Autocorrect and Understanding

My boy has the best sense of humour.  And the older he gets, the more witty and dry that humour becomes.

Take last week for example.

On Thursdays, I drop him off for a drum lesson at 5:00.  By 5:31 he is sitting on the steps outside waiting for me to pick him up.  I'm almost always late because I try to squeeze an errand or two into those 30 minutes.   Last Thursday, I went to the grocery store.  When he was sitting on the steps outside waiting for me, he sent me a text.

I'm still laughing about it today.

Perks.

There are times that Peter travels a lot.

A lot.

And everyone once in awhile we experience a new perk.

Like the weekend that he went to New Jersey, stayed in Hoboken, visited Carlo's Bake Shop, and BROUGHT HOME CUPCAKES!

Full disclosure:  The kids and I watch Cake Boss.  Peter doesn't.  He didn't know that they're known for their canolies.  He didn't know who Buddy's sisters were or if they were working.  Heck, I don't even know if he knew Buddy's name wasn't Carlo!

But, really, who cares?

We had cupcakes.

Buddy's cupcakes.

And they were worth the three days he was gone.

(I don't usually ask for travel......but, Kurt, if you're listening - any Jersey trips coming up?  We'd all be grateful.)

Fun Fact.

Do you know how long it takes to fill our dog's water dish?

Enough time that, while the bowl is sitting in the sink and the water is running into the dish, you can run 2 laps around the main floor of our house all the while yelling and hollering nonsense like a wild child.

That's how it's done every day in our house.

For real.

Ice Ice Baby.

If you know Peter, then you know he usually has a bum knee.  Or shoulder.  Or back.  Or foot.  :)

He always has an ice pack at the ready.  And it's well used.

The other day I came home from work and Juliana was complaining about her foot.  She danced and then complained about her foot some more. She was sliding across the floor and banged her knee against the kitchen stool.  But she still complained about her foot.

We sat down for dinner and she told me that she needed to prop her leg up to ice her knee.  Knee?  I thought it was foot?  While my face registered confusion she got out Peter's ice pack which she used during dinner.

Afterwards, she needed a little mobility with her ice.

So she tied the icepack up in a towel.

Icing a knee.  Gangsta style.

12 on 12.

April  :  Thursday

01.  I was pleasantly surprised shocked to see that Juliana was already awake and in the shower when I got up this morning.  Usually she needs to be dragged out of bed.

02.  "Aw, Mom.  12 on 12 again already?"

03.  Dropping the girl off at school.

04.  Beautiful spring buds on my bridal wreath spirea.

05.  Running music for the treadmill this morning.

06.  Dog play in the backyard.

07.  Homework.  (Your focus is better if you stick out your tongue while working.)

08.  What the...?  This is how I found Sheldon helping Juliana with her math.  That boy parkours all over my house.

09.  Time to take my Snoopy Easter decorations off the window.

10.  Getting creative.  Sheldon editing videos on the computer.

11.  Tea and bedtime stories with Juliana.

12.  Starting "Catching Fire".  With Lucy.

March Break: Smile.

When you are sitting in a car for hours on end, there is no choice but to make your own fun.  Our family does that well.

During the drive back from Florida, with Sheldon and Juliana both asleep in the back, I started to doze off.  The sun was in my eyes so my face was kind of squinty-eyed and pouty.  That's when Peter said "Smile.  You look mad."

Huh.

That sounded like a challenge.  And there's nothing I like more than a challenge.  Except maybe a challenge by Peter so "be careful what you wish for" was my reply.

And then I smiled.

A big toothy smile. 

For over an hour.

It was uncomfortable at first.  But every time I caught Peter looking out the corner of his eye, trying to check for my ridiculous grin, it fuelled me more.

By about the 20 minute mark, I realized that I could actually feel the endorphins flowing.

By 40 minutes, I realized that my soul was actually feeling happier.  Lighter.

At 50 minutes Sheldon woke up and when I turned to grin at him, he yelled at me.  He thought I was making fun of him.  "Seriously?  By smiling at you?"  (Perhaps I'm not the only one in need of smile therapy.)

Once I was safely past the 60 minute mark, I stopped smiling.  But, honestly, I could not stop feeling happy.  That stayed with me for hours.

Why did I smile like an idiot for that long?  I have no idea.  But given the side effects,  I'm glad I did.

Later, when Peter said something that ticked me off, instead of getting angry I just flashed my ridiculous big smile, both of us burst out laughing, and all was good again.

Hard work pays off.

Go ahead.  Ask her about Ancient Rome.  She's an expert.

The Girls.

With my mom preparing for a move, it's a busy time for her.  But as luck would have it, we managed to throw together a girls weekend at her house - three generations of girls, that is.  With Leslie and Lucy flying out to visit her and Susan and Jillian joining them at mom's house for the weekend, Juliana and I arrived mid-weekend and then decided to play a little hooky and return home on Monday.

We had a little quiet time in the morning when the girls found our iphones:

Even the miserable weather didn't dampen our visit - we managed to fit in a trip to the sugar bush for breakfast on Sunday and those pancakes did not disappoint!

This was the last time that the girls would all visit Grandma at this house so they made the most of it - movies in the closet, adventures in the kitchen cupboards, and a LOT of giggling!

Thanks, once again, mom for a great weekend - a great distraction for all of us!

xo

March Break: Hotel TV.

I remember travelling with my family when I was a kid.  It used to make my mom crazy that, on the rare occasions that we landed in a hotel, my dad would open the door, drop the bags, and turn on the TV.  In those days, TV viewing was his choice and his choice only.

My, how times have changed.

When we arrived at our hotel(s) last week, Juliana would open the door, drop her bag, and turn on the TV.

And each morning when I was doing the final sweep upon check-out, I would find a note like this one, always listing where to find her three favourite channels:

The girl likes to be prepared.  Just like her grandpa did.

March Break: Now and Then.

Disney six years ago:

Disney this month:

Where does the time go?