Time to Get Serious

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….3 weeks to go before the Girls on the Run 5k

No more excuses. The back feels better, no more colds, the ground has dried up and the weather’s been great.

Today I set a personal best in training for the upcoming 5k run. My husband and I started on our usual walk to the park and when we got to the rugby pitch we both started running around the 500 m field. I ran six laps without stopping for a total running distance of 3k. My husband ran farther and faster but he does intervals where he alternates between running and walking. My total travel distance this morning was 5.6k.

My goal is to drop another 5 to 10 pounds in the next 3 weeks and continue to lengthen the distance that I run before I stop to walk. I’m not too concerned about my time but I would be happy if I completed the 5k in 45 minutes. That may seem slow to some of you but it’s a step in the right direction for me.

I’ll keep you up to date on my progress.

Cheers!

Frances’ Perfect Day

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..a lot of running, a little swimming and wrestling with her buddy Lucy

Yesterday was a cool but sunny day…. a perfect day to walk the dogs down by the lake.

Earlier in the day we picked up our daughter, G, and her basset hound, Lucy. G’s husband was away on a business trip. She needed some help buying plants and she was hoping to see her older sister who was coming home from her three week vacation in Argentina.

After buying the plants we had some time on our hands before we had to pick up A and J from the airport. We got the dogs ready for a nice long walk and headed out for Colonel Samuel Smith Park.

Both dogs love to play with each other and run. The biggest difference between the two of them is that Frances loves the water and Lucy hates it. I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that Basset hounds have short legs and long ears. After a long exhausting run, even though she was surrounded by water, Lucy would not drink from the lake. She came close but changed her mind as she approached the water.

Frances on the other hand would live in the water if we let her. She dives right in. The following pictures of her clearly show off her joy as the waves roll onto the shoreline.

We took a few detours off the main path today and when we got home we discovered that our walk was 5k long. The dogs of course probably doubled that distance with all the running they did, back and forth through the grassy knolls and up and down the rocks.

Today Frances was very quiet. Every time we looked for her she was off somewhere sleeping. What a life!

Frances, yawning.

Frances, sleeping again.

Spring is in the Air

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….how wonderful

Yesterday the boys and girls at school, along with a group of parents, cleaned up and replanted the garden in front of the school. It was a beautiful day and every class in the school took turns pulling weeds, raking debris and leaves, turning soil, planting new flowers and covering the beds with mulch.

The children had a wonderful time. They put their hearts and souls into the work. A few mistakes were made. Sometimes tulips were uprooted when they were mistaken for weeds but all in all the garden was turned around and is now something to be proud of. Here are a few pictures of the activity that took place.

Throwing Clay and Graffiti Art

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..experimenting with new art forms

For the last five weeks I’ve been going to a pottery class. I started with simple pinch pots and then moved on to rolling out slabs of clay and cutting and shaping this clay into platters and bowls. Yesterday I had my first experience on a potter’s wheel and throwing the clay.

I was a little intimidated by the process but the wheel was there for the using so I went for it. I have an excellent and patient teacher. She gave clear instructions and let me manoeuvre the clay on my own. Feeling the clay spin between my hands was very relaxing and therapeutic.

Centering the clay is very tricky and takes a lot of practice to master. After playing with the clay for a while my instructor took over for a few minutes and finished centering the piece for me. Once properly centered I continued to work with the clay and started to form my bowl. I hadn’t really decided on the shape that I wanted to create. The shape was decided for me as the wheel turned and I pushed against the clay. I ended up with this bowl. What do you think?

Earlier this week I decided to teach my students some lettering techniques and I came across a great blog that focused on graffiti art. Create Art With Me displayed some wonderful examples of finished pieces done by students in grades 2 to 7. I know that my students will love this activity.

Before I teach a new technique I like to do it first. This activity had me totally immersed in the process. I added my own twist and added a layer of ‘Zentangling’.

I introduced this lesson to one class so far and they’re very excited. I will post some of their finished work in the next couple of weeks.

Cheers!

Book Review -The Imposter Bride

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..by Nancy Richler

I read this book a couple of months ago and last night our book club met at the Runnymede Library to listen to Nancy Richler read excerpts from her novel, discuss her motivation for writing the book and take questions from the audience.

The presentation was part of The eh List Authors Series. This is a Toronto Public Library initiative that promotes successful authors and invites them to come to a designated location and speak to the library patrons in Toronto.

