So Apparent

Music For Freedom

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 13:45:00 +0000

I've decided to interrupt my blogging hiatus to help spread the word about a wonderful Waterloo Region event, the third annual Music for Freedom concert.

Karen Snider, Dave McIntyre & Chuck Baker perform at the 2nd annual Music for Freedom concert.

This year's event, which is happening on Saturday April 13 at 7:30 pm at the Chrysalis Theatre in Kitchener, will raise money for both the Waterloo Region Food Bank and Free The Children's Adopt a Village program.

Organizers (one of whom is a friend and a talented musician) hope to get 500 people out to the show and raise as much money as possible for this year's charities.

If you a looking for a wonderful evening of live music or an opportunity to support two fabulous charitable organizations, or both, you'll definitely want to support this event.

You can get more information about the concert and buy tickets HERE. And, I suggest you get them sooner than later, as tickets sold out quickly in the past.

Oh, and if you want to read a little more about what to expect at the show, here are a couple of pieces I wrote about last year's show.

Music For Freedom concert held this Saturday at Lutherwood

Music For Freedom concert raises nearly $5000

Hope to see you at the show!

New Year, New Project

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 19:22:00 +0000

Well, it's a new year and I'm not really sure what to do with the blog.

Kids aren't really interested in being blogged about (at least the older two aren't) and, honestly, I think I've kind of lost my blogging mojo (if I ever really had any to begin with).

Looking back at old posts, I've noticed that this space has often served as a "renovation/construction" diary for the home improvements we always seem to be undertaking.

And I like that. So while I sort out whether or not I want to keep blogging, I'll continue with these home reno updates.

As an aside, if you are doing any decorating, renos etc. make sure you check out Houzz -- best site ever!

So, what's our latest project?

Ever since we built our house, we doubted our decision to have a two-storey foyer. So, we decided to fill it in and make a small space/room upstairs.

After some thought and debate, we decided to make this a family computer area, complete with a built in desk.

We are currently about half way through the project, with the downstairs entryway basically complete.

Anyway, thought I'd share some progress pictures.

How it used to look:

Under construction:

New cedar ceiling in entryway:

Foyer with paint and crown moulding:

Upper room read for desk construction:

And that's how it looks now. Next step is to build and paint the desk.

More updates to follow.

Wordless Wednesday: All He Wants For Christmas ...

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 19:20:00 +0000

I'll Tumblr For Ya

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 20:09:00 +0000

For a while it was Pinterest. And Twitter and Facebook before that.

But, now, my newest Internet obsession is Tumblr. When I find myself with a spare moment or two to waste online, I usually seem to find myself on Tumblr.

Not sure what Tumblr is?

According to Wikipedia, it's "a microblogging platform and social networking website, owned and operated by Tumblr, Inc. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to a short-form blog."

And, it's been around since 2007 and has over 77 million blogs (as of October 2012).

As for me, my Tumblr - "And There Was A Beat" (a nod to my favourite Metric tune Combat Baby) has been around for almost two weeks.

So, what will you find on my Tumblr?

"And There Was A Beat" is all about music I love -- my concert pics and concert videos I've taken and posted to YouTube, free music downloads and anything else cool and music-related that I find online.

While I don't fancy myself a music journalist, I love great music and enjoy sharing it with other music fans.

Hope to see you on Tumblr.

If You Give a Kid a Camera ...

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:15:00 +0000

You are bound to end up with some interesting and hilarious results.

At one point this weekend, seven year old Jared asked if he could take a few pics.

Here are a few of the shots I found on the camera.

Oh, and, I need to go find our copy of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie cuz I love that book.

Selfy #1.

Jadon in the pool.

There were 7 other similar shots.

Pepsi machine.

Last piece of pizza.

Selfy #2.

Selfy #3 - close up of new tooth gap.

Meg & her little 2nd cousin.

Random dude in the hotel #1.

Random dude #2 - he looks impressed.

Artsy, tilted shot of juice dispenser.

Arms & Feet.

Black Friday & Post Thanksgiving Sales

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:01:00 +0000

Well, it's 11:17 am and I just got back from dropping the kids off at school. You know, just a little over two hours late.

I'd like to say we were so late because we went to the US for the annual family Thanksgiving gathering, but, really, that's not it. We were so late because we chose to make a shopping stop at the Premium Outlets at Birch Run (near Frankenmuth, MI) on the way home.

