A Working Mom's Drivel

What are YOU doing today?

2005-12-31T11:32:00.000-08:00

How are you celebrating the last day of the year?
Liam and his dad are building a snow fort and they've been at it for hours (there really isn't that much snow to use!)

Happy New Year one and all

I love original art work

2005-12-31T11:30:00.000-08:00

Anything my child brings home that is truly a part of HIM, I just love it to bits.
Do you have any beautiful art work around your home today?

A Wedding Created in Heaven

2005-12-23T15:39:00.000-08:00

Took you two long enough to find each other.

May only Heaven be better than this!

Love Aunt Donna

Family Wedding !

2005-12-23T15:37:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Andrew Patterson (sister Lynne) and the beautiful Miss Helen

This couple waited a long time to tie the knot and it's not going to be one of those silly slip knots

Congrats "kids"

Love Aunt Donna

I'm a (step) Gramma !!

2005-12-23T15:34:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our little planet Alexander Shaw

You sure have the Shaw good lucks.

Go get'em Tiger !!

Love Gramma Donna

Communing with Nature

2005-08-07T06:07:00.000-07:00

Meet Chippy -- Liam sure did.
This little chipmunk was a hungry one.
He managed to get quite a few peanuts from all of us.
He has such cute round cheeks -- now which one am I talking about? Ha ha ha

My boys in the dining room

2005-08-07T06:03:00.000-07:00

Cleve's has great food as you can tell by the happy faces of my guys, anticipating their next meal.
My favourite meal was venison, and I'm not telling why ;-)

My idea of a vacation

2005-08-07T05:58:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the beach at Clevelands House, Muskoka. This was Monday, a glorious day. The rest of the week was blah weather, but the sand between my toes on a hot summer day (while my boys played in the lake) was truly a divine experience

Day out with Thomas

2005-08-07T05:54:00.000-07:00

What a fun day. We took Liam to St Thomas to see THEEE Thomas the Tank Engine. We went for a little train ride and everything.
My little engineer thoroughly enjoyed the day. I can't believe we were eating hot dogs at 10:30 in the morning. This mom stuff is tougher than it looks!

Liam leads the dance!

2005-07-10T16:29:00.000-07:00

Wasn't that a party?
At the celebration of Shannon and Wayne's nuptials, Liam and Kira took to the dance floor early. He learns early. Is any girl safe from his Bondish charms?

I did it !!

2005-07-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

After 20 some odd years and even a change of venues, I finally completed my BA in Sociology.

I'm officially being "admitted" to the University here. I prefer to say I'm a Western Hood :-P

The nice pro Chancellor wouldn't let go of my hands, she was soooo pleased to admit me. I had to admit I was pretty pleased too.

Thanks for all the support friends and family!

Mother Nature's Practical Joke

2005-04-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

Environment Canada's Official Weather Warnings
WarningsLondon - Parkhill - Eastern Middlesex County3:26 PM EDT Saturday 23 April 2005Heavy snowfall warning forLondon - Parkhill - Eastern Middlesex County issued 15 to 20 centimetres of snow by Sunday evening.This is a warning that heavy snow is imminent or occurring in theseRegions. Monitor weather conditions..Listen for updated statements.A spring storm currently south of eastern Lake Erie is tracking to the northeast and will continue to bring winter like conditions to southwestern Ontario tonight and Sunday.Wet snow will continue over Windsor and Sarnia. Wet snow has also begun over the Elgin and London areas as the cold air wraps around The low. In addition snow is occurring to the north of London.. Especially over the higher terrain of the Dundalk Highlands. Due to the warm ground the snow is not expected to accumulate very much at first. However some areas may see between 5 to 10 centimetres of wet snow tonight with an additional 5 to 10 centimetres Sunday before the snow tapers off late in the day. This would give storm totals of 10 to 20 centimetres over these regions.An additional concern over the extreme southwest is that the wet snow will stick to trees especially those with foliage and the weight of the snow combined with brisk winds may cause damage to trees and power lines.

Boy in the Bubble?

