Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Hooliganting: Best Idea Ever
Hooliganting: Best Idea Ever: Sipping a drink and feeling fine, a hazlenut mocha frap curls around my tongue and numbs my brain to a rapturous fog. After yet another blis...
Best Idea Ever
Sipping a drink and feeling fine, a hazlenut mocha frap curls around my tongue and numbs my brain to a rapturous fog. After yet another blisteringly hot day that almost makes you forget that three weeks ago, the river had just broken and the snow was still melting, the call of Starbucks was too much to resist. I love the new attraction in the downtown.
I think May is my favorite month in the north. The sun comes out to play and I already sport a tan that makes me look like a had a week in Mexico, rather than picking dandelions out of my front lawn. It rises at 4ish and goes to bed around 11:00. There is more energy with it and much more time to enjoy the outdoors. Never mind that we had a bone chilling winter that dragged from October to May, now the leaves have popped on the trees, the grass is green and instasummer has hit.
This is the month of dance rehearsals and recitals. It is the year end for music and swim, with opportunities to watch kids shine and show their talents. It is the season of school field trips and bike riding. My two kids actually enjoy riding their bikes to the bus stop. The neighbourhood has come to life with rippling bells ringing, birds chirping in the back nests, planter boxes being created and of course, evidence of a rabbit that we can't find. The lilacs are scenting the air and I don't even seem to mind the pollen drifting through the air.
This too is the season to plot camping, road trips and summer fun. Summer camps are being booked and swim lessons added. There is time for relaxation and barbeques all while spending time in a community that has rivers flowing, incredible sunsets and the best northern lights dancing across the sky. Right now, why would I be anywhere else? Yep, the hazelnut mocha is smooth....
I think May is my favorite month in the north. The sun comes out to play and I already sport a tan that makes me look like a had a week in Mexico, rather than picking dandelions out of my front lawn. It rises at 4ish and goes to bed around 11:00. There is more energy with it and much more time to enjoy the outdoors. Never mind that we had a bone chilling winter that dragged from October to May, now the leaves have popped on the trees, the grass is green and instasummer has hit.
This is the month of dance rehearsals and recitals. It is the year end for music and swim, with opportunities to watch kids shine and show their talents. It is the season of school field trips and bike riding. My two kids actually enjoy riding their bikes to the bus stop. The neighbourhood has come to life with rippling bells ringing, birds chirping in the back nests, planter boxes being created and of course, evidence of a rabbit that we can't find. The lilacs are scenting the air and I don't even seem to mind the pollen drifting through the air.
This too is the season to plot camping, road trips and summer fun. Summer camps are being booked and swim lessons added. There is time for relaxation and barbeques all while spending time in a community that has rivers flowing, incredible sunsets and the best northern lights dancing across the sky. Right now, why would I be anywhere else? Yep, the hazelnut mocha is smooth....
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Hooliganting: Keeping Up Appearances: My Way or ELSE
Hooliganting: Keeping Up Appearances: My Way or ELSE: My mother used to watch this Television show when I was middle to less than teen called Keeping Up Appearances. This program ventures onto t...
Keeping Up Appearances: My Way or ELSE
My mother used to watch this Television show when I was middle to less than teen called Keeping Up Appearances. This program ventures onto the modern screen once in awhile and Hyacinth (?) keeps me rolling my eyes as she peeks through curtains to spy on neighbours while hiding secrets of her own. She attempts to be posh and sometimes fails miserably. It amuses me but so isn't me.
I have my own brand of nonsense. I love to dance. The music, the rhythm, the sounds and the challenges. I like the people and the determination. There is the thrill of being on stage and the terror that goes with it. Now, you have to understand that I got into it for exercise in the first place. While that is a nice side benefit, it hasn't come with the desired weight loss I wanted. I also got into it to prove to my girls that there was nothing that I was asking of them that I wouldn't do myself. They love it!
The thing is that I grew out of the adult classes being offered and took up with the Advanced Hip Hop teenagers. They are young and wisp like. They have the ability to contort and their knees are still newish. Here I am tonight trying to keep up with the young and definitely have some work to do. I have to bend lower, practise the b boy moves and actually remember the darned choreo that keeps changing. I have loved it but right now feel like that show: Keeping Up Appearances. I have taped knees, a streaming cold (allergies?), a "popped" calf muscle in addition to the usual aches and pains of a body that is over 40 being asked to do the same things as a 16 year old.
I will get there and love it at the end. Practise makes perfect. But blending in is harder to do some days, in fact today it was darned near impossible. Is it worth it?
I think so:
1) I am being me
2) I have time to spend with my girls
3) Exercise for the long term is being modelled.
4) Determination and goal setting is being modelled.
5) There is the fun and spontaneity with dance
6) There is a great outlet for a challenging day.
7) There is the reward of completing a show
8) I can be proud of the process.
9) I am still learning and able to do so.
10) I am healthier for the most part.
Most importantly: Appearances be darned. This is my brand of crazy and I like it.
I have my own brand of nonsense. I love to dance. The music, the rhythm, the sounds and the challenges. I like the people and the determination. There is the thrill of being on stage and the terror that goes with it. Now, you have to understand that I got into it for exercise in the first place. While that is a nice side benefit, it hasn't come with the desired weight loss I wanted. I also got into it to prove to my girls that there was nothing that I was asking of them that I wouldn't do myself. They love it!
