Share Your World 2015 – Week 26

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Mama Cormier

…..half way through the year….thanks Cee for 4 more questions

In a car would you rather drive or be a passenger?

It depends. On long trips I like to switch it up. I find I get tired very quickly and need to take frequent breaks. It also depends on whose driving. If it’s my Dad I’d rather be driving.

If you were handed free opera tickets, would you go or sell them? Why?

I would go. I’ve only been to one opera and I wouldn’t mind seeing some more.

Describe your own outlook on life in seven words or less. (NOTE: does not necessarily have to be a sentence.)

Experience all that life offers. Keep learning.

Which would you prefer: a wild, turbulent life filled with joy, sorrow, passion, and adventure–intoxicating successes and stunning setbacks; or a contented bordering on happy, secure, predictable life surrounded by friends and family without such wide swings of fortune and mood?

Can’t I have a combination of both? I like the idea of joy, passion and adventure and living a contented life surrounded by friends and family. When I was younger I used to think that fame and fortune were important. Not so much anymore.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful that school is out and that I’m finally on vacation. I spent a wonderful weekend with family and friends and I finally spent time with my friend MC who is recovering from hip surgery. I’m grateful that she’s doing so well. I was worried for her because she doesn’t handle pain medication well but it looks like they found right dosage so that she didn’t have to suffer complications from the medicine.

This week I’m looking forward to getting up to the cottage. It’s taken me longer than I had planned but as soon as I finish this article I’m off.

I’m Still in the City

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Mama Cormier

….I woke up with every intention on leaving for the cottage today

I woke up fairly early and started to gather up the things I need for the trip to the cottage. My husband left with the dog to visit our daughter in Hamilton. He has an appointment tomorrow so he wasn’t able to join me on this trip. After he left I started looking for the cooler to pack my food. I couldn’t find it. There was an old one here but it needed a good cleaning. Then I couldn’t find the drill. Without it I won’t be able to get into the cottage.

I texted, emailed and phoned my husband. It took awhile before I heard back from him. The drill was at our daughter’s place and the cooler was in the back of his car. He said he’d hurry back after lunch but I told him to take his time. The drill needed to be charged anyway.

So I packed my clothes, wrote a letter to a friend in the U.S., cleaned the kitchen, did more laundry, put away some clothes, and cooked dinner. I then walked up the street to mail the letter and pick up some fresh berries and vegetables to take with me tomorrow. I also ordered tickets for the Pan Am Games. We’re going to see three women’s soccer games with our daughters. The last one will be the finals. There has been so much pessimism about these games that we felt we really had to support them. Maybe we’ll pick up a couple more events when the Para Pam Am games start in August.

I also found the time to upload three new books to my e-reader. In the past I’ve had issues getting the books from my computer onto the Kobo but today I added wifi to the devise and the transition was seamless. Ahhhh, technology. I love it when it works. Now I also have my summer reading at my fingertips.

So I thought I had used up all my excuses for not getting up to the cottage. Hopefully there won’t be anything else keeping me here in the city.

Should Have Gotten on my Hands and Knees Right Away

Posted on June 28, 2015 by Mama Cormier

….my last resort should have been the first thing I did

I found my glasses! Yay!!!!!

It only took 2 1/2 days. After sorting through mounds of paper, piles of clothes, numerous purses and bags and getting my husband to look under the seats in my car I knew that I had to start looking under furniture. If I didn’t have such a sore knee I would have done it sooner.

Last night I took a flashlight and started upstairs in my bedroom. I looked under the bed, behind the blanket boxes and under and inside the night tables. No luck. This morning I went to the chair that I sit in all the time to write my blog posts. I carefully lowered myself to the floor, being careful not to put too much weight on my right knee. Voila! There it was, between the chair and the bookcase, hidden by the power bar and the cords. Why didn’t I go there first? In hind sight it was the most obvious place.

Oh well, the main thing is that I found my glasses and I no longer have to wear my sunglasses on cloudy and rainy days. In the process of looking I found several other things that needed my attention, like paying for the dog’s license, renewing my subscription to the WMCT concert series and finding things that our dog chewed up and needed to be thrown away.