Of course, this is nothing new for us (we always try to cram in as much shopping as we can on this weekend). But, as I was fighting with my grumpy, over-tired kids this morning, I wondered if this little detour is worth it.

Going to Birch Run adds an extra 40 minutes of driving (plus the three to four hours of shopping we usually do) to our five and a half hour trip home from Grand Rapids. Plus, this year, we spent 35 minutes on the bridge. So, no matter what, it ends up being a crazy-long day.

Still, we managed to get some amazing deals.

For Thanksgiving weekend, many of the outlets at Birch Run have 30% to 50% off everything in their stores.

At the Columbia outlet, we got two pairs of Sorel winter boots for $48, including taxes. Meg's were $18 and she actually needed a pair. With a quick google search, I discovered that they'd be $80 to $100 at stores around here. The pair I got for me, which I didn't really need but are super cute, would have set me back over $100 as well. I did resist the temptation to buy a white coat. I showed amazing restraint.

Meg's new Sorels.

We also got great deals on shoes at both Bass and Adidas, with prices ranging from $15 to $38 for everything from adorable deck shoes for Jared to wear at school to work shoes for Dave to running shoes for almost all of us. We got several pairs of pants for the boys at Osh Kosh for $10 a pair and Dave stocked up on Packers gear, including a jersey for $10, at Reebok.

So, I guess it was worth it. Especially, since we were making the trip to see family anyway. I was so nice to reconnect with everyone and spend time together.

Grandma VdB with some of the great grandkids (about 10 are missing).

We also scored some great deals on Black Friday proper at Best Buy and Target, and at Costco and the mall on Saturday.

Alright, I admit it. I love shopping and finding a bargain. Can't wait to head back to the US with some girlfriends in a couple of weeks.

Now to go check out the Cyber Monday sales. I hear Mabel's Labels has some great offers.

Jared's Election Day Blues

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 19:15:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, my youngest son announced that he was planning to vote for Barack Obama.

He was quite upset to learn that, despite the fact that he's Canadian and only seven, he was not going to be able to vote for his favourite US presidential candidate.

He's also ticked that his father, who technically has US citizenship, is not voting in the US election, but that's another, complicated, story.

Anyway, Jared is pretty convinced that Mitt Romney is a bad guy and will lead the US back to war. In fact, he's been talking about the evils of Romney for weeks.

So, this got me wondering ... why is my little man all fired up about US politics?

Is he a genius? He did just start enrichment (though, to be fair, he was initially quite concerned about why he had to be in "richment" so I don't think that's it).

Is he a political junkie? Nope, a quick set of questions this morning determined that he knows very little about Canadian politics. In fact, he has no idea who Stephen Harper is and thought Dalton McGuinty is running in the US election against Obama and Romney. Guess we have to work on that.

Does he watch too much TV? Probably, but not the news.

So, what is it?

I think it's partly to do with who and what he's been exposed to (history teacher dad, American relatives) but mostly, I think, even at the tender age of seven, my boy has been swayed by the media and the presidential political machine.

And, by fun stuff like this, of course:

Still, it makes you stop and think.

Here's hoping that those who have the right and responsibility to vote today get out and do so.

Hockey For Fun For The Win!

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 19:27:00 +0000

While I'd say we're "casual" hockey fans, we're definitely not a "hockey family".

Neither my husband or I played growing up and our kids have done little more than play street hockey and take skating lessons.

So when our older son started asking to play hockey about a year ago, we brushed it off as a "passing fad". We figured he'd move onto something else.

Funny thing is, he didn't. He kept asking.

So we considered it. And, factoring in costs, the time commitment and the fact that Jadon is already nine and not the world's greatest skater, we decided NOT to put him in house league hockey.

He was disappoint and, honestly, I felt a little guilty, but we decided that, unfortunately, we couldn't swing it.

Then, in September, seemingly out of the blue, I got an e-mail from a friend about a new beginner hockey program called Hockey For Fun.

As soon as I clicked on the link, I knew this was the program for us.

Aimed at boys and girls, aged seven to ten, who have no previous hockey experience, Hockey for Fun teaches kids the basics of hockey in a fun, stress-free environment. They spend half the time developing skills and half playing in scrimmages.

And Jadon LOVES it.

And, honestly, we love it, too.

