Soccer, Soccer, Soccer

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..I’ve become a huge fan of international soccer and the World Cup

I can’t believe how much soccer I’ve been watching. I chose five teams to support because of my family ties to some of these nations. My fifth choice was Iran because my future daughter-in-law is from there. In fourth place I supported Italy because my other daughter-in-law is half Italian and her other half is Argentinian so my third choice is obviously Argentina. My second favourite team is the Netherlands because that is where my son presently lives and my number one choice is Germany because that is where I was born.

Now on Canada Day you would think that I would be doing something ‘Canadian’ to celebrate our 147th birthday but I found myself with my husband at a bar watching the Belgium vs U.S.A. game. I have to admit that I was cheering for Belgium and only because of its proximity to the Netherlands. The Americans played a fantastic game and if you’re not a soccer fan after that game I’m afraid there’s no hope for you. It was very exciting, right down to the last few seconds.

On Saturday we went to my daughter’s place to watch the Germany vs Algeria game and it was a nail biter as well but in the end, in overtime, Germany won 2 to 1. Algeria surprised everyone with how well they played and the game almost went to a shoot out.

Before we went to the pub my husband watched the Argentina vs Switzerland game and Argentina also won in overtime. Now that leaves me with three teams to cheer for but if it comes down to Germany and one of my other teams I have to go with Germany. Sorry kids that’s just how it has to be.

Share Your World 2014 – Week 26

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….now we are truly at the half way mark into the year

Is your refrigerator, organized or a mess inside?

It depends on the day. Of course after I clean it, it’s organized and I try to keep it that way. My husband, however, does a lot of the shopping and he doesn’t always check to see what’s already in there. Consequently we have doubles and even triples of condiments and vegetables. Even if he does check he often doesn’t see what’s near the back of the fridge. So some days it looks a tad messy in there.

If you could be famous for one thing, what would it be?

If I could be famous, I’d like to be a famous artist, preferably while I’m alive.

An earlier attempt at collage.

What one thing have you not done that you really want to do?

I’d love to have my own art show. I was suppose to have a show at a community arts centre several years ago but because of politics, the group that I was working with was kicked out of the time slot that we had booked to make way for a more established group of artists who were also on the board of directors. The experience left me with a bad taste in my mouth and I haven’t booked another show since.

Where do you eat breakfast?

I try to eat my breakfast at the kitchen table. If I’m running late I’ll take my breakfast with me or stop at the local Tim Horton’s and pick up some oatmeal. Once I get to school I sit down in the staffroom to quietly enjoy my meal before my classes begin. Now that the weather is nice I sometimes eat my breakfast out on the deck both at home and at the cottage.

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 I can now focus on my fitness and weight goals once more. Even though I have to go back in this week to tidy up some more and pack away more books I’ll be able to do it without having children around to supervise.

I’m looking forward to spending time up at the cottage. I haven’t opened up yet and finding someone to go with me this weekend was impossible (too much going on in the city). I’m also looking forward to having my hair cut and my feet pampered before I go.

For more posts about Share Your World check out Cee’s blog at: http://ceenphotography.com/2014/06/30/share-your-world-2014-week-26/

School’s Out but I’m Back Next Week

Posted on June 28, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..just couldn’t finish in the library

Normally the children are finished with school one day before the teachers but this year everyone had to stay in school right up to Friday. The last day for teachers is usually a clean-up day where teachers put away as much as possible so that the care taking staff can do a thorough cleaning in the summer.

Many of us found it very difficult to get our rooms to that point and despite staying for a couple of hours after the children had left some of us need to come back next week to continue with the purging and tidying. In the library I had one extra job that needed doing this year. I’m having new carpet tiles put down and in order for the workers to move the free standing shelves and the book carousels I had to empty them all and box the books again (same job as last year). I had children in all day who tried to help me with this task and we still didn’t finish.

As I wrote earlier the last two weeks of school have been very busy and stressful. I’ve mentioned before that stress and weight gain go hand in hand for me. Not only that but all week children and parents have been bringing in chocolates, cupcakes and cookies. We had a pizza lunch with the book club, a BBQ with the grade 5s, our staff party and our principal treated us to breakfast (muffins, Danishes, bagels, croissants) all in the same week.

This morning I put myself on the scale thinking that I had gained back all the weight I had lost recently plus more. I did gain four of the five pounds that I had lost but I was relieved that it wasn’t more. Now that most of my stress has been lifted for the summer I’m hoping to get back on track and drop all the weight that I’ve gained this winter.

I started the morning with a healthy breakfast and then went for an eight kilometre bike ride. For the rest of the day I’m going do some gardening, get out for a walk and drink lots of water. I’m also hoping to get up to the cottage this weekend to open the place up and then I’ll come back to finish up in the library. With any luck I should be able to get the job done in one day.

