M3 has been home sick for the last 2 days. In between naps we've watched a movie, played board games & card games, made a "store" in our living room with a flyer for things "on sale", and this morning I convinced her to write a blog. It's short but it did take 15 minutes....Help! I'm running out of ideas, and it looks like she'll be home tomorrow too!!
********************
Today is Thursday, Dec 7 2017
I have lots of friends at school.
My friends are S*****, H*****, K****, M****, V******, J******, and N***. All my friend are in my class except for Maddy and Valerie. My teacher's name is Ms. Lauglin. My favorite subjects are music, science, DPA, art, and literacy. I went to a field trip to Markham Theatre to watch Pinocchio. We had our first primary assembly. It was about anti-bullying. We made posters for anti-bullying . We had a presentation for science. I wrote a lot. My principal's name is H. G*****.
M3
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
The End Of Summer - Part Two
At least it didn't take me another 6 weeks to finish the second half of this post...
Day 2: The CNE! It has been over 7 years since we've been to the EX. M3 has never been so it's probably closer to 8 or 9 years. First we went to a neighbourhood diner for some breakfast and then hopped on the streetcar - something M2 & M3 have never done! For me the EX seemed smaller than I remembered - maybe it's just me getting older? The kids enjoyed the carnival rides and games and then of course more food! However, we aren't the daring type of family who'll try all the latest novelty items - pretty much stuck to the corn dogs, fried onion blooms, pulled pork sandwiches, and slushies. We didn't stay to dark and just picked up some sandwiches on the way back to the hotel. Why? Because M1 just HAD to make it back to the hotel to watch SYTYCD.
Day 3: We headed down to the St Lawrence Market first thing in the morning (well, it was actually closer to 11:00 but hey we're on vacation!) for some freshly baked goods, lobster rolls, and fancy crepes. The afternoon was spent shopping as we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. Our evening ended with a "fancy" dinner at the CN Tower restaurant (http://www.cntower.ca/en-ca/360-restaurant/overview.html).
I know my children would love to vacation in exotic countries, fancy resorts, or luxury cruise ships (who wouldn't?) like many of their friends or cousins. Unfortunately it isn't possible right now. But I also know my children understand that it's not about how much money we spend travelling or whether we take a plane or a ship to make wonderful memories. Besides, I've always said the best thing about a vacation is coming home!
Y.C.
Day 2: The CNE! It has been over 7 years since we've been to the EX. M3 has never been so it's probably closer to 8 or 9 years. First we went to a neighbourhood diner for some breakfast and then hopped on the streetcar - something M2 & M3 have never done! For me the EX seemed smaller than I remembered - maybe it's just me getting older? The kids enjoyed the carnival rides and games and then of course more food! However, we aren't the daring type of family who'll try all the latest novelty items - pretty much stuck to the corn dogs, fried onion blooms, pulled pork sandwiches, and slushies. We didn't stay to dark and just picked up some sandwiches on the way back to the hotel. Why? Because M1 just HAD to make it back to the hotel to watch SYTYCD.
Day 3: We headed down to the St Lawrence Market first thing in the morning (well, it was actually closer to 11:00 but hey we're on vacation!) for some freshly baked goods, lobster rolls, and fancy crepes. The afternoon was spent shopping as we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. Our evening ended with a "fancy" dinner at the CN Tower restaurant (http://www.cntower.ca/en-ca/360-restaurant/overview.html).
I know my children would love to vacation in exotic countries, fancy resorts, or luxury cruise ships (who wouldn't?) like many of their friends or cousins. Unfortunately it isn't possible right now. But I also know my children understand that it's not about how much money we spend travelling or whether we take a plane or a ship to make wonderful memories. Besides, I've always said the best thing about a vacation is coming home!
Y.C.
Monday, November 13, 2017
The End Of The Summer - Part One
I have a (bad) habit of starting blogs but not finishing them right away. At any given time I may have 3 or 4 unfinished pieces I’ll be working on and sometimes it’ll be days or even weeks before I’m ready to “publish” a post. In the case of the next two blogs it’s actually been almost 3 months since I first started writing them. Better late than never, I guess...
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It's September & the end of the year is creeping towards us - it'll be here sooner than we can believe. I wanted to post more blogs this year, I really do have a lot I want to share, but sometimes it's still hard finding the right words, the right tone, the right time to let it all out.
I'll start this blog with the end of our summer holidays!
