60 Adventures in 60 Days

With September upon us, and back-to-school in full swing, I took a look at the fun-filled Summer I had with my family.  Because my husband is a teacher and I work part-time, we are lucky to have lots of family time in July and August.  And this year we’ve been in ‘puppy training bootcamp’, so we stuck relatively close to home.

We managed to pack in 60 adventures in 60 days.

Here’s what we did, in random order:

The Canada Day celebrations at Spencer Smith Park.

1)  The Canada Day celebrations at Spencer Smith Park.

2)  Casey learned to walk!

Taking the GO Train to see the Toronto Blue Jays play!

3)  The GO Train to a Toronto Blue Jays game.

4)  Frequent trips to the driving range.

5.  Hand-feeding giraffes at Safari Niagara.

5)  Hand-feeding giraffes at Safari Niagara.

6)  Visiting the Pet Store to buy dog treats and say hello to the animals.

9.  Cruising through the Burlington Mall in one of the mall's double strollers.

7)  Cruising through the Burlington Mall in one of the mall’s double strollers.

8)  We took my 4-yr-old to his first (and second) movie in the theatre.

9)  Got a balloon animal from Halaloo the Clown at Tansley Woods Rec Centre- this was through a great program offered by the Burlington Public Library.

10.  The Canadian Open golf tournament at Glen Abbey.

10)  The Canadian Open golf tournament at Glen Abbey.

11)  Mini-SNAP camp at Brant Hills two afternoons/week.

Exploring the creek that runs behind our house.

12)  Exploring the creek that runs behind our house.

13)  The ‘Biggest Little Night’ carnival, put on by the City of Burlington’s Parks & Rec Department.

14)  Thursday night soccer with DASH Sports.

12.  My half-marathon row.

15)  My half-marathon row.

16)  Climbing trees.

17)  Drew learned to ride his bike without training wheels.

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18)  Skating lessons at Centre Ice with Coach Tommy.

19)  ‘Small Oneders’ library program at BPL’s Central Branch.

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20) Raspberry picking at Hutchinson’s Farm.

21)  Backyard BBQ’s with our neighbors.

22)  ‘Creep, Crawl, and Toddle’ at the Ontario Early Year’s Centre.

23)  Weekly Monday night dinners (minus myself, as I work Monday evenings!) with cousins and grandparents.

Valens Conservation Area.

24)  Valens Conservation Area.

25)  Playing baseball at Emerson Park.

26) My friend Dale, whom I haven't seen in 13 years, came to visit from Bristol, England.

26) My friend Dale, whom I haven’t seen in 13 years, came to visit from Bristol, England.

27)  Burlington Centaur's Rugby match.

27)  We watched him play in a Burlington Centaur’s Rugby match.

28)  Lil’ Monkeys indoor playground and Tansley Woods indoor Treehouse.

29)  A family reunion with my mother-in-law’s extended family.

My cousin Lindsay (from Edmonton) came for a visit, and met Casey for the first time!

30)  My cousin Lindsay (from Edmonton) came for a visit- we toured ‘Fielding Estates’ winery in Beamsville.

31)  Mountainside outdoor pool and splashpad.

32)  Nelson outdoor pool and splashpad.

32)  Nelson outdoor pool and splashpad.

33)  Valleyridge splashpad in Oakville.

34)  Bronte Park outdoor pool.

34)  Bronte Park outdoor pool.

35)  Bike rides with the double bike trailer attached.

The Bird Kingdom in Niagara Falls.

36)  The Bird Kingdom in Niagara Falls.

37)  The Niagara Skywheel in Clifton Hill.

37)  Walks through the Orchard trail system, ending up at the duck pond.

38)  Walks through the Orchard trail system, ending up at the duck pond.

39)  A Hamilton TigerCats game at the University of Guelph.

39)  Wasaga Beach.

40)  Wasaga Beach.

41)  Blue Mountain Village.

41)  Blue Mountain Village.

42)  Hosting friends for backyard lunchtime playdates.

43)  August long weekend cottage time.

43)  August long weekend cottage time.

44)  Regular swims in my sister-in-law’s and in-law’s backyard pools.

45)  Neighborhood ice cream truck visits and snow-cone stands.

47)  Centre Island.

46)  Centre Island.

47)  LaSalle Park wading pool.

48)  Burlington Children’s Festival at Beachway Park.

