Upper canada chorus - newest chorister

Kenzie auditioned for the Upper Canada Children's Chorus today. She had to go in the the audition room herself where she did vocal exercises, learned part of a new piece, and sung a prepared song (Oh Canada) for the choir director and one of the teachers. After that I was invited into the room to talk to everyone. They said that she had a beautiful voice, could hit the high notes and that she responded really well to instruction. At first I thought they were being kind and were going to "let her down easy". They told her right there that she was accepted into the choir, that she was "would fit beautifully into the choir" and could choose her rehearsal location.

I am so proud of her. I read that over 500 students auditioned in the fall and they only accepted 160. Since this is mid-season, I was told beforehand that they did not have many spots available, so i feel that its an even bigger accomplishment. I would have been just as proud if she didn't make it (given how shy she is this was quite a big deal for her). She was so nervous - by the time I got into the room she was so flushed and "blotchy" because of nerves, but I guess she did great. she is so proud of herself which makes me just so so so happy. I am sorry for bragging. But I am just so pleased for her. I know that she is sensitive and shy but she has been working so hard this year at facing her fears (tough swimming lessons, going to PRIDE, girl guides, trying out for the volleyball team etc) that it is especially rewarding to see her so pleased and proud of herself.

try blogging again

It's December 29th, 2011. One of the things I would like to do in the upcoming year is blog again. I haven’t been very good at it lately. I’m not sure why – maybe because I’ve been making updates in facebook. But I get the feeling that I am one of those annoying people that post way too much on facebook so I will try to post mainly here and less on facebook (except to respond to others).

So.. to bring you up to speed. Things here are relatively good. I’ve been feeling depressed lately though. Not exactly sure why. Could be…. my weight, money issues, Kenz’s social struggles, or Seb’s constant challenges at school. But to be honest, normally those things wouldn’t bring me down as much as I am…. I truly think that I have major depression issue. But last time I talked to my doctor about it she prescribed me some different medication and I cried for 3 weeks until I stopped taking the new meds.

So…. I am hoping that 2012 is a great year and a turning point. Here are a few things I would like to accomplish over the next year.

1. Get my depression under control – beat it.
2. Lose weight so that I am a “healthy” weight.
3. Become a stricter, more consistent parent.
4. Spend more time with CJ (just him and me).
5. Give the kids healthier meals.
6. Spend more time with the kids just playing.
7. Get our financial situation in order so I don’t stress so much about money.

I also want to focus more on the things that I am lucky to have and less on things that shouldn’t matter so much. So, to start, here is a list of things I am grateful for.

1. A wonderful loving husband.
2. Two great kids who are kind, loving, smart, funny and healthy.
3. A job that I enjoy with people I like and respect.
4. An extended family that is kind and loving.
5. A beautiful house that keep us warm and dry and comfortable and safe.
6. Wonderful friends.

That’s it for today….. Here’s to a great 2012!

Meghan

Yay - Meghan is home. Kenzie's friend, Meghan, was gone for a couple weeks on vacation. Kenzie missed her so much. On Friday I told Kenz that Meghan would be home either Saturday or Sunday. I think she must have called Meghan at least 10 time yesterday. She also rode her bike to Meghan's house about 6 times in the last 24 hours. The last time she called was at about noon today... no answer, but Kenz left a message. I was lieing on my bed at about 12:30 pm when the phone rang. I heard Kenzie pick it up and then SCREAM!!!! Meghan was home and she was so excited. Meghan would be here in 5 minutes and the best friends would be reunited. But first kenzie had to run to the mailbox to see if the letter Meghan had sent her had arrived (unfortunately it hadn't). But luckily the card Kenzie made for Meghan was ready....

I can't explain how happy I feel for these two girls. They have such a wonderful friendship. The kind where they can tell each other anything and know the other won't judge or abuse their trust. They can spend hours together playing games, doing crafts or just watching TV and they never fight or get sick of each other. It makes me so happy that kenz has such a great friend (especially when I see other kids taking her for granted or being mean to her).

I think I am almost as glad as Kenz that Meghan is home. and to top it off they will be going to camp together tomorrow (and all week). how fun!

It's July 2011

Well once again it’s been way too long since I last wrote. My main excuse is work. I’m really busy now (its proposal time) and when I get home from the office, the last thing I feel like doing is typing on the computer some more. Things here are going fine. We are almost done the second full week of kid’s summer vacations. The summer holidays always go by too fast. I love summer and the more relaxed feel to our days. I love that we don’t have to get up and rush around in the morning to get the kids to school. In fact today I went for a walk with Bev at 6:30, and when I got home I watered the plants and puttered around outside for a bit. By the time I was done showering and getting ready for work it was 8:30.

Today I am working from the downtown Toronto office. The kids and I picked up Bernadette and Jordana on the way and I dropped them all off at Toronto island to meet up with Omi. They are there now and I am waiting to hear from mum when they are ready to come back.

I’m having a really hard time focusing n work today. Think I might be a bit burnt out – you know when you work at 100% for several days in a row… eventually you crash. That’s how I feel today.

I keep checking my email because Nikki sent me the password to the second set of pics she took of Jordana and Mackenzie last weekend. There are some super cute ones – especially of Jordana. I sent Andrea and Chris the access info and I want to know what they think. They have GOT to think they are awesome.

So we are off on our first summer vacation in 2 weeks – going to the Eckhart House in Prince Edward County. I am really looking forward to that. We will be sharing the house with Andrea and her family. I plan on spending most of my time at the beach with the kids, sitting in a lawn chair and reading a book. At least that’s my plan. After that we are back for a week and then leave to go camping. That should be fun too. Only problem is that my friend Helen doesn’t seem to be speaking to me right now. I honestly don’t know what I did, but it is really stressing me out. Her family will be camping right beside us. Hopefully everything will go smoothly and everyone will get along.

Other than that, what else is new? Let's see - about 3 montsh ago, Sandy had kittens. We were playing with fire letting her out before she was spayed so it shouldnt have been a surprise but to be honest it kind of was. The kittens were SUPER cute and Sandy is an awesome mom. Here are some pics.



We ended up keeping 2 of the kittens - Cloudy and Spotty. They were my favourites - so fluffy. and they are cute and funny and we all love them lots.





In any case, here are some photos from recently so we remember what the kids looked like at 6-1/2 and 8-1/2.