This year we decided on a true "staycation". The Big Oh & I grew up in one of the best cities in the world. A city that many around the world make it a point of coming to for their own vacation. There is culture, amazing food, word-class entertainment & sporting facilities, and lots of family activities & attractions. As a 'local' we can take for granted what our city has to offer and now that we live just a short drive outside of it we don't even think of it as a place where we may want to take our children to visit. The traffic, the parking costs, the line-ups - there can be so many reasons to avoid going 'downtown'! So what did we do? We checked ourselves into a hotel right in the heart of downtown & spent 3 days exploring with our kids!
Day 1: We checked into a hotel in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day taking the streetcar to enjoy the sights & foods of some of the places we often see in instagram posts (we took a few pics ourselves). We had ice cream & delicious baked goods in The Distillery District, then off to Chinatown to show our kids where we spent our weekends while growing up. A short walk away was Kensington Market where we took in the sights and sounds of street performers and musicians. Dinner and dessert were these two fantastic little finds: Valens and Artic Bites - Italian food & ice cream - two of our favs.
To Be Continued....
Y.C.
***************************
It's September & the end of the year is creeping towards us - it'll be here sooner than we can believe. I wanted to post more blogs this year, I really do have a lot I want to share, but sometimes it's still hard finding the right words, the right tone, the right time to let it all out.
I'll start this blog with the end of our summer holidays!
This year we decided on a true "staycation". The Big Oh & I grew up in one of the best cities in the world. A city that many around the world make it a point of coming to for their own vacation. There is culture, amazing food, word-class entertainment & sporting facilities, and lots of family activities & attractions. As a 'local' we can take for granted what our city has to offer and now that we live just a short drive outside of it we don't even think of it as a place where we may want to take our children to visit. The traffic, the parking costs, the line-ups - there can be so many reasons to avoid going 'downtown'! So what did we do? We checked ourselves into a hotel right in the heart of downtown & spent 3 days exploring with our kids!
Day 1: We checked into a hotel in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day taking the streetcar to enjoy the sights & foods of some of the places we often see in instagram posts (we took a few pics ourselves). We had ice cream & delicious baked goods in The Distillery District, then off to Chinatown to show our kids where we spent our weekends while growing up. A short walk away was Kensington Market where we took in the sights and sounds of street performers and musicians. Dinner and dessert were these two fantastic little finds: Valens and Artic Bites - Italian food & ice cream - two of our favs.
To Be Continued....
Y.C.
Thursday, November 2, 2017
My Everything
There is this piece from The New York Times I have had saved for a while now (You May Want To Marry My Husband) and although I knew what the gist of the article was about, I was afraid to read it. Today I read it. And before I lose my nerve I am going to write my own take on it. It may help to read the article first.
This is my Big Oh
First the basics. He's 5 foot 8. I wouldn't say he's good looking, but not ugly either. Actually, a lot of old Chinese ladies (think grandmas - including mine) have said he's very handsome - a geriatric chick-magnet. He always seems to have a haircut that's just not quite right (I guess he's gotta stop going to those $8 cuts at Chinese strip plazas). And in photographs his head always tilts slightly to the left. To me, he is perfect.
When he is not at work his wardrobe consists mostly of t-shirts and sweats decorated with Superheroes, Star Wars, or hockey logos - some older than I care to share. He owns one pair of jeans that fit properly. He only goes shopping for work shirts and dress pants if one gets stained or ripped. But I love his casualness - we go well together as I'm a yoga pants/sweatpants, T-shirt kind of girl at home. And my "going-out" clothes? Well let's just say he has commented that I dress like my grandmother (not a compliment).
He loves Canto-pop music from the 70's and 80's (and so do I). He knows almost all the lyrics from Air Supply's Greatest Hits album. Currently his music repertoire consists of anything his daughters are dancing or listening to. Did I mention yet what an amazing father he is?
He is blessed with 3 daughters so instead of being a hockey-dad he's a dance-dad. A role he has embraced and is not embarrassed to show - just ask his daughters when he starts coaching them on their dance routines or busting out some dance moves (cue eye rolls here).
Other awesome attributes? He is funny (and I don't mean looking) & witty - he makes people laugh sometimes at his own expense (but usually at others). His friendship is loyal and generous - you know he's got your back, and when he does something for you it'll never be because he's thinking "what's in it for me". He is passionate - just get him talking about hockey, politics, or his family and you'll know what I mean.
Of course I can't talk about The Big Oh without mentioning his family. Yes, it comes with the package but I like to think of them as a bonus.
If you read The New York Times piece above you'll know how the article ends. I'm not sure how to end my blog today; I'm not sure I even want to write an ending... Except to say to The Big Oh: I love you and thank you for being my everything.