2005-03-06T06:14:00.000-08:00

Liam and mom in the high places at Adventures in Wonderland.
Liam? This is great running around in the tunnels!
Mom? My knees are killing me, I'm going to get stuck, I just know it

Both of us waving to dad, safetly ensconced on the floor below

Having a Ball

2005-03-06T06:13:00.000-08:00

More Adventures on Wonderland. Can you find the birthday boy in this picture? What you're really missing is all the giggles. I try not to squish the balls as I move around and Liam just disappears like a dolphin into the middle of them.
Oh to be four again

Birthday Boy And Dad

2005-03-06T06:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, March 5, 2005, my baby turned four years old. Where has the time gone? Here he's playing with his favourite present Mobilo and he can make excavators and helicopters a lot faster than daddy can. This is the view I usually have of my boys. Life is grand :-)

Can you answer the riddle?

2005-01-22T05:51:00.000-08:00

Paul Harvey Writes:

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better.

I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.
I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.
I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.
And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.
It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.
I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.
I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.
When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag
along, I hope you'll let him/her.
I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.
On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.
If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.
I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.
When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.
I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy\girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.
May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.
I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.
I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.
May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.
I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Hannukah/Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.
These things I wish for you -- tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.
Written with a pen. Sealed with a kiss. I'm here for you. And if I die before you do, I'll go to heaven and wait for you.

Paul Harvey RIDDLE:

When asked this riddle, 80% of kindergarten kids got the answer, compared to 17% of Stanford University seniors.

What is greater than God, More evil than the devil, The poor have it, The rich need it, And if you eat it, you'll die?

This is a message of LOVE ??

2005-01-16T07:51:00.000-08:00

The Vermont Teddy Bear of Love
Posted from My Pictures
Just when I think the world is sick enough, something else comes along to make me shake my head a little stronger. Though several of my "friends" have found this comical, I find it lacking in any kind of self-respecting taste. Find the article at Vermont Teddy Bear outcry.

Welcome to the world, Owen Christopher

2005-01-04T14:54:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the world my dearest great-nephew. In the midst of a terrible catastrophe that has swept 150,000 people off the earth, your birth is a welcome distraction.

Your gramma sent me this picture so that I could see you have all your fingers and all your little toes and a great set of lungs. You are a miracle. I hope we your family can live up to your expectations. We'll try to leave this world a better place for you.

Love, Great Aunt Donna

What was I thinking that day?

2004-11-17T06:28:00.000-08:00

What was I thinking that fateful day when I paid tuition for the final course towards my second bachelor's degree? I'm a (happily) married woman, why would I want to be a bachelor times 2?

The course is English Literature -- Children's Literature to be precise. Sounds like a "bird" course right? Wrong!!

Don't get me wrong, I love to read. But I hate picking things apart and finding Freudian or Marxian elements in a Robert Munsch book. The Paper Bag Princess just rocks.

We are currently studying the genre of "Fantasy". Not my "thing". Hey I like a good fairy tale. C.S. Lewis' A Lion, A Witch and a Wardrobe was a wonderful tale, but C.S. Lewis is no slouch. But included in our works are books I just can't sink my teeth into. Ever read Ursula Le Guin? I'm bogged down reading A Wizard of Earthsea. A story of a young "sorcerer" who has teenage urges and his boasting conjures up great evil. I want to go back to the wardrobe and play was Aslan the great lion. He would know what to do with boastful sorcerers.

Anyone else out there counting down the days till the add/drop without academic penalty date approaches. Sigh.

The best side of me ...

2004-10-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

This is the back of my head. Like me so far? The beautiful smiling creature is my sweet niece Christina who helped removed about 6 inches of hair from my unwieldy mane. She's smiling because she finally found ONE grey hair and yanked it out with minimal fuss. Now there are NO grey hairs. You don't inherit them from your children after all.

It's kind of funny having long hair and then getting it cut on a weekend. You go back to work, decide to wear your hair down because this time it won't drag through your lunch, and everyone stops to comment that I'm letting my hair grow again. LOL. Yup growing exponentially in a negative direction or some insane logarithmic scale.

That was Thanksgiving weekend. I feel snow coming. Blech.
Posted from My Pictures

Summer turns to autumn ...

