's description. I'm trying to figure out how to put the video on here of her soliloquy (my files are too big and I'm soooo not a techie). So here's a photo of the two of them in the garden anyway...

BFF's *

We've been home for a week now and after listening to little G wake up every day pining and whining for her best buddy Abby, we finally got our schedules in sync and today were able to connect with Abby, her brother Ethan and their mommy, one of my best new gal pals "Bec".

I've always been on the shy side, especially as a kid, and considered myself very reserved. Ian has always encouraged me to make new friends, and I've found since I've been at home, that there's this whole network that's opened up to me via my children. I'm now a social monster/whore. Well, not so bad, but Abby and Giselle hit it off right away when they were in the same program last September, and through almost weekly playdates Bec and I have also become pretty good friends. Here's a shot of the girls doing the bunny hop on the last day of their spring program.


Bec's doesn't mind the verbal diarrheal onslaught that hits her when we get together after not seeing each other for a while. I call it "catching up" although it's more likely the result of lack of true adult conversation. But she gets it, and she really gets me. It's amazing the connection we've made in a very short time. The fact that the little girls' big brothers also hit it off instantaneously was a bonus.

So today's playdate was a major success. The girls were together for pretty much the whole time (it was a marathon date, from lunch until after 7:30 - summer is totally messing up everyone's routine). Painting, playing in the toy kitchen, playing with play doh, chasing each other, tossing the Backyardigan dolls at each other, bossing each other around. They really only had 2 spats in the whole time. They had so much fun, both ended up in their PJ's and passed out ...


And the boys, well they were playing Lego Star Wars on PS2 for most of the day, with a break for lunch, and a Jedi light sabre battle in the dark basement.


Becs and I were able to have a great visit, a lot of coffee and tea talk, checking in on the kids every so often to see if they were screaming with fun or in pain (luckily it was always the former). Pigging out on pizza, Timbits and popcorn (we save the nutritious stuff for the kids). Looking forward to more fun playdates this summer. We're hoping to pull the Dads into the circle very soon as all indicators are that they'll hit it off too.

(*Best Friends Forever)

Throwback Thursdays # 3 - Summer Vacation

Pinks and Blues girls have got me hooked on this weekly tradition! Only they have been able to convince me to go back down memory lane and revisit some pretty bad hair days.

Here are me, my sister and our surrogate littlest sister Cecilia, who is actually now our baby brother's godsister. Her mom and ours are best friends from the time my sister was born (they met when my mom went to hospital; Cecilia's mom was there at the birth). She is a fair bit younger than us, but was so mature and fun from the time she was born, she was, and continues to be, just like our baby sister. Our shorts even match!
Not that she's a baby anymore, she's a successful psychologist down in Texas now, but continues to be as cute as a button. (I hope you're reading Cecilia - this is but one of the sweet photos we have of you as a kiddie!)



This is us at the CNE Garden centre - don't we look so hot and uncomfortable? Oh the lovely Canadian National Exhibition - bittersweet because it's always held the two weeks just before the end of summer and the beginning of school. I think it's so cute that our baby bro is so tiny between us, even on the step! And remember what I said about matching outfits - I guess I forgot about these unfortunate ones. I'm glad I finally grew into my legs - aren't they ridiculous?!



I love this shot, I think I was about 15, and baby bro about 3. He was always hamming it up for the camera and had about a thousand pairs of overalls. He did look so cute in them though. This was just before we took a cruise through the Thousand Islands on our way home from our annual Montreal trip one year. It's so funny how I'm always carrying a purse! And this confirms where my son's potential bow-legs come from.

The Anti-Owner Radio

The hubster decided to bring out more of the Germanic genes from his little girl on Sunday, so after dinner he let her help him wipe down his car windows. I know from a reliable source and a study conducted with my former boss (n=2, so statistically sound results) that Germans have a thing about their cars and washing them. On a Sunday. All that was missing was sauerkraut.

