The kids (in this case Claire and Cole) decided the kitchen was the best place for fun. Eek! You want to know double eek? Cole can now lift, with very little effort, his sister, up and over his shoulder. Crazy!
March was unseasonably snow-free and very busy; there was something happening every day and my Blackberry was constantly buzzing with reminders to go here, there and everywhere. The month came in on a viciously negative note which managed to dissipate as March wore on much to my relief. Our family handles things much better when common sense prevails and positivity reigns supreme. And it does now! Whoot!
- Cole got the part of "Chad" in the school production of High School Musical!
- Chloé and the Oakville Children's Choir enjoyed an afternoon performance at the Oakville Centre where Cadence performed.
- Caden had a wonderful season with the Red Knights and made many friends on his team. They didn't win the season, but he learned a lot this year. Thank goodness for patient and kind coaching.
- I'm enjoying the Feeling Scrappy Facebook Group. Have you joined? If not ... head on over, have some fun with us! I'm also posting on the blog.
- Spring Break arrived for the Olders on March 5th and lasted a remarkably long time, until I took them back on March 23rd!
- Broke out the flip flops. I know Spring is not really here, but it feels like it is. Well, it did through the first of the month, we've been dipping below zero the last few days!
- Read, no ... ABSORBED The Happiness Project - as a book, as a website/blog, as a reading group.
- I have kept up with, though not posted (next project) all of my Photos-of-the-Day for 2010. This has been such a brilliant exercise, it's my second year in and I enjoy it more now than ever before.
- We so enjoyed the Oscars, LOVED Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin and Neil Patrick Harris. LOVED watching Sandra Bullock win. Sad for her current troubles but not in the least bit surprised. You know, that leopard-spots thing.
- LOVED being able to go to the park ... in MARCH! The kids really enjoyed the monkey bars, the swings and watching the skateboard boys.
- I am becoming increasingly mindful and certainly more focused as the days go by. Yay for productivity and having fun.
- Dancing with the Stars is fun; American Idol is not; Survivor and Amazing Race is on and I haven't seen either all month!
- Finally figured out Podcasts in iTunes and on my iPod. Just loaded up all of the Ted Talks. Yay me! Now to find the time to listen to them all.
- Claire wore me down ... side bangs. And she looks GREAT. Do you know why? Because she's 14 and looks great in anything with any haircut :)
- Not only am I participating on the Feeling Scrappy Facebook page, but I've managed to design 6 brand new sketches and layouts for Sketchapalooza 6 in May. Have you joined yet?
- Cole is now a certified babysitter. All day at a course with his buddy Aidan. And the class was mostly made up of boys. So much for meeting girls over March Break!
- The girls enjoyed a wonderful week in Florida with my parents!
- Claire really enjoyed the Marianas Trench concert with her friend Marley. Such a great band!
- Man Month was only a week, but it really felt like a whole month. Love my boys, but I like the calm (and the clean) the girls help provide when they're around.
- Cole and his Ranger hockey team won the Tri-County title and with that the season is over.
- I started planning my Week In The Life project. LOVE planning goodness!
- Chloé participated in the Toronto Choir Festival and had a wonderful time. The girls (and boys, but mostly girls) left Oakville at 8:30AM and arrived back at 9:30PM after a full day of singing and shopping.
- Earth Hour was a bit of a dud with half the kids away. It was nowhere near as much fun.
- My step-sister and husband bought a house here in town and will be moving their family up from Chicago by mid-May. I am thrilled to have family here in town for the first time in ever, and our kids are thrilled to see their cousins.
- Caden loves his new do, and I love the fact we now have our own clippers and I can clean him up anytime I want. Even better? He will let me.
- I re-introduced myself to my artsy-crafty side and it was kind of nice, more than kinda, it was energizing and such a thrill! I will have to do much more in the very near future. Plus, I'm determined to master that &*%#^ glue gun!
- Caden and Chloé attended a bunch of birthday parties. Was everyone born in March of 1999 and 2000?
- Cole is now a defensive lineman on the Titans football team, or at least, that's where they've put him right now. Other than the rugburn he gets from the turf, he really seems to be enjoying himself. Not only is he playing football and rehearsing for the school play, he's joined the U14 Rugby team as well as playing 3on3 hockey, hockey conditioning camp and dry land training. Busy, much? This kid thinks he's an only child :)
- We watched Up in the Air and it was incredibly, scarily, reminiscent of our lives then before our life now.
- Both Claire and Cole are required to earn volunteer hours each school year. Claire was well on her way, but Cole, with his crazy hockey and sport schedule was well short of his target. So to fix the problem, they spent most of Saturday and Sunday of MOHA Awards Week getting food donations and helping the on-ice activities over at River Oaks arena.
- So cool to be featured on a blog I love so much. Carolyn Rubenstein is such an inspiration.
- As part of an experiment I made an effort to get into a sleep/wake routine - 5 days in a row. Until I got sick, I was going gangbusters for two days :) I will endeavour to attempt the experiment again when this cold goes away with one change: I'll get up at 6AM rather than 5AM. I really need that extra hour!
- The boys enjoyed the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie. Everyone enjoyed Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland!
- I love finding new songs on my iPod. I know they're there because I get an e-mail from iTunes telling me that my kids have downloaded and gives me my remaining balance. This month, I found and enjoyed: this song, this one and this one. It is so nice to share a love of music with my kids, er, Cole. Claire listens to much more edgy stuff.
April brings with it better weather, I hope, as I'm anxious to drive the convertible without a sweater! It also brings the deadline for tuition for the olders to attend their school next year and taxes. Conditioning camp will bring me to Canlan Ice Sports ... daily! I'm also starting a weekly photo challenge with my on-line friend Shirley. Even more fun? I've been asked to take photos for Cole's football team and I hope they move outside, I'm anxious to try my hand (or train my eye) at a new sport. Plenty of pleasant distraction. Distraction from what? With April we also welcome full-blown silly season where parents get NUTSO about their hockey playing kids. Yes, it is tryout season. This year I think I'll let Louis go to the tryouts and I'll just stay home waiting for the phone call!