2004-10-08T08:32:00.000-07:00

Summer comes to an end ...
Liam definitely helps his dad with all the tough work around the home. He pushes the lawnmower from the middle bar, while dad pushes from behind.
And now that there is a crisp smell of Autumn in the air, it will soon be time for Liam to gather the leaves and, of course, jump in them and spread them all around again!
Posted from My Pictures

Left hand, right hand. Please shake!!

2004-08-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, I think I'm fairly easy to get along with. I don't drive an impressive car nor do I live in a big impressive house. But I'm comfy. I genuinely like people. I treat people with respect. And for some strange reason, I somehow expect that people, especially those who want my money, will treat me likewise.

Well, the laugh's on me today.

Oxford Dodge, the place where I bought my 97 Neon oh so many years ago, called me several weeks ago to book an appointment ... my three months were coming due so better get Bessie in for her lube job. That's all. Forget the squeaky breaks -- the mechanic there told me that all small cars have squeaky breaks. Forget the lack of pep -- another mechanic told me he took Bessie for a test drive and it's one of the best Neon's he's ever driven. Pity the other Neon-ites. So, let's just get Bessie in to have her weary oil changed. She's almost 8 years old and only has 60 klicks on her.

So the appointment gets booked 3 weeks in advance. Then I get the friendly reminder message on my voice mail that I have a 9 AM appointment the next day, and just like the dentist, please let us know if you can't make this time as we reserve it for you.

So, I pack up the three-year-old noodle who is excited because he's going to see the mechanics actually work on the car. And at his eye-level too. I get there, and there are 4 people ahead of me at the oil and lube bay. Yes bay. Only one bay. Like "The Dock of the Bay". Aha! But I have an appointment !! I confidently stroll up to the young man at the computer and told him cheerfully I have a 9:00 appointment, where would he like me to park the car? Well, I thought he was really going to tell me where to park it. You see, the oil and lube bay does not take appointments, I must have an appointment at the regular service bays. Hmmm. Sure, Ok, whatever.

Off to the main service bays. Get out of the car, unstrap noodle from his 18 point harness restraint. Stand in from of Mike the Mechanic (honest, that was his name) and wait till he acknowledges my presence. He takes my kilometrage (that seems much easier to say as mileage) and all that stuff, prints off the paper for me to sign, calls me by my first name as if we were old friends. When I told him I brought noodle along to watch the mechanics he looked at me strangely and said, "Well I don't think that's going to happen". Why not ?? He told me to go ahead and have a seat in the waiting room. I ask (silly me) how long this will take as we are fully into toilet training and time is definitely of the essence. When we have to go, we have to go! Mike tells me it will be about an hour. Excuse me? I have a 9:00 appointment. Then HE tells me they don't take appointments for just oil and lube. Hello?? It's going to be an hour because there are four cars in line at the oil and lube and he'll get my car in line right after them.

I told him what he could do with his 9:00 appointment. He asked if I wanted to keep the appointment as an open appointment. A what? How can I keep an appointment open when they don't take appointments?

Left hand? Meet right hand? Nice ladies on the phone that make service phone calls? Please check with the mechanics that do the work before you book appointments for things that don't book appointments.

Gridlocked in London ... an Unhappy Customer (how DID they get those 5 stars anyway)?

2004-08-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

There's a lot to be said for creativity.

We all need an outlet of some sort. One might say this website is a rather narcissistic way of expressing my so-called creativity, but there's always more.

How many of you are in jobs where you produce ideas but never see them to fruition? That would drive me bonkers. I have to see the end product of what I do. Hence, my knitting.

Welcome to sock #1. This is my first actual sock, completed, start to finish, complete with grafted toe. I am pleased. Mind you, it doesn't have a mate yet, but all in good time. I learned how to do some pretty neat stuff in knitting I had never tried before and, with a few oops here and there, in the end (or at the toe) I succeeded.

What do YOU do to express your inner child?
Posted from My Pictures

2004-08-07T08:05:00.000-07:00

Liam, aka Bawb the Builder

Liam is happiest when he's busy fixing something -- just like his dad. You can see he is suitably attired for this awesome role. Aunt Lynne finds the neatest BtheB attire. Here he is in his BtheB overalls, complete with tool belt and working tools. Thanks to BigBrotherSholto for the construction hat. And though you can't see them, thanks to Landsend.com for the "construction" boots (actually rain boots). Liam, err I mean Bob is ready to set out for places unknown to build tall buildings so he can come along a little later with the demolition crew to knock them down.