But I shouldn't complain, as they eventually got around to my minivan. Ian pulled out the shop vac and started to attack my vehicle with a vengeance. I was in there re-installing the carseat that we'd taken to Vancouver. I couldn't stand the rough treatment so I decided to vacuum it myself, as Giselle climbed in to wipe down the dashboard dust with an even dirtier cloth. Both vehicles were in tip top shape, mine at least on the inside as we went in for the evening.

Yesterday was a nothing day; I decided to let Liam play with his friends while I puttered around the house a bit, did some vacuuming, finished up the laundry, dishes, surfed the net, blogged in between. I did have some stuff to get at Walmart, but it's so much easier to do without the kids that I decided to wait until after dinner to go out on my own.

As 9 PM rolls around I decide I better go out; hop in the van, turn ignition and NOTHING. Battery dead. As a doornail. I'm annoyed. Ian suggests that I call CAA in the morning and get them to charge it. I say, "no, I need my stuff tonight; besides, we can just charge it with your car". I didn't want to be stuck without a car (although technically I already had been, as the car's battery drained throughout the day). I took his car out for my errands, and when I got home, he hooked the cars up and left the van on the driveway running for me. I thought it was a good idea to take it out for a spin on the highway for a bit, to give the battery more of a charge. Ian suggested I pop by Tim's to get a coffee or tea, and have a leisurely drive. What a great idea!

So excited to have some time with me, myself and I, in the car, with some tunes.... hey, why is my Maroon 5 CD hanging out, and why won't it let me push it back in? What is this four letter word "CODE" flashing at me? I try to turn on the radio - also a no-go. Hurriedly I pull out the owners manual, look in the index and see "radio, anti-theft system". Turning to the page I read ..." state of the art anti-theft system ... blah, blah... should have received a card with the serial number of your radio and the 4-digit code, should your battery ever be disconnected from your radio, blah,blah... If you lose your card, just phone the dealer with the serial number of the radio and you can get your code..."

Oh, other four-letter word.

Couldn't find the card, don't know if we ever had one. It was Ian's company car so we bought it from the leasing company. Uh, and how are you supposed to get the serial number of the INSTALLED radio?!Fat chance of doing anything about it at night.

So for my troubles, I figured I deserved a chocolate-glazed donut along with my coffee. Driving along the highway with the lovely evening in front of my windshield, not a whisper other than the smooth hum of engine, I felt a zen-like quality permeating from within.

Well, thank goodness for Google. Turns out there are message boards galore and hundreds of other disgruntled Honda owners who've experienced the same problem. Advice and experiences ranged from "the dealer will take your radio out for $100, then they'll give you the code" to "check your ashtray, under the trunk, in the fuse box, glove compartment etc... ". Some people have been without a radio/ music for months (well, that's a bit much) but what a headache! I spent a good part of the evening doing my research, found the number and tried it this morning. Eureka, it worked! What a great criminal mind!

Pretty thoughtful of Honda to install such an effective anti-theft device for any owner who wants to steal their own sound system.

A Day with the spawn of Mr. Science

Being the good mother that I am, I always try to inject something educational into our family trips. This time last week was the day that I scheduled for a visit to Science World while we were in Vancouver. Now the older male in this household was given the moniker "Mr. Science" by my girlfriend's daughter years ago when she was about Giselle's age. He's always loved science, probably could have been a doctor the way he retains medical facts and information, but probably also a teacher/professor in his ability to explain at different levels. Yeah, I'm basically a science geek too, but he's at an upper echelon. During our prenatal clases when I was pregnant with Liam, he answered so many questions posed by the nurse that she thought he was a doctor; he only wanted to hurry the class along. So a visit to Science World for his kids was certainly in order.

The journey last Monday was our big adventure solo, sans the working father. A day for Mom to take the kids through downtown on her own, to the ferry for a quick trip across the bay to the shiny dome of fun. And then hopefully back downtown via the skytrain. That's as "survivor" as I get.