The thing is that I grew out of the adult classes being offered and took up with the Advanced Hip Hop teenagers. They are young and wisp like. They have the ability to contort and their knees are still newish. Here I am tonight trying to keep up with the young and definitely have some work to do. I have to bend lower, practise the b boy moves and actually remember the darned choreo that keeps changing. I have loved it but right now feel like that show: Keeping Up Appearances. I have taped knees, a streaming cold (allergies?), a "popped" calf muscle in addition to the usual aches and pains of a body that is over 40 being asked to do the same things as a 16 year old.
I will get there and love it at the end. Practise makes perfect. But blending in is harder to do some days, in fact today it was darned near impossible. Is it worth it?
I think so:
1) I am being me
2) I have time to spend with my girls
3) Exercise for the long term is being modelled.
4) Determination and goal setting is being modelled.
5) There is the fun and spontaneity with dance
6) There is a great outlet for a challenging day.
7) There is the reward of completing a show
8) I can be proud of the process.
9) I am still learning and able to do so.
10) I am healthier for the most part.
Most importantly: Appearances be darned. This is my brand of crazy and I like it.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Hooliganting: Things that go bump in the night
Hooliganting: Things that go bump in the night: In a house that is populated in part by children, there are those things that go bump in the night. Having spent the past three weeks findin...
Things that go bump in the night
In a house that is populated in part by children, there are those things that go bump in the night. Having spent the past three weeks finding all sorts of things to do around the house that have managed to exhaust me and my family thoroughly, I have actually been forced to pause and pay attention to some of these things that indeed go bump in the night.
There is the prevailing winds that blow the hot weather in and steal it back. Currently, the deck furniture is being blown from one end of the deck to the other. In about thirty minutes, I am going to have a child that will want to wander in from her room as she hates storms. The deck furniture is right below her window too.
Often, I am trying to get myself to bed in the wee hours of the morning. Out of consideration for the sleepers in the house, I attempt the stealthy sneak from the stairs, to the bathroom, quietly brush teeth and hair etc, and then skitter to bed. Once in awhile, though, I am the thing that goes bump in the night. From bruised shins, to damaged toes or catching an elbow on the doorframe, there is something to be said for the benefits of light switches. Perhaps this is why I live in the land of the midnight sun, for a few months I have the option of going to bed in daylight no matter what!
Then, with all the rearranging of furniture and repairinng the dings in the walls, there have been obstacles of an unfamiliar nature. I have paint cans, and sanders. I have spackle and scrapers. Tape and paint brushes adorn various locations. It would be lovely if I could remember where I put the darned things when I am in a hurry or looking for something else. For three weeks, I have dodged the obstacle course, but the girls have not been so lucky. They have sleepily stumbled into paint prints and my eldest has a bruise on her knee that is wickedly pretty.
So, from there you have the cat. She yowls and prowls to the wee hours of the morning. She sings for her supper and demands cleanliness. This brown object of fluff blends into the carpet and prances on your feet in the middle of the night. Definately, she is a force to be reckoned with.
In every house, there are these peculiar things that go bump in the night. Santa Claus and the tooth fairy. Monsters under the bed. The feet from above you as you sip your cuppa before sleep. However, I have to say that lately this house takes the cake.
Tonight, my ambition is to go to bed and to sleep. With no noise...nor storm...nor cat. Fingers crossed!
There is the prevailing winds that blow the hot weather in and steal it back. Currently, the deck furniture is being blown from one end of the deck to the other. In about thirty minutes, I am going to have a child that will want to wander in from her room as she hates storms. The deck furniture is right below her window too.
Often, I am trying to get myself to bed in the wee hours of the morning. Out of consideration for the sleepers in the house, I attempt the stealthy sneak from the stairs, to the bathroom, quietly brush teeth and hair etc, and then skitter to bed. Once in awhile, though, I am the thing that goes bump in the night. From bruised shins, to damaged toes or catching an elbow on the doorframe, there is something to be said for the benefits of light switches. Perhaps this is why I live in the land of the midnight sun, for a few months I have the option of going to bed in daylight no matter what!
Then, with all the rearranging of furniture and repairinng the dings in the walls, there have been obstacles of an unfamiliar nature. I have paint cans, and sanders. I have spackle and scrapers. Tape and paint brushes adorn various locations. It would be lovely if I could remember where I put the darned things when I am in a hurry or looking for something else. For three weeks, I have dodged the obstacle course, but the girls have not been so lucky. They have sleepily stumbled into paint prints and my eldest has a bruise on her knee that is wickedly pretty.
So, from there you have the cat. She yowls and prowls to the wee hours of the morning. She sings for her supper and demands cleanliness. This brown object of fluff blends into the carpet and prances on your feet in the middle of the night. Definately, she is a force to be reckoned with.
In every house, there are these peculiar things that go bump in the night. Santa Claus and the tooth fairy. Monsters under the bed. The feet from above you as you sip your cuppa before sleep. However, I have to say that lately this house takes the cake.
Tonight, my ambition is to go to bed and to sleep. With no noise...nor storm...nor cat. Fingers crossed!
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