Oh to be three years old again with a great imagination!

Thanks for the smiles, Liam. Love, Mom
Posted from My Pictures

2004-08-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

Fowl play in London?

You can fight at City Hall to get a "please slow down, there are children playing" sign and not win, and heaven help us when it comes to "deer crossing" signs in London (where the deer not only play but eat all our landscaping), but the strangest thing I've ever seen was this sign, "Turkey crossing" on Riverside Drive. I had to stop and take a picture. No one would believe me. And the Riverside turkey indeed was grazing behind the little white church you might be able to see in the background.

Well, not only was this sign the strangest thing I had ever seen, but it seemed to upset the turkey as well. I'm sure he wasn't being paid any fee to be a tourist attraction. These signs went up just before Easter of 2004 and, not so coincidentally perhaps, the turkey soon-after disappeared. And now the signs are gone.

The mystery? Was there fowl play? Did someone eat the bird for Easter? Comments are welcome as this Londoner has an enquiring mind that wants to know!
Posted from My Pictures

2004-08-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

Big Boy Underpants ... Thanks Aunt Lynne. For his birthday you gave Liam a set of Bob the Builder "big boy" underwear to help encourage him to use the facilities. Our first success occurred when he proclaimed he wanted to wear his big boy underwear. Little did we know he wanted to make this kind of a fashion statement.

Well, we've come a long way since then Aunt Lynne. Liam is now wearing his big boy undies in the proper location -- with Lofty covering his butt, and Bob protecting the privates. We have pee'd and we have pooped successfully in the potty at school and at home and are taking great delight in the workings of it all. Mom can't believe that after three and a half years, she might not have to change poopy diapers anymore. The joys of motherhood are endless.

So thank you Aunt Lynne. And Bob. And all the wonderful people that help my baby slowly become a little man. Actually, tempest fidgets ...
Posted from My Pictures

2004-08-01T05:20:00.000-07:00

Hats off to Tim, not only someone with a true desire to make guests welcome and feel special, but one who actually expresses his sentiments in a way that you know he really cares.

Most of our "servers" in the dining room at Wigamog Inn would answer our polite "thank you" with a "no problem". After you hear that twenty or so times, you really begin to wonder if you ARE a problem, just because you want a refill on your decaf.

Tim knocked our socks off when he answered our "thank you" with a "you're welcome" and a welcoming great smile to boot.

Not only did Tim provide excellent service, but he actually made real contact with my hungry three year old son Liam. That's not an easy thing to do when nothing on the menu or the "kid's menu" appeals to the tummy.

Here is a picture of Tim after he has successfully taught Liam to give a two thumbs up when dinner was appealing. Tim even found the time to fix the chandelier bulb above our table after (the ever-watching) Liam continued to point out its deficiency.

Our two thumbs up to Tim and we wish him well with his continuing studies at George Brown in Toronto.
Posted from My Pictures

And they tell me it's vacation time ...

2004-07-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Ok Wigamog, here we come. It's the day before departure and gramma is coming in on the early afternoon train. We've been to the Superstore to buy some toilet-training-encouraging Bob the Builder big boy underpants. "I want Muck!!", the woeful child's cries ring out. There are unnamed machines on the butt of these undies, but Bob is stalwartly standing on the private parts part. A mom just has to keep trying.

Do we have enough sunscreen? Bug Spray? Can you use bug spray WITH sunscreen? How large will the mosquitoes be? Will they replace the loon as the official provincial bird? How many cameras do we take? How many jeans, shorts, tank tops, sweatshirts, books, toys, bandaids, hiking shoes, water shoes, walking shoes and sandals ... I'm so tired and we haven't even picked out which route we are taking to the GWN (Great White North).

Lord luvvaduck and all the other travellers heading out this weekend in search of that elusive dream of true relaxation. Here I am worried that I won't bring the "right" book to read or the right knitting project to work on while I'm enjoying the fresh air.

I need lessons in slowing down, help!

Corporate Culture ... something in a petrie dish?