Being directionally challenged, we still managed to make our way from the hotel to the ferry dock in about 10 minutes. Not without some angst along the way courtesy of Liam, who for some reason just doesn't trust his mother's navigational instincts. He was the keeper of the map, as he didn't want me to lose it. Now with all the construction going on around the harbour and the detours on the seawall, it wasn't surprising that it looked a little deserted at the dock. It was also a Monday morning, so it was quiet for the ferries (aquataxis, really). Despite Liam's reservations, we managed to get onto the ferry for our 3 minute ride - he was so relieved he had to rough-house his sister:
We made it! In front of the attraction, and then inside going up the ramp:


The one thing that I loved about this place was that all the activities were contained and situated such that I could see both kids at the same time. When they're almost 5 years apart in age, it's only natural that they don't want to hang out at the same exhibits. So in contrast with the sprawling Ontario Science Centre, I was able to enjoy the time without wishing I had eyes at the back of my head.

Here's my hero hippo lifting:

And my psychedelic tot dancing to "Hot Stuff" (we were in there for at least half an hour):

After a not-at-all bad lunch at the in-house White Spot restaurant (they're all over Vancouver); little miss passed out so her brother and I spent the rest of the afternoon checking out the Grossology exhibit:

An afternoon about burping, farting, snot, belching, body odour, bad breath and a lot of other lovely things that come from one's body. Liam even stuck his nose into this pipe to try to identify what body part that particular bacteria smell came from. Smart boy - he identified the anus in half a second. Too bad his Dad was at work or he could have shown his son a thing or two.

Liam was in heaven. I even bought him a $6 jar of farting goo as a souvenir. Hey, all in the interest of my child's education!

Happy Happy Joy Joy!!!!

Excuse me while I REJOICE! Giselle ate half a hamburger and 3 pieces of BROCCOLI tonight! Of her own accord. No major persuasion needed. I almost passed out with exhileration. I know her Dad's burgers are out of this world, but I didn't think she would try them until she hit her teenage years.

The magic trick was of all things, coloured toothpicks. I decided to chop up the burger and make a little game of it, so she could pick each one up like an hors d'oeuvre. And while I was at it, I poked a couple pieces of broccoli "trees". In they popped into her mouth too. BINGO!! When she cleaned her plate she said "thank you mommy for the dinner" right after her brother excused himself from the table. She beamed as she told us she's a big girl and growing bigger and bigger and bigger.

Let's keep our fingers crossed that this is the turning point I've been waiting over a year for. Thanks for indulging a major mommy moment.

5 loads of laundry and a movie review

I always overpack for vacation. And now that I'm a mother to a 2 year old cutie pie toddler who is as girlie as her Mom, I overpack for the both of us, and her brother who doesn't care in the least, but I must be equitable. The Dad is only too happy to wear the same golf shirt and shorts all week long. But honestly, if you're going out to Vancouver, where the weather can start out with a brisk spring morning, morph into a sunny, windy and beautiful afternoon and finish with a touch of evening chill from the mountains, a girl's gotta have an outfit for all these occasions. I was actually quite proud of myself this time - wore everything in my suitcase at least the once, with the exception of my running shoes and workout gear (who was I kidding - there was zero time to hit the gym).

Now I'm stuck with all this laundry. So while I adjust to the 3-hour time difference and clear out the suitcases, I thought I would provide some commentary on a movie that I managed to watch, almost uninterrupted, on the airplane. With the wonders of the portable DVD players that managed to keep Liam Pokeman'd and Giselle Care Bear-fixated, I was able to enjoy a small movie that I remember coming out briefly this past spring that I had no interest in whatsoever. I attribute that to weird marketing, as I think the makers of that movie were trying to make it something that it wasn't, and missed the mark on who would have enjoyed it. Namely people like me.

The movie was "In the Land of Women". Strange title, with the headliner being former OC star Adam Brody (the cute, funny guy), and the cast of women including Meg Ryan (I had no idea she was in this); Kristen Stewart (anger ridden, teenager with a passion for art); Olympia Dukakis (the demented grandma). The trailer made it look like a coming of age, teen love story between the male lead and the younger teenage star. So when the film came out I gave it a pass. Likely wouldn't have even considered it for a DVD rental.

