New year is on the way, and I am moving to a new home for my blog.



I hope you'll follow me over.

Half Baked Expectations

Opinions & Unicorns

(Source: WeHeartit.com)

I can pretty much pinpoint the day I became less than sure of myself.

It was grade 7, and we had just moved to a new city. It was not quite a month into the school year, and I realized.....I don't think I fit in here.

Now, many years later, my kids are in school, dealing with all the good and bad that comes along with that. Son #3 came in the kitchen tonight while I was washing-up. He was quiet ( a sure sign he wanted to talk). So, he shares with me that he is worried that because he's having a rough time in math class (which we are aware of,and are working through) that the "cool kids" will make fun of him.

Big mama sigh.......

This particular child of mine is the one that is most concerned with the opinions of others,despite our reassurances at home.

All I want is for my kids to give their very best effort in all they do in life (school,work,sports,being a human being). I love that they have their quirks, and that even though they can be frustrating to no end...... I love them for simply being them. (Of course, I am incredibly biased.)

Tonight, I sat down with son #3, and had a different version of the same conversation I have had with his 2 older brothers at some point:

Why care about what the "cool kids"might think. You are doing your very best, and that's all a person can do. You can only control your reactions and behaviour, not how other people act and think.

I'm not sure he fully believed me. But,he humoured me and gave me a hug.

I'm not so naive to think my kids won't be affected by their peers, and that life in school is always rainbows and unicorns.

I would like to think that if I tell them enough that everyone is different, and that makes the world an interesting place to be, they might just believe me.


Now, if I could just do the same...... Do as I say,not as I do....... Right?

Nothing Better than an Ordinary Day.

Today was grey. Snowy,blowy, a sneak peek of what's in store for us until Spring.
People were grumpy, as they tend to be when Fall begins its descent into winter.

Sent the Manchild off to a school workshop for the week (but not before I dropped the homework sheet off he forgot rushing out the door). Took #2 in for some knee x rays (just checking things out,nothing to worry about). #3 Had a good day, he's loving band (playing trombone just like his mama did), and littlest had a full day of being a Hot Lunch Helper, and did her crossing guard shift (all while wearing her favourite pink beanie.) Hubby is continuing to deal with things at his job ( he is the most patient man I know!).

Me???

I had a good day. I felt more relaxed today than I have in...well, months I guess.

I ran the kids around, got groceries, came home and whipped up a couple of new recipes (sweet potato & turkey chili, and Italian Sausage Soup). I even made a batch of my Grampa's baking powder biscuits.

No rushing, no picking what I could get done and what would have to wait.

I had a chance to talk to each kiddo about their day (with the exception of the absent manchild). I saw the smile on my hubby's face when he smelled the soup and spied the biscuits.

A perfectly ordinary day. It was fantastic.

It's what I miss the most when things get crazy.

We Are Canadian

Today Cpl.Nathan Cirillo was killed. People will want answers, but there is likely nothing that will truly make sense to any of us.

People are angry, they feel violated. This sort of thing doesn't happen in CANADA!!!!

All sorts of bad things happen here. It's not like we live in some protected Utopia.

But this....this hits hard, and close to home.

Corporal Cirillo wasn't a soldier in a combat situation. He was standing guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He wasn't armed, he was doing his duty.

His family and friends were most likely very proud of him. They didn't expect him to be in any danger today.

Now he's gone. His smile,the sound of his laughter, a dear memory.

A loss is a loss, no matter how a loved one may pass. Yet, rather than being a private thing, Corporal Cirillo's death is now a Canadian Loss.

On Facebook, I've seen a lot of people saying things like "What now?" and "Where do we go from here?".

We go on. We are Canadian.

Our soldiers have fought for our freedom. We cannot let the coward who did this win by living in fear.

All About the Skills

So, your sometimes blogger is back again.

My new position has been somewhat overwhelming. Definitely not a job I've been able to leave at the door when I come home. A position so far out of my comfort zone, it's been a struggle.

