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| Roman the navigator. As soon as I pull out a map (or look on Google Maps) he`s all over it! |
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| Enjoying the craft portion of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" as told by the park staff |
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| Sun, surf and |
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| and sand |
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| Peddling into the sunset... |
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Port Burwell, Ontario Provincial Park
What has become an annual trip to Port Burwell Provincial Park once again fills my memory banks with wonderful images
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Advice masked as gossip?
Phew! It's been a crazy time and while I would much rather rave about a fabulous family vacation - and I will as soon as time is found - for now ranting is the priority.
And I had forgotten how much I really hate gossip(ing) until I was faced with it today.
In talking with a friend about something Roman related, Friend launched into a tale about so-and-so who'd done that and how it had turned out badly.
I listened politely and let the conversation change as someone else joined in.
I've always wondered why I wasn't connecting well with Friend. I see them often enough, they are very nice but somehow the click never became audible. I'm beginning to understand now. It has to do with Friend's choices of conversation and how, often, things I mention get a response about how so-and-so did the same and how it had ended up badly.
It always seems to turn out badly.
Which is how I came to the realization that perhaps Friend thinks they are helpful giving advice without actually giving advice. Passive-aggressive advice giving... does that exist?
In the end, the choices I make for my children are the choices I make for my children.The consequences of said choices are also MY consequences to be dealt with.
The good part of today is I've unmasked two things - PAAG and why I don't jump through hoops for Friend.
I've also reaffirmed for myself that my children are mine to screw up and I plan to do it MY way!
And I had forgotten how much I really hate gossip(ing) until I was faced with it today.
In talking with a friend about something Roman related, Friend launched into a tale about so-and-so who'd done that and how it had turned out badly.
I listened politely and let the conversation change as someone else joined in.
I've always wondered why I wasn't connecting well with Friend. I see them often enough, they are very nice but somehow the click never became audible. I'm beginning to understand now. It has to do with Friend's choices of conversation and how, often, things I mention get a response about how so-and-so did the same and how it had ended up badly.
It always seems to turn out badly.
Which is how I came to the realization that perhaps Friend thinks they are helpful giving advice without actually giving advice. Passive-aggressive advice giving... does that exist?
In the end, the choices I make for my children are the choices I make for my children.The consequences of said choices are also MY consequences to be dealt with.
The good part of today is I've unmasked two things - PAAG and why I don't jump through hoops for Friend.
I've also reaffirmed for myself that my children are mine to screw up and I plan to do it MY way!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
What I love about WalMart
There are plenty of reasons not to like Walmart.
Being Canadian, trying to buy Canadian or at least shop at Canadian owned stores was something we practice as much as possible. Until a few years ago, this meant avoiding Walmart - or "StuffMart" as the kids call it" - like the plague.
Our closest comparable store's parent company was then bought out by a US company. Now price became the only deciding factor. Let's face it, Walmart prices on a lot of things really are lower than others.
But this isn't about prices - it's about the return policy.
And the fact that there don't seem to be any rules. "Bring it in, wait in line and we'll give you your money back. In cash. No matter how you paid us, we'll give you cash." I'm not certain I've ever actually been asked why I'm returning something and I have yet to give any personal information tying me to a return.
Yesterday we were picking up some printer labels to use for VBS and went to the toy section to find learning activity books for our camping trip. This meant walking past all the new Transformer toys. I am a very fortunate Mom. My kids very rarely ask for something when we're in a store, unless it's food. Roman actually asked if we could buy one. I believe his words were, "Wow! That's cool! Let's buy one!" I replied that he has his allowance that he's been saving for the Lego airport but the money is his so it's his decision. I suggested we go home, count his saved money then decide if we should go back to buy the "Bubblebee" car I had taken off the shelf.
Did you know that not all Transformer toys actually transform? Long story short, we get Bubblebee home and all it does is open some doors to show guns then make different sounds. For $30 of a kids saved money? I don't think so! I let Roman play with it for about 20 minutes while I frantically made dinner all the while trying to convince him that it many not have been the best purchase.