Watching it yesterday, I discovered that it was about human relationships, between mother and daughter, between grandson and grandmother, different types of love and just life itself. It was a lovely drama, with some excellent dialogue, subdued performances, and just enough quirky humour to keep it from being totally melodramatic.

Adam Brody played Carter Webb, a soft-porn writer who has just been dumped by his gorgeous actress girlfriend and needs a change of scenery. He visits his mom (JoBeth Williams, who still looks great) who's worried about grandma in Michigan, who thinks she's dying every day. Carter decides to visit his grandmother, stay with her for a while to get away from the LA scene and make plans for her care.

While he's there he develops relationships with the neighbours across the street, the lonely suburban housewife (Meg Ryan), her angry daughter (Kristen Stewart) and the precocious little sister. The father is absent most of the time; Carter learns that he really is a good listener, and life does go on after you've been dumped. I was most impressed with Adam Brody's performance, and Meg Ryan's. It was a refreshing change to see her in a more subtle role, a role of a mother dealing with a crisis, looking at her life and being more than a bit disappointed, longing for more even though, as she described it herself, her life seems picture perfect. I thought it was one of her best performances, and I didn't even let her plastic lips distract me once during the whole movie.

A movie that actually made me cry at times. It did plod in spots, and it's not an Oscar contender by any means, but a nice small movie which was not the teen screen fare I was expecting. A happy ending in a movie that was a pleasant surprise; a lovely way to finish off the family summer vacation.

We're Baaaaack!

Wow, so that was a wonderful week of family vacation. It's 11:15 PM local time but the whole household is awake. We're still on Vancouver time, in Vancouver mode.

Every time we go there we talk about how great it would be to live out there. Maybe someday. We really lucked out with the weather, sunny every day, most days hovered around 29 deg. C, but with the lovely winds it was gorgeous. You could breathe!

When we landed at Pearson, picked up our bags and made our way to the taxi, Giselle yelled out "I want to go to the hotel!". I guess that's what you get when you do a tour of 3 Starwood properties in one city all in one week! Expensive, but we don't get out there very often.

At least not so far. There's so much we've still yet to see and do out there, we'll have to plan on another trip. Who knows, it may replace our annual cottage rental as the family vacation tradition. It sure beats cooking every night!

My Own Liquor Control Board

Our first day touring the city. We decided to take a trolley bus tour, with an option to hop on and off the bus at any stop. The beauty of it was that it stopped right across from our hotel, located at the unique colliseum shaped Public Library.

The driver on the bus was a very friendly fellow. He let the kids tug on the bell just before we started on our tour. Threatened to take Ian's coffee as drinks are not allowed on the bus (but he was just kidding).

It was a great way to go through downtown Vancouver. We drove through Gastown, and Chinatown, which surprisingly was NOT bustling just yet. Surprising because I've never seen Chinatown in TO that quiet. It was about 11 am, and most shops would be open by that time back at home. A quick drive through the East end which is apparently being revitalized by the city. This part of town looked truly sad; you could see some people walking around aimlessly, obviously troubled. A very sad juxtaposition next to the opulence of Canada Place and its white sails, which was the next stop.

I continue to be amazed by the amount of construction in this city. A lot of money is being spent putting up condo after condo. I had thought the building boom had peaked back in the 80's but that was nothing compared to this. The 2010 Olympics are putting a push on everything. The real estate has always been so expensive here. When we drove through Kitsilano, the part of town closer to UBC that used to be the home of hippies way back when, we drove past 3 brightly coloured tiny homes that looked more like pastel shacks. Our driver told us that those would sell for about $800K each in this market. I thought Toronto was ridiculous, but this is insane.

On with our tour. We drove through Stanley park, got a glimpse of the Aquarium, Totem Poles, huge outdoor pool with human dryer...all of which we will experience in a few days. By this time Giselle had passed out; Liam was quite enthusiastic. But at around the 1 hour mark, he started complaining about being tired, then he started turning green ... uh-oh! So we took our crew off the trolley at Granville Island to get some fresh air and a bit to eat.