Y.C.
Saturday, October 21, 2017
my day
Today I woke up, brushed my teeth, changed, and ate breakfast. For breakfast I had peanut butter on toast and bean sprouts in chow mein. Then I watched TV. For lunch I had chick peas fried rice and some kind of noodles.
In the afternoon my sister, my mom, and I went to the bank. I opened a bank account and put in $60. I have lots of money because my birthday is in September. There were free cookies and juice at the bank. I ate a cookie but I did not drink juice.
Then we went to the mall. We went to Starbucks and Shopper's Drug Mart. I ordered small caramel frappucino with no whip cream and no caffeine. M2 got the same thing. Mommy got a pumpkin spice latte. We also got a lemon loaf but we did not give any to M1. We texted M1 to see if she wanted Timbits from Tim Horton's but she did not respond. Then we went home.
Now I am doing a blog. Now I am finished my blog. Now I am going to press "Publish".
M3
ow I am doing a blog.
In the afternoon my sister, my mom, and I went to the bank. I opened a bank account and put in $60. I have lots of money because my birthday is in September. There were free cookies and juice at the bank. I ate a cookie but I did not drink juice.
Then we went to the mall. We went to Starbucks and Shopper's Drug Mart. I ordered small caramel frappucino with no whip cream and no caffeine. M2 got the same thing. Mommy got a pumpkin spice latte. We also got a lemon loaf but we did not give any to M1. We texted M1 to see if she wanted Timbits from Tim Horton's but she did not respond. Then we went home.
Now I am doing a blog. Now I am finished my blog. Now I am going to press "Publish".
M3
ow I am doing a blog.
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
This One's For You
I have written letters to my daughters on their birthdays. This one is for the Big Oh.
Happy Birthday my dearest husband. I am thinking about you. I am smiling because I'm thinking about all the things you've done that make me happy.
A long time ago you gave me a card. A very large card. You needed a large card because in it you wrote down 1000 things about me that you love.
We recently went to a beautiful wedding of one of our cousins and as emotional as the speeches were that night, our family remembered your touching speech on our wedding day 18 years ago. And that made me smile. I am remembering the feeling of pure newlywed bliss as a young bride. The way you made me feel like a princess and you were my knight in shining armour to take me away to our paradise.
I am remembering the first home you gave me - OUR first home. It was a small condo but to me it felt like a mansion. You let me pick out all the furniture and decorate it anyway I wanted to. We hosted birthday parties, Christmas & Halloween parties, and bridal showers for friends there. It was also there that you studied for your exams - those long ago exams that felt like the most important & difficult things you would ever have to do in this world (little did we know then). When you passed your exams we celebrated & we were so happy to be closing one chapter of our life together & starting a new one.
I remember coming to you one day and saying let's buy a house HERE! And we did. Again you let me choose where we would move to. You let me decide all the large & small details that go with buying a brand new home from floor plans, to wall colours, to flooring and faucets and sinks. If my first home was a mansion then this one now felt like my own palace - a castle fit for a king & queen!
And it is here where you have given me the 3 most important people in our lives. It is here in our home now with our children that you completed me. The love and adoration I see you have for your daughters is indescribable. Only someone in love, that have children of their own, can really understand how I feel. I am smiling as I am thinking about you & our girls.
I am remembering our hockey playing days, watching Hong Kong movies in Chinatown
& Market Village, concerts & casino trips, vacations and cruises, birthdays and anniversaries, apple picking in the fall, Christmases & Chinese New Years, dance competitions, beginning of summer rituals & first days back to school.
I know I don't say it enough now-a-days...
I love you for holding me up on my weakest, darkest days.
I love you for letting me be me - angry, sad, joyous, and everything in between
I love you for giving me my space & solitude - even when you want to be by my side
I love you for loving me
Happy Birthday Big Oh
Y.C.
Happy Birthday my dearest husband. I am thinking about you. I am smiling because I'm thinking about all the things you've done that make me happy.
A long time ago you gave me a card. A very large card. You needed a large card because in it you wrote down 1000 things about me that you love.
We recently went to a beautiful wedding of one of our cousins and as emotional as the speeches were that night, our family remembered your touching speech on our wedding day 18 years ago. And that made me smile. I am remembering the feeling of pure newlywed bliss as a young bride. The way you made me feel like a princess and you were my knight in shining armour to take me away to our paradise.