2004-07-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

I need someone to educate me on the milieu that governs the workplace called The Corporate Culture or TCC for short.

In the beginning was the rule book. And it was a good start. Then came the changes. And then the changes to the changes. Then the processes surrounding the changes and the changes became changes therewithin.

Hey, I can follow the rules. And I'm truly at my best when we all have the same playbook. There will always be misunderstandings, but we're grownups and we can work together, right? WRONG. Or so I discovered recently when I followed one of the plays in the playbook. Thou shalt follow the rulebook, but thou shalt not inform other players of blatant disregard of said rules. Ummm isn't that a foul or something? I think it's foul anyway.

As so much of this world is governed by electronic communications, I sent an email to someone on a related "team" who was constantly interrupting my work by breaking one of the "rules", or as it is otherwise known, "not following process".

A week later I was inundated by meetings upon meetings upon confidential emails and followups on said email. I swear Dilbert sits in the cube beside me and Ratbert is ratting me out.

Two weeks after sending the short missive, I found out why all the fuss over one little email. It was TCC. I was informed that "gossip had it" (and gossip is a wonderful authority) that I was unduly harsh to new people starting in the workplace. Say what? I guess that would explain why, when one of the new people on contract left, she came to my cubette to hug me. Yes, the floggings shall continue ...

So, TCC dictates that I must follow the rules, and when other people break the rules, I am not to guide them on a path of learning and discovery, but to leave them in the path of ignorance, for TCC sake. You see, my little email was empirical proof that I am indeed unduly harsh on those that haven't been around for the myriad number of years that I have.

I can play by the rules. Could someone please give me Volume 2 of The Rules, you know, The Unwritten Ones? I'm so governed by common sense that I obviously need more training to undo all of that.

Blog mode off ...

Haliburton Ontario Resort Vacation & Conference Accommodation - Wigamog Inn Resorts

2004-07-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

Vacation time is coming !!
Soon we will be packing up the Volvo with 6 weeks worth of clothing, toys and hobbies for the 5 day stay at Wigamog Inn. We're looking forward to warm and sunny weather, not like the nonsense cool and rainy July weather we've been getting lately. Who was it that said we're in a period of global warming??

The time to spend with family in the quiet woods and lakes of Haliburton, interrupted only by the faint call of the loon and the occasional water skiier "wiping out" ... ah this is the life of the rushed vacationer.

This blogging mom promises to post some pics from the grand vacation. Have small digital camera; will travel.

Oh Canada!

2004-07-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

It's lovely to be enjoying the hot, humid weather that we love so well in SW Ontario.

I have a few moments to spare here while my 'noodle' (my pet name for my 3 year old son) is napping. How he manages to sleep in this heat while cuddled under his favourite quilt is quite beyond me. And those things that continue to be "beyond me" are what make motherhood so enjoyable.

Why do I love being a mom so much? Well, that's a lot of blogs, but today I'm reminded of the ways my noodle makes me LOL.

As my fellow Canadians are quite aware, we voted (of course we did!!) in a federal election this past Monday. Keeping Noodle involved in so many aspects of our lives, we brought him along to the polling station. We checked in at poll 075 and smiled at the ladies who were looking a little weary for the journey, but smiling nonetheless. We were given our ballots and went back to the "secret place" to mark an X beside our chosen favourite. Noodle was quite interested in the process and wanted to know why mommy put a big X on the card (thus ruining it in his mind) and we tried to explain things. Democracy. Process. How great it is to be a Canadian. YOU TOO will participate in this great process some day my little one. As we proceeded to the exit with our chests puffed out in pride, Noodle announced to the gathering crowd of sublime voters that he had sand in his diapers and he really just wanted to go home and get them changed.

I love my Noodle.

2004-06-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

Would you trust this woman?
Posted by Hello

In the beginning ....

2004-06-27T07:18:00.000-07:00

In the beginning there was inspiration. And the inspiration became word. Or words. Generally too many words flowing at too high a rate of speed to be made into something sensible.

But ... a journalist friend inspired me to blog so here I am with my first blob ... err I mean blog.

As I figure out how this wonderful web builder works, I will add subtance to my content. In the meantime, welcome to my world