We had a lovely lunch at Bridges by the dock. Gorgeous day, lovely family, crab and halibut cake burger and fries for lunch. I am such a lucky girl. Even luckier when I was onto my second Corona. Are you detecting a theme here? But I can more than handle it, after all, according to my husband, I am my own Liquor Control Board.



After lunch, we took the kids to the Kids Market where the boy played Arcade games while the girlie rode the fun toddler rides.

And shopping. I reluctantly admit that I finally succumbed and bought my tot the ubiquitous CROCs; complete with the CROC charms (those tiny rubber buttons were a bargain basement price of $2.99 a piece - major rip-off but then I was on vacation so had the big "Sucker" all over my forehead).

Giselle chose her lavender pair, put them on and refused to remove them. "Mommy, buy them, pleaaaaaaase!!!


Of course, anything you buy for one, you have to buy for the other...


The lady was a great salesperson. She tried to get me to purchase the mary jane style. Though Crocs are cute on kids, I still find them butt-ugly, no matter how trendy they are. My imitation ones at $6.98 back at home work just fine.

Got back to the hotel, kids wanted to go for a swim in the outdoor pool. Poor Liam, was so anxious to get in there he jumped right in and it was FREEZING! Luckily there was hot tub there; he warmed up (albeit slowly) in there with me and the princess. I'm not a great fan of hot tubs and all their accompanying bacteria (yup, I'm married to a microbiologist). But it was the only pool around, and it was too hot for G to put more than her feet in. We made fast friends with little Savanah, who is just around G's age, and visiting Vancouver from Chicago. Her mom was very friendly, a lady from Korea who married and moved to the US 7 years ago. She, like me feels very much at home here in Vancouver. There is such a huge Asian presence here, whether you're Korean, Japanese, Chinese or Asian Canadian. Savanah shared her Korean snacks with Giselle and Liam. Giselle didn't like them (surprise) but Liam loved them. So we'll be off to check out the H market on Robson, which is just around the corner and apparently houses all sorts of Asian food goodies.

I'm taking the kids to Science World today while Party Papa does some work. We'll take the ferry across the water to get there. Should be a blast. Will report back later.

Trains, planes ...

Last weekend was Montreal by Via Rail. This week it's B.C. by Air Canada.

Here we are in lovely Vancouver. I'm finally relaxing... figured out why I've been so stressed the last few days. It was because I was planning the family vacation. Trying to plan an itinerary and the appropriate places to stay around those activities. Kid-appropriate activities; kid-friendly accomodations, kid-centric holiday. Just thinking about, doing the research, spending upteen hours a day on the computer and the phone trying organizing. No wonder I was exhausted!

We were originally going to spend the first and the latter part of the week in the city, and rent a car for a couple days for some days trips, not to include Whistler, which we did for most of a week last year. I thought Victoria would be a nice change, but having gone there a couple of times already, we finally thought the logistics of the car, ferry, with kids, stroller and various bags made it less attractive the more I looked into it. I don't know what it is... well, maybe I do. We wanted this to be a family vacation, stress-free if at all possible. So adding another mode of transportion that would be more than a 60 minute ride, was really low on the totem pole on things we wanted to do.

So we decided to stick around the city as there's so much to do here that we haven't really explored. Problem was, trying to find 2 nights accomodation in high season was almost impossible. I had booked the other hotels about a month ago, so thought it might be nice to do a B & B in Kitsilano this time. Unfortunately, you have to book months in advance, especially for kid-friendly accomodation. In the end even the hotels I booked didn't have vacancies, so we're going to do a hotel tour of downtown Vancouver. Frankly, though, this made our kids totally ecstatic. They LOVE hotels.

The flight from T.O. to Vancouver was great - primarily because little G passed out just after take-off and slept for almost 2 hours. Without the help of Gravol (I know terrible mom, but desperate times often call for desperate measures). Liamster was great as usual. Watched a couple of movies, played his Nintendo DS, then passed out himself for 2 hours.

Landed, checked into hotel number one. Westin Grand - a suite! Only way to go if you're travelling with kids, if you can afford it (uhhhh, and for now before our major reno's we sort of can). Perfect location for exploring downtown. Even better there's a beer and wine store right in the same building. Party Mama here went to the 7-eleven first to pick up milk, juice, popping corn. Then to the liquor store to pick up more pomtinis (now addicted) and some imported beer for Party Papa. Heaven!