In addition to the fact that our little man is uber happy to suit up in his equipment and hit the ice once a week, we love that it's affordable, ties up only one hour a week and doesn't involve additional practices or crazy early morning ice times.

Hockey For Fun has definitely been time and money well spent. Jadon's having a blast while learning to play hockey and it still allows our family time for music lessons, Guides, volleyball, activities at the Y and so on.

I'm pretty sure our younger son will be a Hockey For Fun participant next year.

If you want to learn more about Hockey For Fun, check out this article that appeared in The Record and featured our little hockey star.

Wordless Wednesday: The Things You Do For Your Kids

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:47:00 +0000

Crazy Room Makeover Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 04:58:00 +0000

Back in my early days of motherhood, I spent a lot of time watching late night TV while nursing, and, for a while, I was totally obsessed with home makeover shows.

You know, like Trading Spaces and it's British equivalent Changing Rooms (my favourite). For some reason, I just loved watching them completely transform a room in the span of two days.

Anyway, this past weekend, we had the chance to do our own version of "Changing Rooms" (minus the bit about swapping with the neighbours).

If you've been reading this blog lately you know that we are currently changing and renovating all three kids' bedrooms this summer. Much of our time has been spent on the boys' room, which you can read about here.

While we've been plugging away on the boys' room, our daughter has been *slowly* cleaning out hers. The agreement was that once she had it cleaned out, we would paint her room and set up her new loft bed.

Well, her clean up progress has been a little slower than we would have liked so when she had the chance to go to Ottawa for a long weekend, the hubs and I decided to just go for it and get 'er done.

So, between Thursday afternoon and Monday morning, we cleaned out the room, patched drywall, painted three different colours, shopped for and assembled IKEA furniture in addition to celebrating our younger son's birthday with dinner and a movie on Saturday and attending a concert Sunday.

Let's just say very little sleep was had, and while we are not quite finished, we are pleased with the end results.

Of course, I took some photos to document the process.

Here's how things looked on Thursday afternoon.

And here's how things look today:

Still a few things to hang on the walls.

And a gazillion stuffies to sort and put away.

Funky colour-changing lights from IKEA.

This reaction made the lack of sleep and hard work worth it.

And the smile :)

There are still several finishing touches and lots of cleaning to do, but we are all pretty happy with how the room turned out!

I will post photos of the completed room once we get there.

iPhoto Collage - My New Favourite Thing

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 04:50:00 +0000

I've always had a bit of a love-hate relationship with iPhoto.

I think it's partially because the archaic version we have on our five year old iMac has a little trouble handling the 50,000 + photos we have in our photo library.

But, now that I have my new MacBook Pro and the current version of iPhoto, I've recently discovered a feature I absolutely love -- the collage option (found in the Share menu at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen).

You simply choose up to ten photos, click the share button (and then choose e-mail) and within a couple of minutes you have a collage you can share via e-mail.

Like this:

Or this:

So easy and so fun! You can resize and move each photo before you send it. Also, the person you send it to receives the collage as a .jpeg file as well as the individual photos in a zipped file. And, somehow you don't have the problem of the photos being too big to send to e-mail accounts with size limitations.

Plus, I noticed that in addition to the collage configuration, other options include "corkboard", "postcard", "announcement". I haven't even had a chance to try those out yet.

Anyway, if you have a Mac and use iPhoto, you should check it out. Definitely an impressive way to share photos.

Oh, and, if you happen to know me and end up somewhere I am taking pictures, don't be surprised if I send you one of these.

Progress Update #4

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 21:02:00 +0000

This one's kind of exciting.

While we're not quite done, we're far enough that the boys are able to sleep in the main part of the room.

We still need to do the closets and some finishing touches, but I think things are coming together pretty nicely.

Take a look!

The beds.

Dressers. Still need window coverings & pics on wall.

The LEGO zone. Wonder if they'll keep it tidy?!?

Desk.

Trying out the new beds.

Everyone Should Have A Hallway Couch

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 20:37:00 +0000

It's all about perspective.

After weeks of tripping over dressers and baskets of laundry in our upstairs hallway, the only thing left there now is a couch.

And, despite the fact that we have absolutely no idea where said couch is going to end up, this makes me crazy happy.

Happy because the boys' room is almost finished! Happy because there was room to vacuum the hallway!

It really is the little things, I guess.

Oh, and I will post room progress pics soon.