Am I learning a lot?

For sure! The skills I am acquiring  will (hopefully) serve me well in my future endeavours.

Am I enjoying it?

Ummmm.....I wouldn't say that exactly.
There are many parts I do like. I have met some wonderful people, people I maybe never would have interacted with.

More often though, I find myself floundering around, playing catch-up. (Me and Dory "Just Keep Swimming....")

I just finished my first major event last week. So much work, and so thankful to those that lent a hand to help ( love you guys). Without my hubby, and some very special friends, I'd never have pulled it off.

It was a pretty good night, with a few bumps (of course).

There were some details that I goofed on and missed, one which led to a less than pleasant email waiting for me at the office this morning, on what is supposed to be my day off.

I am trying very hard to concentrate on all the good of the evening,and not let the mistakes I made cast a shadow that. It's a work in progress.

So, today I will cook for my family, which I have not been able to do on regular basis.

I will go to Zumba.

Tomorrow, I will start on the next project, and work on learning from my mistakes.

That Time We Tried-A-Tri

This past June, the Fabulous Running Buddy and I completed our first Triathlon. I won't say it was "just" a Try-a-Tri  (shorter than a Sprint Tri, just a taste to see if you like it).

250m swim, 10k bike, 2.5k run.

It was all new to us. Setting up our  transition area, getting the body markings. It was nerve wracking and exciting all at the same time.

We were obvious newbies, watching everyone else and trying to do something similar.

The race itself was hard, for me at any rate. The swim wasn't bad, except for the big gulp of pool water I took in near the end. The bike ride wasn't awful. A couple of big (for me) hills on the out and back route. The run,short as it was, was the hardest part of the race for me. For the first kilometre at least, I had a horrible cramp in my right calf. It was a drag-your-leg-like-a-zombie type of cramp. I honestly thought that I might not be able to finish the race! Thankfully, the cramp finally let go, and I shuffled along until I crossed the finish line.

High Points of this Race:
*The people! The volunteers were fantastic. Encouraging, friendly, and so very positive. The volunteers really make the race I think. Without them none of it would be possible.
*The competitors! No matter the ability of the people racing, everyone was welcome. Cheering other competitors on, smiles and supportive words. A great energy throughout the race.

Low Point:
*The timing. This race was chip timed...or, at least, it was supposed to be.

"We experienced some technical trouble with the results of the 2014 race.  A number of timing chips were issued to the wrong participants by mistake resulting in missing times in some cases and widely inaccurate times in others.  We have done the best we can through review of the timing database and consultation with athletes to arrive at the most accurate finish times possible.  Unfortunately we will not be able to supply split times for the race segments, and some participant times were not retrievable.  We apologize for the inconvenience."

This was the explanation given by  Human Powered Racing, the company that planned/ran/organized this race for the inaccurate times announced and posted for the race.

It was very disappointing. Neither of us had checked the time when we started and finished, so we don't know how long the race took, or what our splits were.

Lessons Learned:
1. Always time your own race,even if it is a chip timed event.
2. Bring a basin to keep your stuff in at the transition point.
3. Train more.

Overall,it was a really good experience....enough so that I am planning to do the Sprint Tri next year!

For Now

You know that thing....when the lights go out, you're stumbling around in the dark, and even though you feel like you should know where everything is, you still hit your shins on the ottoman.... I am doing a lot of that lately.

Learning how to do this job, oh! My poor metaphorical shins!

I get a handle on one thing, start feeling pretty smart,then....oh yeah, there's all that other, all very important stuff  that needs to be taken care of as well.

While I am sure I will be successful in this new foray into the working world.....I hate not being good at what I'm doing. Drives me nuts! It's unfortunate, since so many things I do daily are a work in progress.

(I also think that one of these would make work way more fun!)

Image from the Costco website

For now I will just be thankful for:

Our family...
Our health...
Our home....
That tomorrow is my Friday (TGIT!)...
....and that I made it through another outdoor workout!