The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz

I'm a sucker for theatre.  Theatre in smaller venues (community theatre, school plays) are my favourite, but I'm just as happy to go to the big productions as well.

All through high school, I took every drama class I could.  I wasn't so much into the acting part but loved the technical aspect.  Yes, at one point, I was part of the tech and lighting crew and enjoyed every minute of it.  I got a rush being part of a team.  It was so inspiring!

This past fall, Bella and I watched Over The Rainbow, the audition TV show for the role of Dorothy.  Bella really enjoyed watching the show every week and asked if we could see the girl who won the role of Dorothy.  So, when my mom asked what she could get Bella for Christmas or her birthday, I suggested tickets to see the production of The Wizard Of Oz at Toronto's Mirvish Theatre.

On March 27th,  the four of us packed into my mom's car and we drove downtown to see The Wizard of Oz.  We parked at the Eaton Centre which is right across from the Mirvish Theatre.  While my kids have been to downtown Toronto many times, and I grew up in Toronto, I forget that the hustle and bustle of a big city isn't something they're used to.  Seeing Lucas and Isabella in awe at all that surrounded them really entertained me.  We hadn't had lunch yet so we headed to the food court in the mall first before going to the theatre.  They were fascinated at the fast pace of the mall including the indoor water fountain that would shoot up every so often. 

At the Eaton Centre waiting for 

the water fountain to shoot up

After lunch, we walked across the street to the Mirvish Theatre.  We settled down into our seats and the play started.  It was fantastic!  It really caught the kids attention.  Much to my surprise, they even had popcorn for sale which we treated ourselves to at intermission.  It was so good.  Even better than movie theatre popcorn. 

Going to see The Wizard Of Oz was so much fun.  At the end of the play, Bella asked if we could see it again.  I'm so glad she enjoyed it which means more theatre to come.  We all had a great afternoon together!

K Is For Kindergarten

Bella made it through her gradual entry week of Junior Kindergarten with flying colours! I think the real deal will be on Monday when she takes the school bus for the first time. I'm sure a few tears will be shed (mine, not hers sniff sniff).

S Is For School

The start of another school year has arrived -- the beginning of Kindergarten for Bella and Grade 2 for Luke. Isabella can't wait to go to big school but I can tell she is a wee bit nervous, and I think a little thankful, that she doesn't start until tomorrow. Luke, on the other hand, is super excited to get the ball rollin'!


It was mighty chilly this morning. I swear I could hear our teeth a chatterin' and our knees a knockin' as we walked along the sidewalk. I think Luke was too focused on the thrill of getting to school that he didn't care.

The bus rolled up and Luke and his friends boarded their big yellow ride. He gave me a huge two thumbs up when he and his friends found an empty seat at the very back of the bus. I think it made him feel like he wasn't the youngest kid on the bus anymore.

If you listen closely, you can hear him saying,
"enough with the camera already, mom!"

Sniff, my baby is growing up fast!

I can't wait to hear how his first day went. He's also excited to be in a Gr. 2/3 split so he can hang out learn with the "older kids". I wasn't too sure how I felt about the split when I found out about it, but now I'm thinking bonus! The Grade 3's have been speaking French for a whole year more so hopefully their skills will rub him the right way.

After dropping Lucas off at the bus, Bella and I headed over to the library to get some much needed books. I'm no longer counting the times Bella and I have read Sleeping Beauty or a Barbie book together but how many times we don't read them. I know repetition can be a great thing but if the books somehow play their own little game of hide n' seek, let's hope someone doesn't win in the seek part.


This stack of books should keep us busy for awhile!

Is today the start of a new school year in your house? How did it go?

Marble-riffic!

Bella and I stopped by the mailbox yesterday and received some very special mail. Connor's painting arrived! Bella was super excited and has been carrying it around with her everywhere we go.

Thank you, Connor!

You can visit Connor's website at Marble For MS.

first post about Marbles For MS here.

Easter Monday

The kids are home from school today but Steve had to work so it has been a pretty relaxing Easter Monday.

I managed to pull all the moss out from between the patio stones and sweep the patio with patio sand before the rain started.

Bella has had an art-filled day

Lucas was playing with a friend and is now lounging on the sofa playing his DS with his best friend, Tiger

Bella finished her painting

and then remembered her big chocolate Ariel...YUM!

How was your Easter?

Feeling Icky

Bella is still feeling out of sorts. This cold, cough, runny nose, whine-fest, icky feeling is lasting longer than I had anticipated. The sofa and Dora have been her best friend this week. Poor Bellybean :(

Kids Say The Darndest Things: Man vs. Woman

Conversation between Bella and Lucas while they were getting ready for bed...