In the meantime, doesn't our hallway couch look inviting? Maybe we'll leave it there.

Wordless Wednesday: Our First Trigator

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 18:47:00 +0000

Progress Update #3

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 17:36:00 +0000

Well, it seems like it's been about a hundred days since my last update, so I thought I'd post a few progress pics.

As always, progress seems to have been slower than anticipated and it's felt like the "painting stage" would never end.

I must say a quick thanks to Dave who stayed up to finish the last of the (major) painting last night while I was getting my beauty sleep. It looks fantastic, dear :)

Here's what the formerly "crayon red" walls now look like:

And the beds are coming along nicely, too.

Next up -- flooring and then trim. Can't wait!

Saying Goodbye to Friends

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 16:59:00 +0000

As we get closer to the lazy days of summer (something our family of three kids and a teacher daddy ALWAYS look forward to), I am finding myself frequently engaged in discussions with my daughter about moving and saying goodbye to friends.

If you've read my recent posts, you know that we are seriously looking into moving overseas for a few years. And, while my husband and I are beyond ecstatic about the possibility of fulfilling this life-long dream, our almost eleven year old girl is not. She's doing her best to convince us to change our minds and, in case that fails, is making a list of friends who she can live with while the rest of us are gone.

Couple that with the fact that one of her closest friends from school (who she's known since kindergarten) is moving away this summer and you can probably imagine what the conversations around here are like.

She's sad that her friend is moving and worried that, despite their carefully calculated plans to KIT (keep in touch), that they'll lose contact. She's going to miss her. She doesn't want to say goodbye. She'll never see her again. And so on.

So, of course, I am trying to be supportive and tell her that, yes, they'll stay in touch via the magic of the Internet or maybe they'll become old school pen pals. We've also discussed the fact that friends don't have to live close or see each other all the time to still be friends.

But, in all honesty, I get where she is coming from. I hate saying goodbye. I'm not good at letting go. And, despite sincere intentions, I'm not great at keeping in touch. I want to be, and I always say I will, but I'm not.

Plus, I moved when I was ten. And, I do recall, at the time, it was a devastating experience to leave my friends behind. Of course, I got over it (relatively quickly and with little difficulty) and made new friends.

Anyway, we've been talking about all the fun they've had and all the great memories they've made and how they've been lucky to have been friends for so long. But, even as I reassure my daughter that they will find a way to keep in touch, I know that they probably won't, or, more likely, they will at first but then will drift apart as time and distance and other friends and interests exert their influence. And, that's okay, because that's how life works.

But, I find myself choosing my words carefully in these discussions with my little girl, because, through some crazy twist of fate, for (I think) the first time in my adult life, I find myself in a very similar position. Only, in my case, it's more than one friend that is moving away.

And, while I am absolutely happy for these friends and the new adventures and opportunities that lay ahead for them, I find that I am experiencing many of the same feelings and emotions that my daughter is. I know I will miss them. I am sad that they are leaving and worried that we will lose touch.

And, it's funny, because these friendships, initiated by virtue of the simple fact that we have children who are the same age and attend the same school, have turned out to be some of the most significant of my life. And, to be honest, that's not something I expected when I encountered these ladies on the playground. I simply did not anticipate making so many great "mom" friends. Yet, that's exactly what happened.

And, it's been more than just coffees and drinks, book clubs, shopping, concerts, GNOs, girls' weekends and play dates. Over the years, we've shared many laughs and tears as we've navigated the crazy world of parenting together, and, perhaps more significantly, taken much needed breaks from it.

Without even realizing it, we formed strong bonds of friendship.

And, I thank you for that, ladies, and for the wonderful memories. You've made me laugh and smile, kept me company, listened to my hopes and fears and offered a shoulder to cry on when I needed it. I won't forget that. And, I will, absolutely, indeed, miss you. A lot. Oh, and, if you ever need me for anything, distance or not, please know that I am there and don't hesitate to ask.

And, as I said, I am not good at goodbyes. So, as we go through the next few weeks of goodbye events and then those final crazy and awkward moments on the last day of school, please don't be offended if I don't give you a hug or fail to say something profound. It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I am really bad at this stuff and, well, these things make me cry. Trust me, it's not pretty.

And, of course, this is not really goodbye, anyway, right? I like to think it's more of a see ya, so long for now or til we meet again type of thing. We'll keep in touch or reconnect or at least cross paths again someday, I'm sure.