Maybe someone should invent a tracking device to put on glasses. It seems that losing your glasses is not such an unusual occurrence.

Cheers!

Time for a Good Cleaning

Posted on June 27, 2015 by Mama Cormier

….when things start to go missing you know it’s time to clean

The first official day of my summer holiday and it’s pouring rain. Luckily I got out for a bit of a walk this morning before the skies opened up. The boys came over early enough to cut the grass as well and I got a little bit of weeding done.

My daughter A and her partner J ran a 5km race today and I missed it. They also lucked out and finished before the rain started. My daughter finished her race in 27 minutes and J (her first race ever) completed it in 33 minutes. Very impressive!

Unfortunately we didn’t get out in time to take in the Farmers’ Market. By the time we got there it was teaming with rain and most of the vendors had already packed up and left. We headed back for home but stopped at the top of the street and had a coffee at the Portuguese Bakery. Our son texted us from Paris with a photo of him and his fiancé at an outdoor cafe so my husband took a photo of me with my latte and sent it back to him.

My husband’s caption: Enjoying a latte from our own Paris cafe in beautiful New Toronto.

Notice anything different about me in this photo? Well I’m not wearing my glasses and not because I’m vain (I am a little bit). Remember when I said that ‘when things go missing it’s time to clean’? Well it’s my glasses that I’ve lost. I know that I wore them home on Thursday because I drove home and I would never drive without them. I do have prescription sunglasses and I wore those yesterday and today when driving but I’m really stumped as to where I’ve placed my regular glasses.

Since we’ve been back I have been cleaning the kitchen, going through my school bags, turning things upside down and looking in the most unusual places and I still haven’t found them. I’m afraid I’m going to have to go on my hands and knees and start looking under things, like my bed, night table, living room couch, and bathroom vanity. The only reason I haven’t I haven’t done it yet is because I fell a few weeks ago and I injured my right knee. The only time I feel any pain is when I kneel on it. A few times I’ve forgotten about it, especially when I go to bed. I can’t crawl into bed because I get a searing pain in the knee so I have to sit on the bed and swing my legs over the edge.

Well there are still a lot of places to clean in my house so I guess I’d better get back to work. The rain still hasn’t let up. If you have any suggestions as to where my glasses might be drop m a line.

Cheers

School’s Out So Why Am I So Emotional?

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Mama Cormier

….it’s been an exhausting week

The week started with rehearsals for the grade five farewell. I narrated an adaptation of Oh, the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss and I emceed the assembly. On Tuesday the actual farewell took place and it was a beautiful ceremony. Many of my favourite students were leaving us for middle schools and of course so were their families. Some of these parents I’ve known for ten years because I also taught their older children as well.

At the end of the day my friend L and I were invited to attend one of the house parties. The children were all playing in the backyard while the adults gathered in the living room. I had a great time. There were lots of great nibbles and wonderful adult conversation.

The next day when I arrived at school I had a meltdown as soon as I entered the school building. I’m not sure why. The grade 5s were heading out for their special activity day (swimming, BBQ and mini golf) and for the rest of us we had a play day at school. I was in charge of the water boot race. I felt completely unprepared but I had all the equipment I needed and all the organization had been done by our amazing PE teacher. I think it probably had something to do with the fact that this was the first time in 16 years that I didn’t go away with the grade 5s.

In the end, my activity was a big hit and I actually had a lot of fun doing it. In the afternoon, students from one of the grade 4 classes helped me sort through all the prizes from Jump Rope for Heart and they delivered them to all the classes. That was a huge help. The final total for money raised this year was just under $9000.

After school we had our staff party. PJ hosted at his place as he does every year. He has a pool and I think there were more people than ever in the pool. It helped that it was a warm humid evening. We said good-bye to two staff members that were leaving to continue their careers at other schools and two teachers are going on a leave for a year.

Today students and parents approached me all day with gifts, cards, flowers and warm wishes in between teaching classes. We also had one final assembly in the morning where we recognized students of the month. All the summer birthdays, including mine were, were announced on the PA and we were given birthday ribbons, stickers and bracelets. It’s strange being wished a happy birthday when it’s still two months away (Aug. 28th). Even my last kindergarten class of the year sang Happy Birthday to me.

