February was a short month, but it was jam-packed with activities, sickness, drama ... and HOCKEY! Filled with plenty of lessons, stories and experiences. The month started with a P.A. Day and it seems to have determined the pace all month.
- Chloe spent most of the month fighting a cold which spent plenty of time in her throat making vocal practice almost impossible. Valiantly she muddled through and performed on stage at the Oakville Centre with the rest of the intermediate choir.
- I was chosen to be on the Feeling Scrappy Design Team for Sketchapalooza 6 in May. LOTS of time is being spent preparing: designing sketches, perfecting techniques, exploring ideas.
- Without complaint (so far), Claire gets up at 5:30 on Sunday mornings to join her father at Kinoak Arena where she time keeps all of the Minor Atom Red games. She's learning a lot about hockey! Only a few more weeks and she'll get to sleep.
- I wish I could say I "participated" in LOAD, but really, I didn't. Not in any meaningful way. I did spend some time over on Flickr commenting on layouts and participating on the message board, offering encouragement, but only managed a few layouts. But, I did finish my Me: The Abridged Version project and that was HUGE! It would not have been done without LOAD.
- Cole and his Ranger team prevailed in the first round of playoffs moving on to play the Stoney Creek team. That series was not my first experience with poorly behaved parents but it is one that will stay with me, and Cole, forever. That being said, congratulations to the Stoney Creek team who moved on.
- Olympic fever and Canadian Patriotism is wild! I hope it sticks around ... well, the patriotism anyway. The Olympic stories are so inspiring and uplifting. I'm starting to learn, first hand, the lengths to which these athletes have to overcome obstacles.
- I finally got a haircut, I couldn't stand the weight of it any more. Seven inches cut off the back. I also made the decision to "embrace the gray" so, that's one more thing off my to-do list!
- I was a fill-in convener for Louis at a couple of Minor Atom and Bantam games, with Claire's help. I don't know how he does it game after game; week after week.
- Friends joined us for chili and pulled pork while we watched the New Orleans Saints win the Super Bowl. The kids and parents had a great time!
- Cole and Caden had to choose their summer activity out of: rugby, lacrosse, 3on3 hockey, football, kayaking, baseball and soccer. Their choice? Tackle football. Save me.
- I managed to accomplish a lot, but at the same time seemed to be playing catch up! I must use March to get back on track: Weekly Gratitude, Develop on Fridays and Ella and W.C.S. challenges!
- Caden continues to fill-in with George over at Ice Sports as Cole has been busy with his team. I don't know that these lessons are helping Caden at all - or maybe he's just taking his time "getting it".
- Family Day was wonderful. An extra day to hang out with my kids is always appreciated! Even with Claire sleeping the day away, it was just nice to have her here, resting.
- My baby took another step toward growing up.
- Claire is enjoying the music appreciation aspect of her vocal lessons at school. She tells me she's really liking "historical" music. They're studying music from the '80s. I'm feeling very old.
- The Oakville Children's Choir is, like most organizations, held together with volunteers. I really enjoyed my turn as attendant this month. Meeting the kids, mingling with the parents, listening to the singing.
- Cole left with a group of Appleby teammates to a tournament at Lower Canada College in Montreal. He had his very first experience billeting and really enjoyed himself. Another first? Pond hockey! He loved it and I think there is a backyard rink in our future.
- Louis took Caden to Ottawa where they skated on the Rideau Canal (Caden fell 3x and Louis 5x) and they were less excited about "natural" ice than Cole. They picked up Grandpapa and went to watch Cole in his tournament in Montreal.
- I met with my girlfriends for a much enjoyed lunch. We picked our names for Survivor and we've decided to form a book club. My very first one!
- By the end of the month, I was asked to join a second book club. Yay! This one is based on The Happiness Project and I'm thrilled to be included. I'm loving every single page.
- I made a painfully hard decision.
- Caden continues to provide me with amusement and his coach (and his father) with frustration being "the snowman" on his minor atom hockey team. He's always covered in snow at the end of each shift. Funny kid.
- I'm getting more than a little tired of Cole being the target of verbal venom. Have to shake my head and not engage, a test of patience to be sure. Still, disappointed in some so-called "adults".
- Months of preparation culminated in the Middle School Science Fair where Cole enjoyed presenting his Carbon Dioxide competition experiments.
- I purged over 5,000 photos from my iPhoto files; organized all of my digital elements; purged and organized bookmarks and my google reader. Housekeeping was primarily inside my computer, but magically it makes everything seem lighter and tidier!
- I continue to maintain my no-spend resolution: no clothes, no scrapbook supplies. I never promised not to buy books!
- Cole and his Appleby team participated in the CISAA finals at Upper Canada College and fared very well. Better than well. They WON!! A wonderful month of hockey accomplishment :)
- I know I mentioned the Olympics before, but they really have been all-encompassing with the games being "local" - even though Vancouver is 4412k (2742 miles) away - they were held here, in my country, Canada. They were tense, reflective, heart breaking, breathtaking and now, sadly, over. I am so proud of our Olympians, what an incredible accomplishment: exceeding the record and accomplishing 14 gold medals, the most ever by a host country - I think the most ever, ever! We heard our anthem 14 times - officially. Many more times in spontaneous outbreak of song. Weird. Fantastic! With glowing hearts, indeed.
Even with all of the good, and there was plenty, I'm immensely saddened that this will be remembered as the month of mean. I am tired of mean. Maybe this was just the month I reached my fill. Let's hope March is an improvement.
To that end, read THE BEST ARTICLE I found all of February. Laundry rocks. As does Karen Maezen Miller. Through daily practice of our shared beliefs and resolve, I hope to be like her when I grow up!