And, so I'll leave you with a cheesy TV show theme song clip from YouTube to sum up my feelings and hopefully make you smile.

Who knows, if what they say about male vs female life expectancy is true, maybe we'll all end being Golden Girls type roommates someday ;).

The Plan: Overseas Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Thu, 31 May 2012 14:30:00 +0000

Ever since we spent our honeymoon backpacking in Europe, Dave and I have always said that we'd love to live there some day.

And if all goes as planned, we may just get our wish.

Last fall, we stumbled across a fabulous opportunity for Dave to possibly teach at a NATO school (complete with a Canadian Section that teaches Ontario curriculum) in the Netherlands.

He applied.

We were crazy-excited by the prospect and more than a little disappointed when we found out that they did not need teachers in his subject area for 2012. We decided, then, that he would make further inquiries and apply again for 2013.

And, that's what we plan to do.

But, the more we discuss it and dream about the possibilities, the more we are certain that we really want to do this. We've got the itch. It's time for a change of scenery and new challenges. So, we've been discussing it a lot, trying to sort out the best timing, location etc. for our family and so on. And, we've come to the conclusion that, if we are going to do it, we need to do it sooner than later (the kids aren't getting any younger).

So, we're going at this whole-hog, so to speak.

We are exploring our options, making a plan and doing our research. We are looking into teacher exchanges, private and military international schools in Europe and the UK, and we are checking out recruitment agencies and international teaching job fairs. We're even looking into Dave getting US teaching certification, since he has American citizenship (whoever thought that would come in handy?!?). All with the hope that we'll be bound for an overseas international school for a minimum of two years by next summer.

The kids have been waffling back and forth on the plan. Somedays they love the idea of an adventure, others they threaten to stay behind. And, honestly, if you know our daughter and you happen to have a daughter who she is friends with, don't be surprised if she asks to live with you for a few years. She's serious.

Still, we think the benefits and opportunities of living overseas will outweigh the disappointment of missing out on things here. There will be new friends and new things to learn. We will travel. A lot. Plus, family and friends can always come visit.

And, at least for now, the plan is to come back to our home when the teaching placement is done. One day, we're pretty sure, the kids will thank us.

Of course with all of this talk and planning, I've spent a fair bit of time flipping through the old honeymoon albums and dreaming about all the places I want to take the kids.

Like this:

Or this:

And, of course, all 3 kids will NEED to have their picture taken sitting in a giant wooden shoe to celebrate their Dutch heritage:

So, that's our plan and we're beyond excited about it.

Oh and if you've ever taught overseas or know someone that has and can offer any advice, please toss it out there. We'll take all the help we can get. There is so much information out there, it's a little daunting.

Anyway, when we're not working on the home renos, that's what we're doing these days. Well, that, and purging. If we really are going to move in a year or so, we have a lot of work to do around here.

Let our family's adventures begin.

Progress Update #2

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Tue, 22 May 2012 02:32:00 +0000

After a few busy weeks of life getting in the way (ie. meetings, Mother's Day, music lessons and a new trampoline), we finally managed to get some work done on the bedroom reno project.

Thanks to the generous help of my handy father-in-law and my dear daughter who spent eight hours painting with me today, we saw significant changes this long weekend (in between BBQs and dealing with a sick kid).

We decided on colours -- the majority of the room will be lime green and the ends of the beds and the closets etc. will be a deep bluish-purple.

The beds are coming together nicely.

While the boys were working on the beds and getting the walls ready, I tackled the painting ... 120 boards of beaded tongue and groove that had to be primed and then painted a first coat before it was installed. Took over 20 hours to do with Dave helping for a morning and Meg helping all day today.

A lot of work, but it already looks so awesome.

Can't wait to keep going on it this week.

Progress Update #1

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:15:00 +0000

Okay, first of all, progress, as always, has been much slower than anticipated.

We worked a fair bit on the weekend, and, while, it doesn't look like much, at least we are now rolling on things.

We started off by saying goodbye to the log cabin. (I am starting to think that all the "goodbyes" we are doing are slowing us down. Oh well.)

Then Dave got to work tearing the cabin apart. Boo hoo.

After a quick clean up and a few trips to the lumber store, we started working on framing in the boys' new built-in beds.

Anyway, that's where we are now. Trying to figure out exactly how high to make the beds and then we'll build them in.