It really was my fault. I didn't look carefully at the package. I assumed that all Transformers actually DO transform into a robot and confessed as much to Roman. He agreed that, while the car really was cool, he probably would get bored and that perhaps taking it back would be a good idea.
I wipe it down, repackage it as best I can, pull out the receipt and off we go, back to StuffMart. At the return counter we hand it and the receipt to the girl (lady? chick?) working and Roman says, "It doesn't actually transform into anything!" She was already half way through the return process so it really didn't matter. I sign my name to a piece of paper that has no possible connection to me and she hands Roman the cash back for his purchase.
It seems a bit insane but not having to do a song and dance and explain how I made a mistake is very appreciated by this Mom.
And it gets better. Turns out I also appreciate the lack of attention to detail often displayed by those stocking the shelves.
We shop for something better and find Optimus Prime with a bonus Lunar Buggy. The shelves are packed with the same toy and a huge "Special Price!" sign for $22.96. What a steal! At the checkout, this of course comes up at $30 and a toy department rep is called to sort it all out.
Turns out the sign wasn't changed when the toys were. Given it was a store error, we were given the significantly discounted price. The toy department rep was then in the process then of fixing the signage...
Score two for Mama and a win for Walmart. They might not have won on the dollars earned front but chances are high we'll be back when Roman has saved more of his allowance.
Being Canadian, trying to buy Canadian or at least shop at Canadian owned stores was something we practice as much as possible. Until a few years ago, this meant avoiding Walmart - or "StuffMart" as the kids call it" - like the plague.
Our closest comparable store's parent company was then bought out by a US company. Now price became the only deciding factor. Let's face it, Walmart prices on a lot of things really are lower than others.
But this isn't about prices - it's about the return policy.
And the fact that there don't seem to be any rules. "Bring it in, wait in line and we'll give you your money back. In cash. No matter how you paid us, we'll give you cash." I'm not certain I've ever actually been asked why I'm returning something and I have yet to give any personal information tying me to a return.
Yesterday we were picking up some printer labels to use for VBS and went to the toy section to find learning activity books for our camping trip. This meant walking past all the new Transformer toys. I am a very fortunate Mom. My kids very rarely ask for something when we're in a store, unless it's food. Roman actually asked if we could buy one. I believe his words were, "Wow! That's cool! Let's buy one!" I replied that he has his allowance that he's been saving for the Lego airport but the money is his so it's his decision. I suggested we go home, count his saved money then decide if we should go back to buy the "Bubblebee" car I had taken off the shelf.
Did you know that not all Transformer toys actually transform? Long story short, we get Bubblebee home and all it does is open some doors to show guns then make different sounds. For $30 of a kids saved money? I don't think so! I let Roman play with it for about 20 minutes while I frantically made dinner all the while trying to convince him that it many not have been the best purchase.
It really was my fault. I didn't look carefully at the package. I assumed that all Transformers actually DO transform into a robot and confessed as much to Roman. He agreed that, while the car really was cool, he probably would get bored and that perhaps taking it back would be a good idea.
I wipe it down, repackage it as best I can, pull out the receipt and off we go, back to StuffMart. At the return counter we hand it and the receipt to the girl (lady? chick?) working and Roman says, "It doesn't actually transform into anything!" She was already half way through the return process so it really didn't matter. I sign my name to a piece of paper that has no possible connection to me and she hands Roman the cash back for his purchase.
It seems a bit insane but not having to do a song and dance and explain how I made a mistake is very appreciated by this Mom.
And it gets better. Turns out I also appreciate the lack of attention to detail often displayed by those stocking the shelves.
We shop for something better and find Optimus Prime with a bonus Lunar Buggy. The shelves are packed with the same toy and a huge "Special Price!" sign for $22.96. What a steal! At the checkout, this of course comes up at $30 and a toy department rep is called to sort it all out.