We went to Amarcord restaurant in Yaletown for dinner. North Italian cuisine, very friendly to the kids. Always-prepared-me packed Winnie the Pooh backpack for the diva, complete with cups, diapers, colouring books. And left all of it at the hotel.

No matter, kids were very well-behaved, although they ran out of patience within 90 minutes The atmosphere was very nice, formal but family-feel. They tucked our stroller away discreetly, and were very understanding as our tot made a climbing gym out of their chair and steps near the server-prep table. Food was OK, but quite pricey for what you got. We both ordered seafood pasta; I had a couple of not so fresh clams in mine. But we were starving, in a rush, the Mission Hill Pinot Noir went down smoothly, and the waiter was top-notch, a fellow who actually hailed from T.O. and was very happy to chat with us.

While I waited for the bill, Ian took the kids out to the sidewalk to wait. I had to do a double-take as I realized the QUIET which suddenly surrounded me. Wait a minute, me, myself and I, with a half a glass of Pinot Noir, sitting in an upscale dining establishment?!!! No "I'm bored!" "Can we go?" "Where is my milk", "I'm tired ... wahhhh" to deal with.

I leaned back and let out a deep sigh, said to myself "My, this is NICE. I'm going to have to stay here the rest of the night" and I heard a little bit of laughter behind me. A couple were enjoying their dinner, and were chuckling at my reaction after my crew "deserted" me. I had to explain that while I love my kids beyond belief, this was a rarity for me. These couple of minutes were an oasis, a mirage in the desert - I was pinching myself inside! The wife said "No explanations required. We're contemplating starting a family soon too." I told them that kids are a LOT of work, but that they would never regret it.

So nice to see a nice young couple out for dinner and enjoying themselves. They'd better get as many of these dinners under their belt now!

I'll check back in as the family adventure continues.

Family Vacation #1

Well, having just finally figured out what we're doing for our family summer vacation, I found these shots of the first major vacation that I remember as a kid. It was a trip out to PEI, my parents rented a cottage for a week, and we drove out there. I remember the long car ride, the rain, the cold water of the ocean, the yummy lobster, and the red sand...

I'm really liking the T-shirt I'm wearing - Groovy!

It was also really quite cute how my mother liked to dress us in the same outfits. It got tiresome after a while (like around the age of 9) but during this vacation I was quite content. I think I was around 6 or 7 years old, my sister 4 or 5. Mom looks really good here too. I think I learned to stand just like her for pictures, sort of looks like 1st position but is likely more 3rd or 4th position in ballet?!



It's funny how all kids love miniature villages isn't it? I like our terry cloth hoodies and shorts with skirts. It's all back again!

Feeling so lazy, lethargic... old.

The first week off school, and I had signed Liam up for a daycamp so he could basically play ALL DAY with his best friend. The camp starts as early as 7:30; I can pick him up as late as 6 PM. So Ian can bring him in the morning. And I don't have to take care of snacks, lunch, or entertainment. I don't have to deal with the two kids getting on each others nerves for a full day, just a couple hours in the evening. It's so much easier than a regular school day, I've technically got more time without the restrictions for pickup. Should feel like heaven.

So why am I so exhausted? I forced myself to get to the gym today. Didn't feel so bad to be inside as it was just raining and drizzly the whole day.

I think I'm still recovering from that mammoth post!

"Thank you for the ride, Train!"

There's a tradition in Chinese culture where we gather every year at the graves of our ancestors and relatives, to have a celebration in their honour. My grandparents, uncle and great uncles are buried in Mount Royal cemetary in Montreal, and we, the Toronto gang, would travel back to Montreal annually in June to meet with our Montreal relatives for this tradition, and also as our annual family reunion.