I am remembering the first home you gave me - OUR first home. It was a small condo but to me it felt like a mansion. You let me pick out all the furniture and decorate it anyway I wanted to. We hosted birthday parties, Christmas & Halloween parties, and bridal showers for friends there. It was also there that you studied for your exams - those long ago exams that felt like the most important & difficult things you would ever have to do in this world (little did we know then). When you passed your exams we celebrated & we were so happy to be closing one chapter of our life together & starting a new one.
I remember coming to you one day and saying let's buy a house HERE! And we did. Again you let me choose where we would move to. You let me decide all the large & small details that go with buying a brand new home from floor plans, to wall colours, to flooring and faucets and sinks. If my first home was a mansion then this one now felt like my own palace - a castle fit for a king & queen!
And it is here where you have given me the 3 most important people in our lives. It is here in our home now with our children that you completed me. The love and adoration I see you have for your daughters is indescribable. Only someone in love, that have children of their own, can really understand how I feel. I am smiling as I am thinking about you & our girls.
I am remembering our hockey playing days, watching Hong Kong movies in Chinatown
& Market Village, concerts & casino trips, vacations and cruises, birthdays and anniversaries, apple picking in the fall, Christmases & Chinese New Years, dance competitions, beginning of summer rituals & first days back to school.
I know I don't say it enough now-a-days...
I love you for holding me up on my weakest, darkest days.
I love you for letting me be me - angry, sad, joyous, and everything in between
I love you for giving me my space & solitude - even when you want to be by my side
I love you for loving me
Happy Birthday Big Oh
Y.C.
Monday, October 2, 2017
A Bad Morning
I wrote this letter back in May to a few best friends when I was having a particularly bad morning....
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I'm going to be selfish this morning. I'm only going to think about how I'm feeling right now. I'm not going to worry that I'm burdening you with my problems or be afraid that I'm spoiling your day with my mood. I'm not going to be positive. I'm tired of being positive. I'm tired of looking on the bright side. I'm tired of thinking about all the things I have and not what I don't have. I'm just tired!
I yelled at M3 this morning. Again. She has an eye infection and a bit of a cold & probably some seasonal allergies that make her eyes extra ichy & her nose extra runny. So to say she's in a bad mood & being a bit difficult is definitely an understatement. She does not like putting in eye drops & is un-cooperative when we do. This morning while struggling with her to put the eye drops in I lost it again and yelled & screamed at her. I threatened to slap her! I actually had visions of myself raising my hand & slapping her across the face. I didn't though. And the eye drops did get in ( I think/I hope). She went to school.
I got a call 5 minutes after she got dropped off. It was the school calling. She had a bad fall walking into the school. I went to check her out right away. She was in the office crying. Her face had scrapes on her forehead, on her nose, on her lips. She was bleeding from her scrapes, her nose was turning purple with a bruise, and her lips were swollen. I just broke down at school & started crying with her.
I took her home & cleaned her up. I held her. I apologized for yelling at her this morning. I told her I love her & everything will be OK. I told her I could cancel the doctor's appointment I had this morning & stay home with her. You know what she said? She said, "No mommy, go to your appointment. I want you to get better."
So this is where I am now. Waiting for my turn to see the doctor. My daughter thinks I'm going to get better but I know I'm not & it's killing me. This has been a rough week. It started with M1 crying & me consoling her and now it's ending with M3 crying & me telling her the same thing I told M1: "That everything's going to be OK. It hurts but you're strong girls & it will get better. That I love them & I'm proud of them."
I know that even when I'm gone there will be someone to hold them & tell them these things. There'll be the Big Oh, they will have each other, their older cousins, all their aunts & uncles. But I want to be the one to tell them these things! I want to be the one they come to when they need re-assuring! I want to be here!
I know that even when I'm gone there will be someone to hold them & tell them these things. There'll be the Big Oh, they will have each other, their older cousins, all their aunts & uncles. But I want to be the one to tell them these things! I want to be the one they come to when they need re-assuring! I want to be here!
This week has been a tough one physically, mentally, emotionally.
That's all I've got now. Thanks for listening.
*****************
At the time I wrote this letter to my friends it was meant to be just an outlet for the tough week I was having. I didn't know that rough week would end up being most of my summer & still going on. My M3 still continues to have outbursts of anger, impatience, and frustrations. We hope we are doing all the right things for her, but realize we may need professional help if her temperament doesn't improve.
And me? My monthly hospital visits turned into weekly ones over the summer. And the visits & treatments are taking a toil on me - physically, mentally & emotionally. And I don't know if
anything is working. But I have no other choice right now - except to do nothing - which is NOT an option I am willing to consider.
Y.C.
Y.C.
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