Doesn't look like much, but progress is progress.

And, in other good news, our daughter has decided to stay in her room (with the window seat her father so lovingly built) and son number one has decided that he may want his own room, after all. If that's the case, my "office" will be a new Macbook Pro. Sigh. I guess I can live with that.

And so it begins ...

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 03:01:00 +0000

The playroom-to-boys-bedroom reno project, that is. If you don't know what I am talking about, you can read about it here.

We got off to a little slower start than we had hoped, but things are finally underway.

After some major purging and cleaning, deconstruction has began.

Step one -- the slide. We are happy to report that it will soon be moving to it's new home at the cousins' cottage.

And of course, as soon as the kids heard that we were taking it out, the long neglected slide was suddenly like a ride at Wonderland. Everybody had to go for a few last slides.

Even me :)

We also took a moment to mourn the loss of the little log cabin as it's next on the chopping block.

A little sad to see it go, but can't wait to get going on the boys' new room.

Too Good Not To Share

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:08:00 +0000

So, I know this is in no way a music blog and, even though I love music and going to concerts, I don't really fancy myself a music blogger.

Still, last week I had the opportunity to attend one of the best live shows that I've been to in a long time.

Death Cab for Cutie, backed by the Magik*Magik Orchestra (an octet from San Francisco who performed on the band's last album, Codes and Keys), put on a simply incredible show at Toronto's Massey Hall.

A friend introduced me to Death Cab a few years ago and, the more I hear and see from them, the more I love them.

I'm not sure if it was the venue (when are shows not amazing at Massey Hall?), the perfect addition of the strings to Death Cab's beautiful tracks or the fact that I met Gord Downie in the merch line (if you are unaware of my longstanding love of all things Gord, check out my YouTube user name), but it was a pretty perfect evening. Sigh.

Anyway, here are a couple songs from the show that I posted to YouTube (and I know they're not perfect but you get the idea):

I'll Follow You Into The Dark

Different Names For The Same Thing

If you want to see more of my Death Cab for Cutie videos, you can check them out on my YouTube channel here.

Can't wait to see Death Cab again this summer. Is it June yet?

It's Time :(

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 02:21:00 +0000

A little over a month ago, our vet told us that our dog, Dante, has cancer and that we would likely have to put him down in the next few months.

He also told us that we'd know when it was "time".

This thought kept me up at night. How would we possibly know?

But we do.

Even though he doesn't seem to be in pain, the signs have become more and more obvious with each passing day.

It's that he's not eating regularly any more, seems to be losing weight and rarely runs any more. And, just today, he's had some periods of laboured breathing.

But mostly it's those sad eyes that stare up at me as he spends almost every moment of the day, waking and sleeping, on his pillow.

It's time.

Tomorrow afternoon, we are taking Dante to be put down. And just like that, we'll no longer be a family with a dog.

The kids all said goodbye to Dante tonight and there were tears all around.

I've been trying to put on a brave face for their sake.

But, truth be told, I am having a lot harder time with this than I imagined.

Logically, I know that we are absolutely doing what is best for Dante. And, of course, I do not want him to suffer.

As I type through tears, I continue to remind myself of the words of the late Dr. Suess:

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

While I love the sentiment, it's sometimes easier said than done.

Of course, I know that we were lucky to have had such a great pup for the last eleven years. Our 95 pound "beagle" has brought us much joy and truly has been a member of our family. I am grateful for the times we had together.

But, anyone who really knows me, knows that I am not good with goodbyes. I get attached and have trouble letting go.

Still, I know, for Dante's sake, that I have to let go. I need to say goodbye.

And somehow, tomorrow, I will do that. And, I will put on that brave face and comfort my kids who only "sort of" understand what is going on.

As for tonight, I'll remember the good times and likely continue to feel a little sorry for myself. After all, Dante was my first "real" pet (fish don't really count) and he's always kind of been "my" dog.

Oh and I'll keep looking at old pictures that remind me of the good times with Dante, because I suspect I won't be getting a lot of sleep tonight, anyway.

I'll include a few of the best ones here.

When I was pregnant with Meg, a then (hard to believe) small Dante used to sit in my lap and rest his head on my baby belly. He was actually the first one to "know" I was in labour.

We were worried that he might be jealous or rough around the kids, but he was always great with them.