Turns out the sign wasn't changed when the toys were. Given it was a store error, we were given the significantly discounted price. The toy department rep was then in the process then of fixing the signage...
Score two for Mama and a win for Walmart. They might not have won on the dollars earned front but chances are high we'll be back when Roman has saved more of his allowance.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
They keep growing up
The first couple days after school ended were rough but they seem to have settled out. I've learned to read them the riot act first thing in the morning to help remind everyone what type of behaviour is expected.
As a result, Roman and Lauren have actually spent time playing TOGETHER! One day they each kept asking me to do things with them. Eventually I replied, "That's what you have a sister / brother for. Go play together."
Roman has also been much more reasonable in his responses when things don't go his way. Overall, I think being out of school is helping. He doesn't have the peer issues facing him every morning. In that aspect, I'm not looking forward to Grade One.
The school practice is to pair SK kids with a same gender buddy for the transition to Grade One. There were only 3 other SK boys none of which are ideal matches for Roman. We had many days where he came home a wreck because of things done or said by the other boys. They weren't offensive or mean to Roman, but have been raised differently or have different situations. For example, one has an older sibling that he always goes to find at recess. Roman doesn't enjoy the all-boy running chasing shooting hunting type games this friend and his older brother play so ends up left behind and a bit lost. All three other boys are younger or youngest siblings while Roman is the oldest and not a particularly sporty-rough kind of kid.
To that end, I asked his Kindergarten teacher to NOT pair him with one of the boys, that one of the girls would be preferable or even no-one as we could manage that transition from home. I've also suggested that if there's a split class (Grade 1 - 2) that we'd be fine with Roman in that environment. She said Roman would be her pick for a split class too because he's so independent and advanced with his learning but that none of the buddies are. I took the opportunity to reiterate that not having a buddy is just fine with us, we'll help Roman handle that change. I'm not sure if it will happen or if it's the right decision but we do the best we can.
Meanwhile, Roman has had a new tooth come in - but he still had all 20 of his baby teeth. The funny thing is, one of his favourite cousins, Alex, turned 6 in February and has three teeth missing. Here's our kid with an extra and Alex with an extra hole! Last night we finally convinced Roman to let us yank the loose tooth the rest of the way out. It was ready all on its own but he was reluctant to do anything with it. Most kids are obsessive about loose teeth but not my guy! "The tooth fairy keeps calling me to see if your tooth is ready yet..." I'd say. He'd wiggle it a few times then be distracted by a shiny thing.
Last night it finally we could finally deliver:
It hit me later that this is just one more significant sign of my (not so) little guy growing up. Baby teeth falling out, getting along with his sister, not melting down ever time something goes wrong, even trying new foods and being proud of it. Add in his trying to balance better on his bike to get rid of his training wheels and it's a whole new boy.
In no time at all he'll be wanting a drivers license and gas money...
As a result, Roman and Lauren have actually spent time playing TOGETHER! One day they each kept asking me to do things with them. Eventually I replied, "That's what you have a sister / brother for. Go play together."
Roman has also been much more reasonable in his responses when things don't go his way. Overall, I think being out of school is helping. He doesn't have the peer issues facing him every morning. In that aspect, I'm not looking forward to Grade One.
The school practice is to pair SK kids with a same gender buddy for the transition to Grade One. There were only 3 other SK boys none of which are ideal matches for Roman. We had many days where he came home a wreck because of things done or said by the other boys. They weren't offensive or mean to Roman, but have been raised differently or have different situations. For example, one has an older sibling that he always goes to find at recess. Roman doesn't enjoy the all-boy running chasing shooting hunting type games this friend and his older brother play so ends up left behind and a bit lost. All three other boys are younger or youngest siblings while Roman is the oldest and not a particularly sporty-rough kind of kid.