Lucas: You don't have a wiener, Bella.

Bella: I know.

Lucas: You have a vagina.

Bella: No I don't. Stop saying that.

Lucas: Yes you do.

Bella (not understanding Lucas and getting frustrated): No. I. don't!

Lucas (in his sweet, reassuring voice): Yes you do, Bella. We all have privates.

Bella: I. don't. have. privates! (not understanding what privates actually means)

Lucas: Yes, everyone has either a wiener or a vagina, a bum and armpits.

I am...

enjoying a me moment.

Bella had a fever that started on Saturday around dinner time. We spent most of yesterday on the couch together snuggling while the boys went to visit the grandparents.

Her fever registered between 101F - 102.5F for almost two days and finally broke this morning. After hardly touching food yesterday, two Pogo Sticks (yes, this was her breakfast...I took what I could get into her) and a cup of apple juice later, she's now contently watching The Little Mermaid while I take a breather.

It's so tiring watching your little ones sick. Thankful she's getting back to herself again!

You Sunk My Battleship!

My little man was home from school yesterday with a sore tummy. We snuggled and played a few board games, and that's when I caught him in the act....

Gotcha!

I am...

glad the weekend is here!

Bella and I spent the afternoon with some wonderful friends we met during our February Punta Cana getaway. Bella and Hannah hit it off from the moment they met so it's nice they can continue to be "beach buddies" as they don't live too far away from us.

As I type, I'm enjoying a glass of white wine and some Swedish Fish {thinking of you, Sheba...one of your favourites, I know}.


A fresh batch of cookies just came out of the oven. Ok, not homemade but still yummy. They smell oh so good and they're still warm...Mmmm!


The weekend is off to a great start! How are you spending your weekend?

Sleepover Time!

I've been sitting on the sofa today fighting off a cold and drinking lots of fluids. Thankfully the kids are at school and daycare so I have some quiet time.

This past weekend, the kids had a sleepover at my mom's house. Lucas was excited to go because he and my mom have this tradition where they go out for pizza and then stop by the ice cream shop after. He loves it and I love that he will always have fond memories of this time spent with grandma. Isabella finally joined this tradition too and had a great time!

My mom sent me an email with pictures of their weekend...

Isabella finally consented to sleep over for the first time at Grandma Barb's last night. She and Lucas were very very good. They watched a movie and TV, did crafts, including making necklaces they were sure Mommy would LOVE, played games and went out with Grandma for pizza and ice cream. Grandma had a good time.

Craft time!

Playing house

A fierce round of Hungry Hippo

Ice cream after pizza

Snack before bedtime

Time for bed
(Bella wanted to sleep with her big brother)

When we went to pick them up, Lucas came up to me with his hands behind his back and asked me to pick a hand. Of course I picked the wrong one at first but when I pointed to the other hand he presented me with a colourful necklace he made for me. Isabella quickly remember the ine she had made for me as well and ran to get it. They are both so beautiful and I've been wearing them with pride. I love my kids!

The necklace Lucas made is the longer one
and Bella's is the shorter one

Freshening Up A Bedroom

Looking at Bella's bedroom one day, I decided it needed a little help -- a little rearranging and something to add a splash of colour to the room. The double bed, a hand-me-down from my grandmother, had been pushed up against the wall for long enough (she'll learn not to roll off both sides of the bed, right?). It was time for a change.

I noticed in a Bouclair flyer a few weeks ago that a Kids Collection would be coming out soon. I showed Bella her options of what could be her new bedding and daringly let my three year old pick which one she liked best.

Here are the results of a Bouclair bedding make-over. Bella and I had so much fun putting it together!

Thanks Bouclair for bringing some colour to my little girl's room!

I strolled through Bouclair and came home with this:



And ended up with this:



I had this green lamp leftover from Lucas' baby room so when Bella came into our lives, I decided to add a little sparkle, and a little pink:



I've always wanted a chandelier in a bedroom or bathroom. Bella's room was the perfect place to add a little something special to dress up the ceiling. I found this chandelier at Canadian Tire on sale for $49.99:



Who says art has to be expensive? I bought these frames from HomeSense for $10 each. I found some pictures of roses from my garden and made some prints. Voila!:



One summer, Lucas and I decided to have some fun taking silly pictures of ourselves. I framed the pictures and they now hang in the hallway upstairs. Last year, Bella and I had our own silly fun:



This Ikea Smadal bookcase was the perfect addition to house Bella's collection of books and accessories:



I've been thinking for awhile now what to put above Bella's bed, when I came across these - wall stickers. And at $12.99, who could pass up this deal! It was really simple to apply the flowers to the wall, just peel and stick. They are easy to remove too:








One happy girl!