He even let the kids dress him up from time to time. Wasn't he a handsome cat?!?

We're going to miss you, Dante, old buddy. And, we'll never forget you. I promise.

When it Comes to Egg Hunts ...

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 22:31:00 +0000

we don't mess around! At least, Jadon doesn't :)

So, it Looks Like It's Project Time Again

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 22:03:00 +0000

For as long as we've lived in our house, it seems we've always had a home reno project on the go. Playroom, backyard play structure, basement, deck ... something.

It's just how we roll, I guess.

Except, for various reasons, we haven't really been working on much during the past year.

But, that's about to change.

With spring upon us, we've decided to take on a little more than just our usual (and desperately needed) annual clean and purge.

We have decided to turn the present playroom into the boys' room, complete with new floors, built-in beds and an elevated reading nook.

Meghan has decided that she wants to move into the boys' current room. Her plan involves a new (non-pink) colour scheme and a loft bed.

And Meg's bedroom will soon become the new office/guest room.

So, of course, we are going to do it all at once. With any combination of the three kids sleeping in any of the three rooms (or somewhere else entirely) depending on what stage we're at.

It's going to be a messy and chaotic adventure, and, the whole prospect, even though it will involve a lot of work, has the family pretty excited.

But, I can't help feeling a little sad about the changes, too.

Even though it felt fantastic to finally get the train table out of the house, I have to admit I'm a little hesitant about saying goodbye to the playroom.

I am going to miss all the fun we had in that room as much as I'm going to miss our little log cabin and slide.

Still, I do think the space is going to end up being a fantastic room for the boys and can't wait to see the finished product.

As for Meg, I understand why she's ready to be done with the pink, but I don't get why she wants to move out of the room with the window seat (one of the many home reno projects we've undertaken over the years).

We tried to convince her to go with a fresh coat of paint, but she is determined to have a loft bed with a desk underneath and that just won't work in her current room.

Oh well, her loss is (eventually) my gain, as I am sure I will enjoy the new office when it's finally done.

As for the boys' room, it really is ready for a change. In addition to finally taking out the train table and Thomas toy box, it's way beyond time to get rid of the cartoony cars border. I suspect tearing that stuff off will be both rewarding and therapeutic.

So, that's what we have on tap for the next month or two -- cleaning, purging, floor installation, construction, painting and moving (kids and furniture).

When we're done, there will be less junk in our house and all three kids will (hopefully) be happy because they have funky, age-appropriate bedrooms.

And, if I'm on the ball, you'll see the occasional progress update here.

Oh, and if you happen to come by our house, please excuse the mess -- I suspect things are going to be even more chaotic than usual.

Let the changes begin ...

Popcorn Love

noreply@blogger.com (niki) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 22:16:00 +0000

Ever have it that something sounds so awful and wrong that you don't even want to consider giving it a try? But, then you finally give in and try it, and, in a Dr. Suess green eggs and ham kinda way, find that you love it more than you ever thought possible?

Well, that's exactly what happened to me with Chicago Mix from Garrett's Popcorn.

Last summer, I was skeptical when a couple of friends suggested I *had* to try Garrett's Chicago Mix (a combination of cheese and caramel popcorn) while we were in Chicago. Honestly, I thought it sounded like a nasty, stinky, stomach-ache-waiting-to-happen kind of experience.

Still, when we were in the windy city, we seemed to come across a Garrett's every six or seven blocks so we finally caved and popped in for a sample.

Two bites and we were hooked. It's hard to accurately describe the exact level of pure pleasure that every bit of Chicago Mix brings, but it's like a party in your mouth and addictive in a way I can only imagine crack is.

And, like crack, it's not that easy to get :( Chicago's famous popcorn is only available in, well, Chicago, NYC and some south east Asian countries. NOT in Canada! (Although to be fair the fine folks at Garrett's have recently started shipping to Canadaland).

So, I wanted to use this post to give a huge shout out to my friend C who has fed my ChiMix addiction on more than one occasion when she has been in NYC on business.

The arrival of that bag of sweet and salty goodness yesterday, yellow finger stains and all, made my month. You rock, girlie!

And, now, almost every time I encounter something that I find repulsive or at least contrary to natural instincts, I think of the infinite amount of pleasure my beloved Chicago Mix brings, and think "don't knock it until you try it", and (usually), go for it.

Unless it's seafood-related, but that's another story.