An ode to my not-so-beach body

Yeah, me and bathing suits are probably going to have to break up.  At least until I lose a few pounds.

Swimsuit season is now in sight,
But seeing me in one -- oh man, what a fright.
My butt's a sedan,
Maybe I should go tan.......
Or is cottage cheese meant to be white?

Quiet

Quiet is good.....sometime's it is necessary.  Especially after the crazy week that has just been.  Holidays, family, food, people, celebration -- in all the hubbub that is life, there can be a lot of noise.  Good noise and bad noise.

But still, noise.

Noise can be overwhelming, even to an extrovert.

Right now life is so noisy.

Too noisy.

And I just need some quiet.

Orange you Glad it's Summer

So today was officially the last day of school.  I figured the boys deserved a little treat to greet them when they got up.  I started by making this sign

Then I went out and bought a bunch of orange treats and a couple of toys for each of the boys

I put them all together in a bright orange bags and left them on the table when I went to work this morning.  They were a big hit.

Table talk Tuesday......on a Wednesday

OK, so I know I'm a day late.....but it's that crazy time of year when school and soccer are ending. finals are ending, plans are being made....so please forgive me for my slack-assedness this week.

Here are the questions and answers we had at our dinner discussion this week.

1.  What kind of pets do you want to own when you grow up?

     Drew -- Wolf
     Max -- I would want a dolphin with a gorilla taped to its back
     Ryker -- A gecko, a monkey and a komodo dragon

2.  If you saw someone cheating on a test would you report them?  Why or why not?

     Drew -- No because no one likes a snitch
     Max -- Yes, because cheating is bad
     Ryker -- No because there is no point; they are only cheating themselves (smart boy, eh)

3.  If you could make snow any other color for one day, what color would you choose?

     Drew -- Red so it would look like blood
     Max -- Black so people would get all freaked out about it
     Ryker -- Rainbow colors because it would look pretty

4.  If you could do one really nice thing for yourself  this week, what would it be?

     Drew -- I'd go to Marble Slab and pig out on ice cream
     Max -- I'd buy myself a dolphin and ride it
     Ryker -- I'd teach myself to swim

5.  What could we do as a family this summer to help others?

     Drew -- Volunteer at the soup kitchen
     Max -- Give food to homeless people
     Ryker -- Help clean up some lakes

6.  What is the one thing about becoming an adult that you are most excited about?

     Drew --Making my own decisions about big stuff, finding my own way, getting out  on my own  
     Max -- Not to be a jerk, but I'm looking forward to moving out and having my own space
     Ryker -- Being able to drive

7.  Would you rather have the ability to read peoples minds, or be invisible?

     Drew -- I'd rather be invisible.  Mind reading is a waste of time because people always say out loud what their thinking eventually to someone -- plus if you're invisible, you can mess with people
     Max -- Invisible because I could mess with people and get away with it
     Ryker -- Mind reading so that I could read peoples minds when I'm standing in line at Walmart
   

Soccer Season End Round Up

I was going to post this on Saturday night because I needed to get some pictures off my camera, but for some reason my computer isn't recognizing them. *sigh*.

So, you'll have to do with the ones I got.

The season started out pretty rough.....we lost every single game.

I tried not to be bummed at all the games Ryker's team lost.  After all, this was his first year ever playing soccer.  And, honestly, he didn't seem to mind not winning.  He just loved being out on the field.  He loved the game; playing, watching, cheering on his teammates.

He was one of  the three best players on the team.....which is odd since most of us aren't sports minded in this house.  But he ran his butt off every game.  Even when he knew they would lose the game, even knowing they had no chance of catching up.  He would run up and down the field, running, passing, cheering for his friends..  I have never seen such a work ethic in a young, new athlete in my life.  He just LOVES the game.\














He's already told me he wants to take summer camps, play indoor soccer every fall and outdoor soccer every spring.  So it looks like I am literally now a "soccer mom".

                  

The Rains Came Down and the Floods Came Up

Where to begin.......

What started out as a couple days of rain

And a little bit of hail

Has turned into some of the most catastrophic flooding our province has ever seen.

Tens of thousands have been evacuated, displaced, and uprooted.  Entire towns have had to leave, not knowing what, if anything, they will come home to.

Many of these people have lived in these towns their entire lives.  The devastation is heartwrenching.  A tenth of the city of Calgary has been evacuated (thats 100,000 people).......the military has been called in to help.  

Living in a fairly safe, secure, and landlocked province, you would think this would never happen to us.  We look like we've been hit by a hurricane.  The reality is, Mother Nature is just an equal opportunity destroyer.  For hours at a time the rains seemed endless, and just when you thought you would get a reprieve, the deluge would start again.

City after city have declared states of emergency.  People are panicked, people are scared.....and through it all people have proven time and again that the human spirit is a remarkable thing.  For every story of fear and devastation, there is a story of love, compassion and people on guard and ready and willing to help their neighbors.  We pull together, we embrace people we've never met and we offer what we can to those who have lost so much..  There is A LOT of cleaning up to do once the water goes down......but people are ready.

                                       

So as you go about your life in the next few days, please take a moment a say a prayer or give a thought for Alberta.  We could really use it.

Some ABC's all about me

I know you all want to know everything about me......ha ha ha, narcissism rules!  Anyway, here's a fun little game.  Play along if you'd like.

Age:  36

Bed Size:  King

Chore you hate doing:  Cleaning toilets

Dogs:  1 female cavapoo named Penny

Essential start to your day: Fruit

Favorite Color: Red (purple a close second)

Gold or Silver: Gold

Height: 5'5"

Instruments I play:  Piano, Clarinet

Job Title:  Administrative Clerk

Kids:  Three boys; ages 16, 13 and 9

Live: Canada

Mom's Name: Kate

Nicknames: Ersie, Eri, Houston (work nickname)

Overnight Hospital Stays:  Birth of 3 boys, tonsillectomy, sinus surgery

Pet Peeve: Poor grammar, people who eat while talking on the phone, 

Quote from a movie:  "There's no place like home"

Right or left handed: Right

Siblings:  2 younger brothers and a younger sister

Time you wake up:  6:00 - 6:30 a.m.

Underwear:  Nobody's business

Vegetables you dislike: Brussel Sprouts

What makes you run late: Having a habitually late husband

X-Rays you've had: teeth -- I honestly don't remember having xrays done

Yummy Food you make: my chili is pretty darn delicious

Zoo Animals:  I am really not a big fan of zoos.  Usually the animals look really unhappy and unhealthy