As I mentioned earlier I received numerous gifts throughout the day but the one that brought tears to my eyes came from four students who were leaving this year. They were also the same students who have attended the tea party for the last two years. They knew that I have a Pandora bracelet and they purchased a charm, a tiny silver teapot, to add to my collection.

I’m not sure why this year was more emotional than past years. Maybe because I’m getting older and I know that my time as a teacher is soon coming to an end. Whenever I mention retirement, the staff and students won’t hear of it but I know that I can’t go on forever. I’m now looking at one year at a time but I’m pretty sure that in two years I’ll be saying good-bye.

Tomorrow the teachers will be back at school. Our principal is hosting a breakfast for us and then we’re off to clean our rooms. Last year I knew that the library was being renovated and I had a big job packing up books in that last week of school. This year I found out that the storage room where I store all my art supplies is being turned into a new office for the caretaker, so all the paper, paints, art supplies and art carts have to be removed. Guess where they’re going for now? The library. I know what I’ll be doing that week before school starts. Can’t worry about that now. I’ll cross that road when I get to it.

Share Your World 2015 – Week 25

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Mama Cormier

….. thanks Cee for four more thought provoking questions

What did you or did not like about the first apartment you ever rented?

Our first apartment was a basement apartment in uptown Toronto. We were close to the subway and great shopping and restaurants. I didn’t like being in the basement. Our windows faced the parking lot and driveway so we had to contend with cars rolling past our windows.

What kind of art is your favorite? Why?

My favourite art includes abstract paintings, watercolour or acrylic and collage and mixed media art. I don’t like things that are hyper realistic. I’d rather take a beautiful photograph.

A Ray Cattell painting.

How many siblings do you have? What’s your birth order?

I’m the oldest of three girls. When my son was born he was the first male born on my father’s side of the family in 50 years.

The three Winkler sisters.

Complete this sentence: I’m dreaming of a white …. (and no you can’t use Christmas as your answer)

This one stumped me for a few minutes. In fact, I went for a walk and really thought about this question. I’ve already owned a white car and my husband has one now. It wasn’t by choice for either of us but at the time they were our only options. I’ve really learned to appreciate white flowers and one of my favourite bouquets this year was all white.

I’m not very fussy about white weddings or white clothes. I don’t like white food, unless it’s vanilla ice-cream or whipped cream and white walls leave me cold. I do, however, like bright white trim. Therefore, I’m dreaming of painting all the trim in the house white. I also love crisp white sheets and big soft white towels.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful for a wonderful weekend with the family. We did a double Father’s Day celebration. On Saturday my husband and I hosted a BBQ at our place and our girls and their significant others and two of our best friends joined us. My husband did most of the cooking because it’s what he loves to do. I did all the running around and picked up things that we needed. We also went across the street for a bit to congratulate our neighbour on her retirement.

Our daughter and son-in-law couldn’t keep the gender of their baby secret any longer and they shared the news with us. Unfortunately I promised to keep it a secret for a little bit longer and not share it with the world right now.

On Sunday, we drove to my Dad’s place in Oshawa and celebrated Father’s Day with him. My sister took the train in from Chatham and we all shared a meal at their new apartment. I brought a salad made from the lettuce in our garden and Dad picked up his special treat, KFC.

One other thing that I’m grateful for was a very enjoyable Tea that my friend L and I hosted for four students from school. It really was fun and the kids learned a lot about ‘tea etiquette’ and a little bit more about their teachers.

This week I’m looking forward to the staff party and to the last day of school and the start of our summer break.

Winding Down but Still So Very Busy

Posted on June 18, 2015 by Mama Cormier

…..even though there are only 5 days left with students there is no slowing down

Yesterday we had our big annual outdoor extravaganza. Every class sang, danced and/or played musical instruments on an outdoor stage that the parent council rented for the day. We had a dress rehearsal in the afternoon and every class sat on the hill and watched the performances as they waited for their turn to go on stage.

In the evening the students stayed in classrooms and waited to be called to go on stage. It was very well organized and all 14 classes and two choirs completed their presentations in one hour and fifteen minutes. The weather this year cooperated. We couldn’t have asked for a better evening. The parents loved it and the students wished that it had gone on longer.

