Pictures in the sky

A bunch of us were hanging out in the front on Friday before dinner watching the kids play. I looked up at the sky and noticed this face looking back at me (or maybe it's just me who can see a head, body and arm). My brain always seems to be in kid mode so I instantly thought the cloud looked like a Tombliboo from In The Night Garden. Does anyone else find this show a bit odd? It's one of those things where you want to look away but you can't. How do people come up with this stuff? This show and Teletubbies makes me wonder if the ideas were created on two different trips....and not the kind where you take a plane to get there.

Snacktime

With Lucas, it was all about the kids music. The second time around we got smart and realized that if you didn't start off by playing kids music, they wouldn't request it. Now we have them singing The Beatles, Blind Melon, Tim McGraw and Kid Rock to name a few. Yes, my kids listen to Kid Rock. Rock on! Isabella had quite the liking for Cowboy by Kid Rock last summer. She still requests it every so often but she's really into Girls Just Wanna Have Fun at the moment.



The Barenaked Ladies released a kids CD at the beginning of this year called Snacktime. I was hesitant to buy it since it is a kids CD but I'm a fan of BNL so I thought I'd make this one exception. I'm glad I did. I think I appreciate the CD more than the kids do. Those guys are just so talented! I'm kind of sad that we didn't get to see the Snacktime concert before Steven Page left the group. Oh well, the kids and I can have our own Tribute To Snacktime concert in the car.

The Barenaked Ladies http://www.bnlmusic.com/

Rock on, Dude!

The kids thought they heard that KISS was looking for some new band members. I think they've been watching a little too much American Idol.

Soap City Prank

This morning, Torontonians were greeted by an overflow of bubbles coming from a fountain in Berczy Park (near the Flat Iron building).

Good Morning, Toronto!

You can read the article here.

I am...

checking out Alphainventions.

Dodging trucks

Holy crap, am I tired. Sooo tired. So completely tired that I'm wired and if I were to lay down right now I'd probably stay awake for hours just staring at the ceiling analyzing every little crack. The only time I've ever felt awake (like the average folk out there) after my MS diagnosis was when I was pregnant with Lucas. I felt 110% even with the horrible heartburn. It was a dream. I was in pure heaven. Then Lucas was born, the heartburn went away, the tiredness came back and so did all my other wonderful MS symptoms. Kind of like being hit by a Mac truck...kapow! It was a sad moment....the moment where I realized that I'll never be the way I used to be before MS took over.

People often ask me what I mean when I say I'm tired all.the.time. I tell them to think of what it feels like when you haven't had enough sleep, you're only getting maybe two hours of sleep every single night or you keep pulling all-nighters and then have to go go go but then never get a chance to catch up on the sleep you keep missing. I feel like that pretty much every day. Oh, what joy!

I do try to rest when I can eventhough I get tired again soon after. I've pretty much turned my daily Oprah fix into my rest period. This way I can never say I didn't get a chance to take a break.

Overall, I just keep on truckin' trying to stay clear of all the Mac trucks heading my way. Keep on truckin'...Keep on S'myelin....get it?! Ya, ya, I know...I'm amusing myself or I'm just slowly going crazy from the lack of sleep (1-2-3-4-5-6 switch...damn you Sharon, Lois and Bram).

Speaking of Sharon, Lois and Bram (think of The Wiggles but in the 70's and early 80's), my mom bought me a record player this past Christmas and gave it to me with all my old records....The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Eddy Grant, Neil Diamond, The Mini Pops and so many more. I was happier than a pig in shit. Such an awesome gift. As I was flipping through the records, I came across a signed copy of a Sharon, Lois and Bram album. It brought back memories. I remember going to their concert at the Seneca College theatre and then getting a signed copy of their album. I must have been 7 years old and thought that was the coolest thing evah! Ah, the memories!

Fave Rave: Iced Cappuccino

It was pretty warm out last week so instead of my usual Latte from Starbucks I decided I wanted a cool drink. I was driving by Tim Hortons and the Iced Cappaccino sign caught my eye. I tried this drink a few years ago and didn't think much of it but the sign said to try it with chocolate milk. Why oh why did I listen. Pure heaven on a warm day! Just don't tell me the nutrition content. What I don't know won't hurt me....shhh!

Let the blooming begin

I finally finished planting the front garden! happy dance! It took me much longer than I thought because first off MS just slows a person down and I couldn't decide on what plants I wanted. There are just way too many flowers I love especially when I get to work with a garden that's in almost full sun (my backyard garden is in shade most of the day...boo hoo). In the end, I found the roses I really wanted. For those who are into roses I planted The Pilgrim (here and here), Viking Queen, Eden Climber (here and here), Morden Blush and Morden Ruby -- all beautiful roses if you're looking for nice ones to plant in your garden. The pictures of the roses are from our other house. I miss that garden.

So, here they are folks...the before and after shots. Let the blooming begin! And, yes, that is a real cat in the second picture sitting ever so perfectly on the front step. Mojo thinks if he acts like a statue I won't see him and make him go inside.

Hopefully my next picture of the front garden will be a blooming one and not a picture of me kicking myself for not watering enough. Which reminds me, I forgot to water the garden today....gah! I better go stick a note to the kitchen cabinet so I remember in the morning. Yes, I'm that person who has a gazillion notes stuck to everything, writes lists on her hands, has papers next to her bed propped up so I can see them first thing when I wake up in hopes I'll remember before I forget again.


BEFORE


AFTER

Fireworks

I'm finally getting a chance to post some pictures from Victoria Day weekend.

