I don't love shopping. I have always been the kind of shopper who waits until they desperately need something, goes into the store at the quietest possible time, goes straight to the needed item, picks one from the back that no one else has touched, barely looks at the price tag, takes it to the counter, pays, and then gets the heck out of there. Online shopping however, really does it for me. I can spend hours browsing through products from the comfort of my own couch, in my comfy sweatpants and stained tank top! I will invest time comparing prices, searching different websites, and reading reviews. Why is it such a different experience for me than in-store shopping? First of all, online shopping appeals to my introvert self. It does not require face to face communication with any other human beings! Wahoo, after a long day or week of patiently reminding 10 years to raise their hand before they share their idea. There is no navigation through crowds of people w
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Here I sit on a peaceful Saturday morning, sipping coffee and debating whether or not to brave frightening Costco on the weekend. I normally make it a Friday night stop, doing a cheap dinner and fairly calm shop without much fuss. Except that, as I wrote in a past post, during the summer my schedule goes out the window. So now I am faced with the decision between the need to get some things done and the fear of Saturday Costco. The first negative will be the parking lot. It isn't even that difficult to find a spot. The frustrating part is navigating a giant metal death machine through the shoppers who feel like they can walk here there and right down the centre of the road, just because they have an overflowing cart of bulk buys. Then there are the shoppers who will step out in front of the car without a second thought and shoot you a grumpy "I-just-spent-two-hours-in-weekend-Costco-I-dare-you-to-mess-with-me" look. Don't even get me started on try
As I sit here waiting for my grumpy, over tired four year old to fall asleep, I can't help but think, "Thank goodness for 9am swimming lessons for the next two weeks!" Crazy right? There was a time in my life when 9am passed me by most days while I happily slumbered away my summer vacation and now I am grateful to have to set the alarm and be somewhere by 9am every morning? What is this about? As the school year creeps to an end each June, I long for the freedom that comes with no schedule. This summer has been different. Sometimes, the so called "lazy days of summer" have become challenging for us. I think my son has reached the point in his development, where it is easier to be out and busy with him, than it is to have a lazy day at home. As I have been pondering this idea today, it has crossed my mind that this is may be part of the reason parents over schedule their children with activities. We have heard a lot in the media about kids being too bus
Just Me and The Lil' Man: 10 Things I Have Learned From My Dad's Life and Death
My Dad should be turning 79 today. I can see the backyard party at my parent's house now. Hot dogs, Mum's homemade potato salad and a huge cake lit up with a ton of candles for the old fella. Unfortunately though, my Dad passed away 16 years ago and we won't be celebrating his day today. The thing that makes me saddest is that he will never meet his Grandchildren. He would have been the best Grandpa a kid could ever ask for. My son actually calls him "Papa" and talks as if he knows him, but that is a whole different post! I figure today is a great day to spend some time reflecting on how my Dad and his death shaped who I am today. He was so many things to everyone in our family. I know that there are many, many more things I learned from my Dad and his death then just ten, just get me started.... 1. Family is #1: My Dad used to call home on his lunch break everyday, just to see what we were all up to. He took pride in his work for sure but we all
I was sitting at the playground watching my son play on the playground. I saw her coming, before she saw me. A cute, little gal with pink hearts on her t-shirt. She was confidently using the concrete curb I was sitting on, as a balancing beam. The minute I saw her I knew she was headed my way and would want past me. I wondered how this was going to go down. "Excuse me", her sweet little voice said. I grunted, and stood up to let her pass, the whole time annoyed at myself that I was annoyed at a young person using manners. I am big on manners! My son has been forced to say "Please" and "Thank you" since before he could talk (Ok, that might be a slight exaggeration but I am really into manners!). And here I am pissed that this little girl felt entitled to move the adults from their sitting wall, just because she used her manners! What is wrong with me? Am I that miserable?! She balanced along, totally unaware that she was pushing me toward a m
I am going to be really honest and admit that I am hesitant to start this blog. I really know very little about the world of blogging and all the lingo that goes along with it. There are so many reasons that it may not be a good idea; overexposing my son online, offending my peeps, my students reading it and learning more then I am comfortable having them know about me, adding one more guilt inducing task to my already busy schedule....but I feel like the universe has led me down this path and I figure it is worth giving a try. This is a bit of an experiment for me! Besides the fact that no one will likely even read my blog!! I know, all the "serious bloggers" would be rolling their eyes right now. I would be too, if I were them ! I don't have a firm topic that I will be writing about. My plan is to write when I feel inspired to share something. It may be a do-it-yourself home project, a funny parenting story, a cool new product I have come across....who k