A Crazy Week

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..so much has happened at school this week and we’ve got more to go before signing off for the summer

If anyone tells you that nothing happens in the last month of school don’t believe them. This week alone (the last week of school) we’ve had rehearsals for the grade 5 farewell, the actual farewell assembly, the book club’s all day activity event for 50 students, field trips into the community, training for next years Peace Keepers, the kindergarten play day and final printing of the report cards.

Yesterday I emceed the farewell assembly for the grade 5s in the afternoon and then spent time after school getting the materials ready for today’s Forest of Reading Extravaganza. In the morning we split up the group of 50 children into two groups and sent one group to the drama workshop and the other group stayed with me for the book making workshop. After recess the boys and girls rotated to their second activity so that everyone had an opportunity to participate in both activities. After the morning activities we served them pizza, water and Freezies and the staff that helped us all year as expert readers joined us for lunch.

When lunch was over we had Allan Stratton who is the author of Curse of the Dream Witch come to the school for an hour to read to and talk to the children about being an author. The children asked him wonderful questions without any prompting from their teachers and he skillfully kept the children engaged with his many personal anecdotes about writing and how they could become writers.

After the last recess of the day some of the children returned to their classrooms but many stayed behind to finish their handmade books. There was a fair bit of cleaning that needed to be done but the grade 5s were more interested in getting their yearbooks signed. I’d put them off all day while the activities were going on so during the last period of the day I gave in and signed most of their books.

It’s been pouring rain since I’ve left school and it hasn’t stopped for over five hours. I’m afraid that it might affect tomorrow’s play day at school and the grade 5’s excursion to the pool and the park for lunch tomorrow. I’m not sure if I’m going to that but I think that the teachers who get prep from me tomorrow were given their time today. If all goes as planned we will go swimming in the morning, go to the park for a barbecue lunch and then head over to the golf course for a round of mini putt.

After school we have our staff party at the home of our gym teacher. It is usually our last day with the students but this year we all have to return to school on Friday. I suspect that many of the students won’t show up especially since they get their report cards on Thursday. On Friday we have an assembly in the morning and in the afternoon teachers will be madly trying to straighten up their classes with their students present. It should be an interesting day.

I have a feeling that I will be going into school next week to tidy up the library. As much as the students want to help me it often ends up being more messy than when we started.

Cheers!

Share Your World – 2014 Week 25

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..almost half way into the year….yikes, where does the time go?

What is your favorite type of dog? (can be anything from a specific breed, a stuffed animal, drawing, cartoon or character in a movie or TV show)

As much as I love our current dog, Frances, I’d have to say that my favourite breed of dog is the Golden Retriever. Before adopting Frances we owned 2 Goldens over a 23 year period. Our first dog died way too soon, just before she turned eight and our second Golden lived to be 15 years and 40 days old. My husband says now that the Goldens were my dogs and that Frances is his.

This is Scully at the cottage when she was 15 years old. As you can see she only has one eye. She lost her eye when she was only two but it certainly didn’t slow her down. She hated having her picture taken and would usually run away when she saw the camera. I suspect in her last year or two her sight in her one eye was starting to fail.

Frances is a mixed breed of Dachshund and Australian Shepherd.

Name one thing not many people know about you.

It’s a weird thing to admit but I have a deathly fear of bears. I’ve never had an encounter with a bear or even seen one from a distance. My sister thinks it has to do with a book our Aunt gave us when we were kids about bear attacks. Last year a family of bears swam across the lake and now live on the island where our cottage is. I’m actually afraid to go for walks in the woods now.

Have you ever gone scuba diving? If you haven’t, would you want to?

I’ve never been scuba diving but if I went to a sunny island in the Caribbean I would probably like to try it.

What was the most important event in your life last week? (anything goes it can be a good nights sleep, finished a reading book,winning the lottery, or getting married)

Last week was extremely busy and I had a lot of late nights. For two nights in a row I didn’t get home until 9:30 and 10:30 and on one of those nights I couldn’t sleep right away so I stayed up and painted and didn’t get to bed until 2:00 in the morning. The following day I went to lie down right after dinner because I was feeling a little off and I didn’t wake up until after midnight. I changed out of my clothes and into my PJs and surprisingly fell asleep without any difficulty. I woke up shortly after six in the morning. Sleeping for over ten hours on a school night and finally getting the rest I needed was the most important event of last week.

One of the paintings I was working on.

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

I am grateful that my daughter went into school with me on the weekend and helped me clean up my art area and part of the library. She also helped me organize the children’s prizes from the Jump Rope for Heart activity and together we took down all the art work around the school and returned it to the different classrooms. I knew that if I didn’t get it done on the weekend I’d be in big trouble this week. There is so much going on at school this week that I needed to get those jobs done ahead of time.