We bring flowers, and my aunt orders a roast pig, lots of yummy Chinese treats including dim sum favourites such as shrimp dumplings and pork siu mai. And the sweetest "butter rolls" that we swear are only available in Montreal. After the gravestones are cleared and the flowers are planted, there are three small cups of liquor set up, with three chopsticks, three small dishes with egg and pieces of meat, we light some incense candles and burn fake paper money (as an offering - apparently my grandpa liked to gamble and drink!). Then, according to hierarchy (with my Dad now being the eldest), we all take turns paying our respects, by bowing our heads three times in front of each grave. They in turn will bring us luck and good fortune. And then we literally have a picnic at the cemetary - eating and drinking something with my deceased relatives. When I was a teenager, it seemed slightly morbid to me, but now I see it as something that is part of my culture and the closest I can get to my grandmother (who cared for me as a tot) and uncle, who had passed just before I got married. I never knew my grandfather, so the only time I've spent with him is on Mount Royal. Ian took some nice pictures of the site, but I'm not sure whether it's bad karma or verboten, so although I really wanted to, I decided against publishing them here.

I remember the first time we brought Ian with us, we were just engaged so he was officially pretty much in the family. He was awestruck by the whole thing, and bowed his head in respect as my mother directed. She said to him "do it, it will bring good luck and money!". You wouldn't believe this, but on a pitstop on the 401 where we had stopped to have a washroom/coffee break from the drive, a piece of paper came flying up to Ian and it turned out to be a crumpled up $20 bill! Since then, he's only too happy to bow to the graves!

I'll have to admit that since we've had kids, we haven't been regular participants. Either I was trying to get pregnant, or actually pregnant (which wasn't ideal to make the trip or climb the hill) or work schedules made it difficult. But this year we thought we should go, as most of my Montreal relatives hadn't yet met the littlest one, and she's already 2 1/2. But with all the driving Ian does regularly on his commute to work, the last thing he wanted to do was embark on a 6 hour journey of boring highway. So we decided to take the train with our parents and the kids. We had already been talking to Liam about taking the train since he began his fascination with Thomas the Tank back at the age of 18 months. It took us almost 7 years, but we finally booked it.

And then had to cancel and re-book it. Yes, the first train ticket I booked to take my son on a long-awaited train ride for June 29, had to be cancelled because of the first National Day of Action to be held in Canada. I won't get into the politics of it all, as the native dispute goes back centuries, but it was just a minor inconvenience for us in the whole scheme of things. Nevertheless, we still made it to Montreal, just a day later than planned.

The train really is the way to go. Although it wasn't entirely relaxing for me (it never is - I mean, I'm the mother of a 7 year old and a 2 year old, it's just not in the job description!). They have pre-boarding, so we could find seats for the 4 of us, and grandparents not far. We brought our own food and drinks, DVD players, reading material --- we were all set. Leaving the house at 6 AM on a Saturday morning did make it a long trip - with all the delays due to the VIA rail cancellations, we rolled into Montreal closer to 2 PM than the scheduled 12:30. It was an adventure, and both kids had fun, especially Giselle, who we had to remind to use her "quiet" voice every so often as she exclaimed in wonder about the scenery outside or the funny noises that the train would make as it hit certain bumps on the track.




Montreal is such a happening city, but with the visits with family and the shortness of each visit, we haven't been able to see much of it every time we go. We managed to see some of the Jazz Festival when Liam was about 3 years old. My objective this visit was to take the family to the Biodome, which is having its 15th anniversary this year. We took our folks with us and it was a real treat for them to see the kids enjoying the penguins, birds, monkeys and fish, all in four different ecosystems that while not the real thing, was probably the next best thing for our animal friends.




Giselle managed to wrangle a cute little piggy toy from Grandpa as a souvenir of the visit. He was impressed at her restraint as he offered to buy the bigger one but she wanted the baby!



We caught up with most of the cousins (they are older than me, so their kids are either living elsewhere or away at university). My youngest cousin has two boys aged 12 and 13 so Liam got on very well with them, and he is very anxious to start learning French now that he knows they're bilingual.

As the train rolled into Union Station yesterday, Giselle pretty much said it for all of us as she yelled down the car "Thank you for the ride, Train!".