Here is a brief summary of The Imposter Bride, taken from the Toronto Public Library website:

When Sol Kramer sees his intended bride, Lily Azerov, fresh from the Levant and waiting at the Montreal train station, he takes one look and he bolts. His brother Nathan is mortified. And charmed. Nathan steps up and proposes to the beautiful Lily himself. But Lily has a secret. She is not Lily Azerov.

Nancy Richler carefully chose passages from her novel to share with the packed house at the Runnymede Library. Most of the audience had read the book, so she was delighted to discuss the theme, the characters and her own personal connections and experiences that helped her write this wonderful book.

Hearing how and why Nancy wrote this book made it even more special. It took her nine years to write this book. Some of the characters are loosely based on her own family and childhood friends. Having grown up in Montreal in the post war years in the 50s and 60s gives Nancy first hand experience of the broken Holocaust survivors and their struggles to make a new life in a new country.

Most of the book is told in the voice of Lily’s daughter, Ruth. When Ruth was only 3 months old, Lilly abandoned her daughter and husband and disappeared for decades. On Ruth’s sixth birthday she receives a mysterious package from her mother with a stone inside. Over the years Ruth receives several parcels from her mother, each with a new stone inside and each return address is from a different city in Canada. Does Ruth ever meet her mother? You’ll need to read the book to find out.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Busy Day

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..a quick update

The day started with soccer practice at 7:40 to 8:20. After the announcements my principal and I drove across town, through rush hour to check out some used furniture and fixtures for our school. We put our names on pieces that were on the wish lists of the staff. Now we have to wait and see which pieces we’ll be gifted.

When we got back to school I ordered books and supplies that a few more staff members had requested.

Lunch

Art class to my 3/4 class. Worked through recess.

Library class and then prepared for Girls on the Run

3:00 to 4:30 – Girls on the Run. My back was still bothering me today so I didn’t run but I did walk quickly around the course. I did 4 laps for a total of 2k. We have a few girls who need a little extra motivation to keep running so I kept sneaking up on them and bellowing at them to run. It was a lot of fun and it was the most running these girls have done since we started 6 weeks ago.

5:00 drove to Costco to pick up a cake for a baby shower at school tomorrow. Also picked up some chicken and salad for tonight’s dinner.

5:45 prepared dinner and washed up dishes

6:30 drove to book club. We had our meeting at the library where the author, Nancy Richler talked about her book The Imposter Bride. More on that in my next post.

8:00 went for coffee with the girls from the book club. Really enjoyed tonight’s talk.

9:30 drove home

10:00 – checked my emails and watched So You Think You Can Dance

11:50 – should be in bed but decided to quickly post about my day

12:15 – finished this post and plan to head to bed

Good Night!

Sherwood Park

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…. another gem in the heart of Toronto

We had about a 2 hour window yesterday when the sun tried to peak through the clouds and the rain, wind and hail took a break. In that time my family and I decided to take the dogs for a walk to burn off some of the calories from our wonderful Mother’s Day lunch.

My daughter and her husband live in the North York district of Toronto and are lucky enough to have numerous parks and off leash areas for walking their dog, Lucy. We decided to head over to Sherwood Park, partially because we could walk there and secondly because I’d never been there.

The park is a picturesque wooded area nestled in a ravine.

There are great trails for runners and walkers. The hills and stairs give the user an excellent workout. In the off leash areas the trails are fenced in, allowing dogs to enjoy the freedom to run to their heart’s content. We kept our eyes open for trilliums, our provincial flower. They are protected so it is illegal to pick them and another reason for the fence is to keep human feet off this sensitive ecological area. This was as close as I could get to photograph this patch of trilliums.

The total distance walked yesterday from Yonge and Blythwood Rd. to the park, up and down the hills and then back again along Sherwood Avenue was about 4.3 k. The day before I walked 4.0 k and I worked in the garden pulling weeds. The latter activity has played havoc with my back and I paid for it last night and most of today. Back pain sure makes one feel old.

Hopefully I’ll feel better tomorrow so that I can run with the girls at school. We’ll see. Till then, cheers!

The Best Mother’s Day

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….despite the crazy weather

Spending time with my adult children is the best way to celebrate Mother’s Day. Unfortunately this year two of my three children are out of the country so having them all together was impossible. The day, however, was close to perfect.

It started with breakfast in bed, made lovingly by my husband; strawberries and yogurt, a feta and spinach omelet, bacon, toasted baguette and great coffee. Later in the morning I got a long distance phone call from my son who lives in Rotterdam. It was so nice hearing his voice and catching up on all the news in his life. I could have talked much longer but my husband and I were invited for a special lunch at our youngest daughter’s apartment.