I’m looking forward to the end of school on Friday and to our staff party on Thursday night. Normally the children are finished one day before the teachers are but this year both students and teachers work right till the end of the week.

For more Share Your World posts check out: http://ceenphotography.com/2014/06/23/share-your-world-2014-week-25/

30 000 Plus

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..just a quick note of thanks

One of my blogging goals was to reach 30 000 views on my second anniversary with WordPress. I didn’t quite make it but yesterday, almost two months later I finally reached that magic number. Thank you to all my followers. Without you it wouldn’t happen.

I’ve been incredibly busy this month and I haven’t been able to keep up with all my emails. No matter how hard I try to keep up I can’t get my emails below 100. Those of you who write longer posts are sitting in a back log. I’ve saved them because I really do want to read them. I haven’t forgotten about you and when I do get to them you’ll probably notice a spike in views from Canada. Love you all.

Share Your World – 2014 Week 24

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Mama Cormier

……this week’s answers are all about family, friends, comfort, big city experiences and language

What makes you feel the most secure?

I am most secure in the company of my family and good friends. I don’t have a special blanket or chair. It’s not even about being in my home. Where ever my family and friends are that’s where I feel most secure.

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If you were a shoe, what kind would you be and why?

I have to admit that I’m all about comfort and a little bit of style. This time of year I’d be a sport sandal. Lots of support, comfortable and cool to wear on hot days. I love Ecco and Naturalizer shoes. They cost a bit more but their worth it. They also come in lots of bright colours and interesting styles. Who says you have to give up comfort for style?

Getting our feet ready for sandal season.

How many languages do you you speak?

Sadly I only speak one language well and that’s English. I understand German very well and can get by when push comes to shove. I know only a little bit of French. This is probably my biggest regret in life. Living in a bilingual country and having taught in French Immersion schools for over 25 years I really have no good excuse for not learning the language. My only excuse is that I’m a very visual learner and when it comes to learning another language which is mostly auditory I struggle to remain focused. Some people, like my children, have a gift and can pick up languages easily.

What was the largest city you have been to? What is the one thing you remember most?

The largest city I’ve been to is right here in Toronto (4th largest city in North America). If I had to choose outside of my hometown I’d have to say Montreal in Canada and San Francisco in the U.S.. In both cities I love the diversity of the cultures and the mix of old architecture with modern structures. When I think of San Francisco I think of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Wharf and Alcatraz. Montreal brings to mind Old Montreal, Expo, and great bistros.

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 time with my Dad on Father’s Day. I feel blessed that I still have him at 87 years young. I’m also grateful for time spent with my children and husband on Saturday and for the phone call from my son in the Netherlands.

I’m looking forward to our annual show at school this week and to printing the final report cards on Thursday.

For more Share Your World posts check out Cee’s blog over at http://ceenphotography.com/2014/06/16/share-your-world-2014-week-24/

Share Your World 2014 – Week 23

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….a lot of questions involving tight spaces

Would your rather be stuck in a small plane with mild turbulence for 2 hours or be a passenger in a car racing the Daytona 500?

This is a difficult question because I dislike any kind of turbulence on a plane and I suspect a small plane would be worse but I also would not be a good passenger in a racing car. I would constantly be stepping on the imaginary brake, hanging on to the overhead strap for dear life and covering my eyes for most of the race. If I had to choose I think I would take the small plane. At least I might enjoy the aerial views of the landscape below.

Would you rather be alone with nobody in the vicinity for one month or never be alone not even for a minute for one month?

Again another difficult question. I enjoy moments of solitude but I also like being around people. If I was well stocked and had plans to be very productive for one month I might enjoy that more than never having a moment to myself. At the very least I’d need a phone so that I could talk to loved ones and friends once in awhile just to make sure everyone is well.

Would you like to sleep in a human size nest in a tree or be snuggled in a burrowed spot underground?

Definitely in a human size nest in a tree. I remember watching the movie Swiss Family Robinson as a kid and I thought it would be really neat to live in the trees. I like the thought of being able to see who’s approaching the nest, the openness and fresh air and the breeze that would waft through the branches. Underground would be too claustrophobic and the air would be stale and damp.

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

It depends on the situation and who’s driving. I like driving but on long trips I enjoy being able to sit back and take in the scenery. My husband very much dislikes driving in the city now so there are times when I would rather drive than listen to his complaints about the traffic.

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

I am grateful that I’ve finished writing my comments for the report cards. This is probably one of my least favourite things in the world to do. I’m also grateful for time spent with old friends last week.

I’m looking forward to this week’s soccer game where the girls are competing for the city championships. I’ve been there a few times but we’ve never managed to secure the title. I’m also looking forward to catching up on the painting assignments that I’ve had to put on the back burner because of report card writing and numerous social engagements that took place last week.