It turned out to be a really nice night with a beautiful sunset. The kids decided to ride their bikes to the park while the adults walked. I'm all for kids getting exercise by riding their bikes but in the end I wish they would have walked with the adults. Our next door neighbours daughter learned to ride her bike without training wheels about two weeks ago. One day she was wobbling and the next day she was off. It's amazing how quickly they learn. With Lucas still having training wheels on his bike, he just can't seem to go as fast as a two wheeler and so he got frustrated even before everyone started pedaling away. I guess I was getting just as frustrated with him getting frustrated because when we got home Steve asked Lucas how the fireworks were and the first thing Lucas said was that next time daddy should come too with a "mommy kept bitching at me" tone in his voice. Oh well, patience will come...I keep telling myself that. In the end, Lucas and I had a good time!

A toot toot here and a toot toot there

Lucas: "You want to hear an Ontario fart?"

I don't know why I got a good chuckle from this one. Yes, we live in Ontario, Canada. I guess he thinks farts sound different depending on where you come from...like how people have different accents.

Sunny Sunday

I took this picture today of Lake Ontario from the end of our street. It's been quite chilly and windy today but lots of sun! Luke's very excited because we're heading down to the water soon for the annual Victoria Day community fireworks display. I guess I'll be fishing out my parka from the basement. And here I thought winter was over.

Like father, like son

There is a picture of Steve when he was a kid that sits in a frame on the end table in our living room. Lucas hapened to be walking by it the other day so I took a picture of him holding it. I'll have to remember to get a better shot. Steve happened to walk in right when I decided to snap the picture so that ended our photo session. I guess daddy's more interesting than mommy who constantly forces the children to endlessly pose for the camera. No children were harmed in the making of this picture.

The girls

Here is one of the reasons why I love the flip-out screen on my camera. This picture wouldn't have been possible without it!

Bye bye tree

The tree is gone! It wasn't as dramatic and exciting as we had hoped. While it looked like the tree would be easy to remove, the rope that we wrapped around the trunk made a clean snap at one end so we ( we meaning the men...it is Mother's Day after all) had to dig most of the tree out. Feisty little sucker.

Bye bye tree. Hello gardening!!!

Roses, hydrangeas and peonies, oh my! I'm getting gitty just thinking about it.

Rain, rain...go away!

I know rain is good for the garden but I wish it would stop raining so I can garden.

This is the year that I'm finally going to tackle the front garden. I've pulled out all the bushes the Builder put in when the house was built five years ago. Now if we could just get rid of the crappy looking juniper tree that doesn't do anything for the front yard. It's coming out one way or another. The easiest way we can think of getting rid of it is to tie one end of a rope around the tree, the other end around the hitch on my husband's car and yanking it out. This should be a sight to see. The neighbours have all requested to be front row for the event. Maybe I should start selling tickets...hmmm.

Bedtime

One adult putting two kids to bed equals impossible.

A voice for millions

The best thing I ever did for myself when I was first diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis was to think positive and be strong. It was the start of a new beginning – the beginning of a life that I had no choice but to live. With no cure for MS, I put the focus on living life the best I could with what was given to me. I was given the chance to change the way people view MS – the chance to be a voice for millions already fighting the disease. So, here I am. Everyone will have a challenge in life regardless of how big or small – this is mine. While I can’t make myself better, I can help by spreading the word about Multiple Sclerosis.

Since May is MS Awareness Month, my challenge for all of you is to mention Multiple Sclerosis to as many people as you can. It's as simple as talking about it or adding it to your Facebook or Twitter status or send an email or text with a line as simple as May is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month- www.mssociety.ca. You don’t have to try explaining what it is (unless you want to of course) but just make people aware. Just by getting the word out, you have helped that many more people. How easy is that? I'll tell you, a lot easier than having Multiple Sclerosis.

I think it would be pretty damn cool if someone made a video of people around the world shouting Multiple Sclerosis....kind of like the Where The Hell Is Matt? video. I watch it when I need a little extra sunshine in my day. It gives me a ray of hope – hope that one day there will be a cure for MS! If anyone every makes a video like that, let me know because I want in!!!

Thanks for helping be the voice of Multiple Sclerosis!

Take me out to the ball game

Today we took the Go Train to the Skydome to watch a Blue Jays game. Yes, I know the Skydome lost it's name in 2005 and became the Rogers Centre but it will always be the Skydome to me. You can't just up and change a name of something that is so important to Toronto and expect all Torontonians (and the rest of the world) to just accept it like that. It takes time...and in my case maybe my lifetime. It's like saying "Hi, my name is Paula. Oh wait, no, I think I'll be Sue from now on". Who does that (unless you're in the witness protection program or an actor)? What's next, the CN Tower? Will Rogers buy that too and call it something as equally creative like the Rogers Tower. Um, ya, I better just shut my mouth now. Actually, I thought there was talk once about a name change. I guess it did kind of change it's name back in 1995 from Canadian National Tower to Canada's National Tower but everyone knows it as the CN Tower. Ok, ok, before you think I'm all up-to-date on my Canadian history, for your information I just googled CN Tower. I bet if you were to stop people on the streets of Toronto and asked them where Canada's National Tower is you would probably get a lot of blank stares with that "Eh?" look on their face in true Canadian fashion. It's the CN TOWER! I should twitter (or should that be tweet?) Kevin Frankish from Breakfast Television (a must watch every weekday morning) and suggest they make that their next question on the street.

Anyway, we were coming back from the ball game, walking outside the Go Train Station to the car when Lucas saw a man sitting on a bench...

Lucas: Look. Look over there, Mommy. There's a genie!!!!! Hi genie! wave wave Genie, HI!!!! wave wave LOOK A REAL GENIE!!!!!

Me: No, Lucas. It's a man wearing a turban. Hurry along now...and my name is Sue not mommy.