Lunch at G’s and B’s place was relaxed and informal. We had a smorgasbord of cured meats, cheese, fresh bread, a citrus fennel salad and a rapini pesto with olives. After lunch the weather had cleared and the sun started to peak through the clouds so we decided to take the dogs, Lucy and Frances for a long walk through Sherwood Park.

My son-in-law and the girls.

The weather held out for our walk and actually started to warm up. Earlier in the day we experienced rain showers, gusty winds, cold temperatures and on the drive to the apartment we drove through a torrent of hail. When we returned to the apartment we stopped at Dufflet’s (situated just below the apartment) to pick up a couple of tarts to share and enjoy with our coffee.

On the drive home the weather changed again. The temperature dropped, the wind picked up and it rained heavily. Just before arriving home it started to hail again and people on the street were covering their faces and running to find some kind of cover.

When we arrived home I got back in my car and went shopping. I needed to buy some things for school but that particular store closed as I drove up. At that point I decided to check out Marshall’s and boy am I glad I did. I needed a new spring coat that I could wear with dresses and skirts. I found that perfect coat plus 2 skirts, a short one and a long one and 3 summer tops.

When I got home my oldest daughter ‘skyped’ me from Argentina. Like her brother it was so nice to hear her voice but also to see her face. We had a few problems with the video portion of our exchange and we had a couple of laughs when the screen froze on a silly expression or when it started to loop over and over again. My day was perfect. I had a special moment with each of my children. Thank you, all! Love you!

Me with my youngest daughter, G at her apartment.

P.S. …..and Cochran won Survivor. How perfect is that?

Signs of Summer in My Neighbourhood

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..on my evening walk with Frances

Who says you can only decorate trees at Christmas?

As we entered the park I noticed a lot of bird activity. It’s clear that there’s a lot of nesting going on. The pond has a pair of resident swans. The female was on a reedy little island in the middle of the pond, probably sitting on her eggs, while the male was enjoying a leisurely evening swim.

The shrubs and trees are almost completely green and flowering species are near the end of their blossom cycle.

One of the most obvious signs for me that summer is just around the corner is the reappearance of the boats from the yacht club back in the water.

An Artsy Couple of Days

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….pottery and children’s Mother’s Day gifts

On Thursday I went to my pottery class and was delighted to find that my pot and platter had been fired and were ready to be glazed. Deciding on which glazes to use was probably the most difficult part of the process. It’s like deciding on what colour to paint a room. So many choices.

Before I tackled the glazing I cleaned up the berry bowl I started last week and it is now ready to be fired as well. Here is a photo of it upside down. I need to make a saucer to go underneath the bowl so that the water that drains from the berries has somewhere to go other than the table it is sitting on.

As most of you know I teach 110 students art at my school. This week I had many students trying to finish up projects that they could give their moms for Mother’s Day this Sunday. Most of these projects didn’t start off as gifts for mom but as the day got closer I may have suggested that they would make terrific presents. Unfortunately not all the students were able to finish their works of art and I encouraged them to give the project as is and then bring them back and finish them next week.

Next year I’m going to have to either plan earlier for a simple project that I can start with the students and then let the teacher finish it in class or leave the gift making entirely up to the homeroom teacher. It’s too difficult to organize that many projects when you only see students once a week for an hour and twenty minutes. Someone is always away or doesn’t use their class time well and then has nothing for me to evaluate or doesn’t finish special projects that are intended to be gifts.

Here are a few of the successful projects that are making their way home for Mom this weekend.

The top two projects were made by boys in grade 3. These quilt squares were completely hand stitched and then decorated with embroidery stitches and buttons. The third project was made by a girl in grade 4. In this class the students had to design a coat of arms and then they transfered the design onto a foam plate and rolled printer’s ink onto it and transferred it onto fabric. When the ink dried they attached a piece of batting to the underside and then stitched the lines with coloured threads (embroidery floss or crochet cotton). The student for this project wanted her piece attached to a bag which we purchased from a dollar store.

Here’s another quilted square made by a girl in grade 3. She decided to frame her piece. The stitching in her piece is outstanding.

Note the tiny cross-stitich that she added on the right side.

The student who completed the following piece took everything that I taught her about pioneer quilts to heart and included fabric from some of her clothes that she had outgrown. The pink ruffled fabric is from her pyjamas and the studded fabric in the middle came from a pair of socks. She liked the idea of making a frame from twigs to give it a rustic feel and made it completely on her own after I showed her how to attach the branches with a God’s Eye pattern. I was very surprised that she pulled it off because it was quite an awkward process. The only thing I helped her with was attaching the square to the inside of her frame. What do you think? Pretty amazing for an 8 year old.