To that end, I asked his Kindergarten teacher to NOT pair him with one of the boys, that one of the girls would be preferable or even no-one as we could manage that transition from home. I've also suggested that if there's a split class (Grade 1 - 2) that we'd be fine with Roman in that environment. She said Roman would be her pick for a split class too because he's so independent and advanced with his learning but that none of the buddies are. I took the opportunity to reiterate that not having a buddy is just fine with us, we'll help Roman handle that change. I'm not sure if it will happen or if it's the right decision but we do the best we can.
Meanwhile, Roman has had a new tooth come in - but he still had all 20 of his baby teeth. The funny thing is, one of his favourite cousins, Alex, turned 6 in February and has three teeth missing. Here's our kid with an extra and Alex with an extra hole! Last night we finally convinced Roman to let us yank the loose tooth the rest of the way out. It was ready all on its own but he was reluctant to do anything with it. Most kids are obsessive about loose teeth but not my guy! "The tooth fairy keeps calling me to see if your tooth is ready yet..." I'd say. He'd wiggle it a few times then be distracted by a shiny thing.
Last night it finally we could finally deliver:
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| Mr. Toothless |
In no time at all he'll be wanting a drivers license and gas money...
Friday, July 1, 2011
Adventures with Fondant
Four weeks ago I started a class at the local Bulk Barn with a goal of becoming familiar with fondant and how to use it. Given that it's a Wilton course, the Wilton products are promoted almost exclusively. Thankfully the instructor was a bit flexible and even provided this marshmallow fondant recipe we could use for the third and four classes.
Here's how it went for my final project. First, making the fondant. The instructions state to microwave the mini marshmallows in a "microwave safe bowl". Of course. That makes sense. However, does anyone actually own a microwave safe bowl big enough to fit an entire bag of mini marshmallows? Harken back to the good'ole days pre-microwave and poof! bowl over simmering water:
When it's mixed as much as possible and cool enough to handle, the kneeding begins.
Then came a LOT of work mixing in the colour. I decided to make dark brown fondant to cover the cake board. Next time I'll add the colour paste to the melted marshmallows and hope for the best. It took a lot of paste and a lot of muscle to work it all in to the cooled fondant. The blue for the cake covering was almost as bad but as it was a lighter colour, didn't require quite as much die or as much mixing.
We're big fans of Duncan Hines cake mixes (and icing!) there's no milk ingredients in it - not even the chocolate icing! Corn syrup is pretty far down the list so Lauren's special diet requirements are met while we all get yummy cakes.
By the time I had the blue fondant rolled out enough it started to dry too much. PLUS I didn't catch the technique part about how to smooth the icing on - for the record, start at the top and smooth an inch or so all the way around the sides and keep working down. Don't do a full strip DOWN the cake or the icing will be too big and get big wrinkles.
In an earlier week, we learned how to make daisies. Roman wanted me to make sunflowers so I split the difference and went for black-eyed susans.
Tomorrow we'll eat the cake for Great Grandma's 95th birthday. Purely coincidence but I'm glad we have a reason to eat it... besides the obvious of course
Here's how it went for my final project. First, making the fondant. The instructions state to microwave the mini marshmallows in a "microwave safe bowl". Of course. That makes sense. However, does anyone actually own a microwave safe bowl big enough to fit an entire bag of mini marshmallows? Harken back to the good'ole days pre-microwave and poof! bowl over simmering water:
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| A whole bag of mini marshmallows and tablespoon of water |
They eventually melt down into a pile of white sticky goo.
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| In goes the icing sugar - lots and lots of icing sugar... |
When it's mixed as much as possible and cool enough to handle, the kneeding begins.
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| Mmmm silky soft fondant that actually tastes good! |
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| The blue fondant was a bit drier than it should be so extra hard to kneed. |
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| Of course we need a cake to put it on. |
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| Looks like a blue PacMan ghost consumed my cake... |
In an earlier week, we learned how to make daisies. Roman wanted me to make sunflowers so I split the difference and went for black-eyed susans.
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| The centers are coated in a light brushing of gum glue then dipped in coffee grounds. |
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| The finished cake. Next time, no cake board. It looks like it should be on the Queen's head. |
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