Today we started rehearsals for next week’s farewell assembly for the grade 5s. After school my friend L and I ran around to get the food organized for tomorrow’s tea with the students who bid on “High Tea with Mrs. C and Ms. C” at the silent auction a few weeks ago. I offered Tea with Mrs. C last year and it was so successful that my friend L wanted to go in on it with me. We decided to make it extra special and have the tea at L’s house where her very British mom could help us with the table setting. I just had these two photos sent to me. The table is ready for tea.

On the weekend we’re celebrating Father’s Day at our house. The ‘kids’ (my children, not the students) are coming over on Saturday for a BBQ. My husband is anxious to try out his new charcoal and propane combination grill. We’re also invited to a retirement party on the same day but it is just across the road so hopefully we can find time to drop in for a bit. On Sunday I’m hoping we can find time to visit my Dad in Oshawa.

Next week there will be more rehearsals for the farewell, the assembly itself that I’m emceeing, the grade 5 fun day and the school’s play day. On Wednesday evening we’re having our staff party (yeah!) and then on the last day of school there’s one more assembly. Somewhere in between all that we have to clean our rooms, order supplies for next year and store our computers and electronics in a safe place for the summer.

Share Your World 2015 – Week 24

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Mama Cormier

….here is the new format for Cee’s Share Your World

It’s pretty much the same but instead of 4 random questions there are now 3 and one list question.

What’s your favorite charitable cause and why?

I think my favourite charity has to be the Heart and Stroke’s Jump Rope for Heart event. I’m probably a little biased because I’ve been running this event for the last 16 years at our school and we’ve raised well over $100 000.00. This year alone we took in almost $10,000.00. I like this charity because it makes children aware of heart healthy activities and how the money they raise is used for research. The best part is the day that the whole school comes outside and jumps rope for an hour. We have music, games and prizes and everyone, including the teachers get involved.

What color do you feel most comfortable wearing?

I love wearing red and royal blue and white.

If you had your own talk show, who would your first three guests be? (guest can be dead, alive, famous or someone you just know)

My first three guests would be Pablo Picasso, my father, and Jon Stewart.

List: What are at least five places you’ve enjoyed visiting?

• Amsterdam and Rotterdam

• Dublin, Westport and Howth

• Munich and Oberaudorf

• San Francisco

• Stowe, Vermont

• Hawaii

• Banff, Alberta

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful for resolving some of my iPhone and computer issues on Sunday and for a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon with our daughter and son-in-law in Hamilton. Even though my husband’s test results are still inconclusive I’m grateful for the wonderful doctors and technicians who we’ve dealt with in the last few weeks and hopefully we’ll have a better idea which option to choose this coming week.

This week I’m looking forward to our school production which we do on an outdoor stage in front of the school. We’re all hoping for good weather. Last year it started to rain part way through but the parents wanted us to continue. The stage helped keep the children dry but the audience sat under umbrellas and tarps.

I’m also looking forward to getting together with both my daughters and their significant others on Father’s Day. We’re hoping that our friends A and W can also join us and with any luck we may be able to visit with my Dad as well.

When a Busy Weekend Keeps You From Walking

Posted on June 14, 2015 by Mama Cormier

…..3 days in a row of over 10 000 steps and then the weekend comes along

Usually the weekend is a great time for walking but this weekend proved otherwise. On Saturday I squeezed my newly pedicured feet into a brand new pair of high heels and wore them for the next eleven hours.

We left the house shortly after 12 noon and arrived at the church just in time for the wedding. The service wasn’t as long as we had expected and now we had 3 hours to kill before the reception. We thought about going home but opted instead to go to a restaurant close by and have a bite to eat. We ordered a couple of appetizers and sparkling water. Well that took less than an hour and we still had time to spare.

We decided to find some stores to browse through but we were in the middle of box store city with lots of pavement and parking lots to walk over. Not very good for someone in 3″ heels. In hind sight it seems ridiculous but we drove from store to store. My husband hates malls and box stores so we didn’t spend too much time ‘shopping’. We didn’t actually buy anything.