49)  Fishing at my sister-in-law's cottage.

49)  Fishing at my sister-in-law’s cottage.

50)  The Burlington Farmer’s Market.

51)  Going to my husband’s weekly Touch Football games to cheer him on.

52)  Hand-feeding chipmunks at the LaSalle marina.

52)  Hand-feeding chipmunks at the LaSalle marina.

53.  Paddleboarding at Burlington Beach.

54)  Visiting the animals at Bronte Park.

54)  Visiting the animals at Bronte Park.

55)  Assumption Crusaders football camp.

56)  Brantford Zoo.

56)  Brantford Twin Valley Zoo.

57)  Competing in the 'Day/Night Challenge' at Crossfit Altitude.

57)  Competing in the ‘Day/Night Challenge’ at Crossfit Altitude.

58)  Ribfest.

59)  An overnight getaway with friends in downtown Toronto.

60)  Grandma and Grandpa visited from Sundre, Alberta.

60)  Grandma and Grandpa visited from Sundre, Alberta.

“One must maintain a little bit of Summer, even in the middle of Winter.”

~Henry David Thoreau


‘HH’

I had to buy school uniforms last week.  The navy blue and white, the school logo, all signal the passage of time.  My four-year-old starts Kindergarten in just a few days.

My first baby, the child that changed everything about my life and my priorities is going to school.  Thankfully, he will still be half-days only, as his school is one of the last Ontario schools to convert to full-day JK.  And truth be told, we enrolled him in Nursery School three afternoons/week last year, so the step up to five afternoons/week is the next logical progression.

He is more than ready.  The question is, am I?

As we carefully label his backpack and his water bottle, I remember the hours spent in his nursery, folding his clothes, unpacking his diapers, building his crib, all in the anticipation of his birth.  And as we buy his running shoes and his snack containers, I remember the hours spent in the playroom, the backyard, the kitchen, teaching him to stack and unstack, open and close, count and sing.

My husband and I have a short-form via text message for ‘heading home’: because it’s a phrase we use often in our daily comings and goings, we simply text ‘HH’ and the partner at home knows that the other is on their way.  And since I will be the one dropping our son off at school on his first official day while my husband is at work, I will text ‘HH’ on my walk back home with our 18-month-old daughter so he knows that the drop-off went well.  I will be ‘HH’ back to a new reality, the next chapter, and the start of a new adventure for all of us.  Bye-bye to my baby, my toddler, my Preschooler, and hello to my Kindergartener.

September 13th is his first official day.  And as I drop off my not-so-little boy at school, I can promise you there will be tears, and lots of them.  But my tears will be hidden from him by my smile and my hugs, mixed with nostalgia and excitement, disbelief and joy, amazement and hope.

I will be ‘HH’… proud and content.

Meeting the boy who made me a mom.

Meeting the boy who made me a mom.


People and Memories and Love

Happy-Friendship-day-2013It was Friendship Day at the beginning of August and Best Friends Day in June.  Yes, you read that right.  But in amongst the busy-ness of our lives, friendship can fall by the wayside…. if we let it.

Dear Friend:

I know you are busy, I’m busy too.  I know that life is crazy and that schedules are hectic and that work is nuts.

To my overwhelmed, overworked friend: I can see that you’re struggling.  Let me help.  Talk to me.  Can we meet for a coffee?  Can we go for a walk?  Can we get our kids together and watch their innocent enjoyment of life?  Their oblivious fun?  Their unapologetic laughter?

Remember that time before careers and mortgage payments and children?  Remember feeling carefree?  And content?  And full of hope and excitement?  That’s the friend I remember.

Friendship needs two people to work, for one-way streets only lead to dead ends.  Where have you gone Friend?  Come back before it’s too late.  Come back before more time goes by and you look back and wonder where that time has gone by to.  That time is right in front of you now- today is here.

Think big picture, not small picture.  Don’t get caught up in the minutiae of life.  The big picture is people and memories and love. 

This advice may be unsolicited, Friend, and perhaps even unwanted.  It may be shunned and overlooked and ignored.  But it needs to be said, because I miss you Friend.  I really do.  And actions speak louder than words.  A phone call speaks louder than Facebook and Twitter, and yes, even a Blog.

Let’s talk.  Because I miss you Friend.  I really do.

With love from,

Your Friend.