Here are a few things I would enjoy if I had a month alone.

Reading the collection of books that I bid on at the silent auction.

Puttering around in the garden and enjoying the fruits of my labour.

Painting, painting, painting. These are the first two assignments out of 4 from lesson one. Lesson four arrived today. I have a lot of catching up to do.

For those of you who read my post from Saturday you might be interested in knowing that we went back the next day to the yard sale and bought the mandolin. It’s a beauty and we got it for a good price.

For more answers to this week’s Share Your World check out Cee’s blog http://ceenphotography.com/2014/06/09/share-your-world-2014-week-23/

25k on the Bike Today

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….and I can barely keep my eyes open

It’s been a long and productive day today but now that I’m ready to work on my report cards I find myself falling asleep over the computer.

Early this morning my husband and I set off for the Junction Farmer’s Market. It’s about twice the distance to get to this market compared to the one we went to last weekend. We were able to get there largely on bike trails and the city streets that we had to use were mostly through quiet neighbourhoods. It was a beautiful day again today so there were a lot of people out on their bikes, rollerblades and on foot. The one big mistake we made today was not bringing water with us. When we got to our destination the first thing I did was buy a bottle of water.

The Junction Farmers’ Market was crazy busy. We bought some bread and squares from a fantastic baker, dips and sauces from a woman who was into ‘good food for good’ and wine from one of our favourite wineries, Tawes. Before getting back on our bikes to visit our daughter a little further east we stopped for coffee and water at Full Stop.

We rode for another 2k to get to A and J’s place. We sat out in the backyard and enjoyed some light refreshments and great conversation with our daughters and two of their friends who just happened to be visiting at the time. After an hour or so we hopped back on our bikes and started on the long ride back home. It was a little easier going back because there were more declines than inclines but I was really starting to feel it in my upper thighs and knees as we got closer to home.

http://www.strava.com/activities/150644364

Once we were home we made a lunch and then I got in the car and drove around to buy things I needed for my next art project. When I got back we both worked in the garden for a bit and then we got changed and walked up the street to our favourite Indian restaurant, Bombay by the Lake. It’s been awhile since we’ve treated ourselves to a restaurant meal and being able to walk there was a bonus.

After dinner when we were walking home we noticed a sign for a garage sale that is taking place tomorrow morning. The thing that caught our eye was the list of items that are going to be sold and in particular the mandolin. My husband has wanted a mandolin for some time now. When we passed the house where the sale is being held we saw the owner outside working on his porch so we walked up to him and asked him about the musical instrument that they were advertising. He told us that the mandolin is his wife’s and he had no idea how much she wanted for it but he did go into the house and brought it out for us to look at. It’s a beauty. When we got home K got on the internet and researched the value of that particular model. I think he’ll be heading back there tomorrow morning to make a deal.

Well I’m amazed that I’ve been able to write this much without falling asleep. I am really physically tired. Maybe I’ll try entering my marks tonight and get up early to finish writing my comments. Here’s to a great day.

Cheers!

Share Your World – 2014 Week 22

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..I may not be able to answer one of these questions

Regarding animals would you prefer not having them around or having domestics pets, farm animals, or seeing them in nature or the zoo?

I love animals and love having them around. I’m very much a dog person but we have owned a cat, gerbils, hamsters and budgie birds. I also enjoy seeing wild animals on my walks or seeing them in my backyard. I know that a lot of people don’t like zoos but I’ve always had a soft spot for zoos. Over the years they’ve become better and for some the only way they would ever see some of the exotic animals that only a zoo can house.

Are you a collector of anything?

I used to collect teddy bears but the collection became too large so I stopped asking for them. In the last few years I’ve been giving away some of my least favourite bears.

If you could know the answer to any question, besides “What is the meaning of life?”, what would it be?

Hmmm, I really have to think about this. I’ll come back to this one. Later…..How do you answer this question?

If you were to treat yourself to the “finer things” what would you treat yourself to?

I would treat myself to extra fine sheets made from the best Egyptian cotton, the loftiest down comforter, and the best bed money can buy. I must be tired because I’m thinking only of sleep.

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

Last week I was grateful for my oldest daughter helping me put some finishing touches on the grade 5 project so that it would be ready for the silent auction. I’m also happy that my girls’ soccer team won the West Conference Finals and are now moving on to the City Finals. Lastly I’m grateful for the support from the kids and their parents for our annual Jump Rope for Heart fund raiser. So far they’ve raised over $6000. this year.

This week I’m looking forward to working on my report cards …..NOT. Actually I am looking forward to finishing them for the last time this school year.

For more Share Your World posts check out http://ceenphotography.com/2014/06/02/share-your-world-2014-week-22/