We didn’t have any coffee when we were in the restaurant earlier and we were now in need of a caffeine fix. Back in the car, we now drove around looking for a coffee shop. After a couple of missed turns we finally found a Star Bucks and sat down, again, for a cup of coffee.

We arrived at the reception hall exactly at 5:00 and there was no one else in the parking lot. We wondered if we had the right place but within minutes the families of the bride and groom showed up and slowly the guests stared arriving as well. I guess showing up on time is an old fashion custom. I couldn’t believe how late people walked through the door.

After the cocktail hour, dinner was served and for the next four and a half hours we were in our seats as the courses were served with speeches and formalities in between.

I was hoping we’d get to do some dancing but by the time the last speech had been delivered it was already 10:30 and we realized that our poor dog had been alone since noon. We said our good-byes and headed home. By 11:00 o’clock we arrived at the house and the first thing I did was take off those high heels. My husband took the dog out for a quick pee. I was just too tired to go for a walk. I had only logged 3400 steps.

On Sunday I slept in and then read my book for a couple of hours. I had booked an appointment with the Apple store to sort through some issues I was having with my computer and my iPhone. My husband came with me so that we could leave right from the mall and drive to Hamilton to have dinner at our daughter’s house. That’s right, my husband was in a mall, two days in a row. What a sport!

Unfortunately today was a very rainy day and when we arrived in Hamilton our plans for walking to a new area to explore were altered. The rain had let up briefly but our daughter didn’t think it was a good idea to walk to our destination because the odds of a downpour were pretty high. She was right. We drove to a quaint shopping area on Locke Street, parked the car and walked up and down the street. We stopped for coffee and a bite to eat because dinner wasn’t going to be early as we had anticipated.

There are some great little stores, coffee shops and restaurants in this area of Hamilton. I’ll be sure to return on a future visit. When we returned to our daughter’s house I went out for another short walk over to James street but most stores on Sunday close between 4:00 and 5:00, if they’re open at all.

When I returned to the house G had put out a lovely spread of cheese, dips and crackers and shortly after they served us a scrumptious dinner of ribs and a watermelon salad. I suggested going for a walk before dessert was served but it was decided that we would play a board game first and then go for a walk. Well we never did get out for that walk and in total I only logged 4000 steps for the day.

13 000 More Steps to a Healthier Me

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Mama Cormier

….after work I treated myself and my good friend L to a manicure and pedicure

I’m going to a wedding tomorrow and I really needed to get my toes done. It was L’s birthday last month so I decide to treat her to a manicure and pedicure after work today. Of course it made no sense to sit and watch her being pampered so I had to treat myself as well. Besides I’ve been wearing sandals to work for a few weeks now and it was a little embarrassing when my kindergarten students pointed out that my nail polish on my toes was chipping.

: Coca Cola Red on my toes

: Gel Polish

After about an hour of soaking, filing and applying colour we headed over to Marshall’s to try on some clothes. I chose nine tops to try on and left with two. When I got home my husband had just pulled out one of his homemade pizzas from the oven. Yummy!

After supper Frances was eager to go for her evening walk. Even though I was tired I knew that once I got going I would really feel better for it and I do enjoy it. The rain had stopped and it looked like it would stay away for awhile. I brought along my iPhone to snap a few pictures. Before I left I checked my Jawbone Up to see how far I had walked up to this point. It registered at just over 6000 steps.

Tonight we headed towards Col. Samuel Smith Park. I’ve been letting Frances dictate how far we walk and the direction she wants to go. When we got to the park I thought for sure she’d want to turn back but no she proceeded to head towards the lake and the naturalized area of the park. I kept my eyes open for some interesting shots and I think I managed to catch a few good ones. Here are a few things we saw on our walk tonight.

When we finally got home I checked my Up bracelet and discovered that I had walked almost 13 000 steps. This is the third day in a row that I’ve walked over 10 000 steps. Last week I averaged over 11 000 steps a day. I’m hoping that this increase in movement and watching what I eat will help me lose the pounds that I put back on. Luckily I didn’t put it all back on but more than I should have. I need to learn to get right back on track as soon as the first five pounds return.