IT'S JUST HAIR!

Around dinner time tonight Quinn announced he wanted to shave his hair off!  I had a mini laugh out loud moment reminiscing all of the times I had parents come to me as their sons grade three teacher and telling me that their boy wanted to grow his hair, shave his head or dye it some colour or another.  They would then ask me, "what should we do?"  I always gave the same answer, "it's just hair!  It will grow back, it always grows back!"  Little boys have so little control over their life that they are trying to find something, anything that they can in fact control, call the shots on, and make their own decision.  So, when Q said, I want to shave my hair I said, "lets do it!"  When we shared the news with Dave, he went a step further, ran upstairs and grabbed the clippers from underneath the bathroom sink.  As they sat outside on the back deck I couldn't help but smile.  Quinn is thrilled with his hair.  Dave is thrilled with the groovy job he did and I genuinely think this style suits my groovy, dude son, Q.  Nice work boys!

Super short (#2) on the sides and back and longer on top with some hair paste to stick it up!

Loving his new do!

FANTASTIC FUN FAIR

I remember MAYFAIR in Rosedale Park being a highlight for me as a kid and now as a parent I so enjoy the excitement that comes along with taking my boys to their school Fun Fair.  Annette St. P.S. hosts a fantastic fair the Saturday following the May long weekend.  Amazingly, in the time our boys have been in school the sun has always been shining and excitement is in the air.  Yesterday was no different!  The fair runs from 11am-3pm and with Noon-1pm swimming lessons each Saturday the boys were not pleased.  We arrived at 10:45, spent an hour buying tickets, playing the games and enjoying the thin lines.  We headed off to swim lessons with the guarantee of heading back to the fair.  Dave was very brave and was somehow roped in to performing (playing guitar and singing) with Mr. Ross Meltzer.  I did not get video of them performing together because when I shot video last year I got in trouble from Dave.  ;)  The Cake Walk is always a highlight and yet all these years nobody in our family has ever won a cake.  A few days prior to the fair I told the boys that we were going to attend with forks in our back pocket, just in case we won, I thought we should sit down and eat it on the spot!  Amazingly, Kieran WON our first ever Cake Walk Cake.  It was very exciting.  True to our word, we found a spot under a tree and the boys dug in!  Face Painting, Hair Spray, Bouncy Castles, Giant Slides, Dance Contests (K won the grade 2 contest - Lil' Vanilla from our Jamaica trip days came out in full force) and a Dunk Tank were just a few of the highlights.  We are grateful to be apart of such a spectacular community.

Oh the EXCITMENT and Q's desire to eat it immediately...

Kieran, Quinn and Nathan wasted no time!

When do you ever get to eat a cake from the top layer down - whole cake and all?

Quinn and his buddy Henry - Devil Faces, Neon Orange hair.  You should have seen the bath water!!!

DECISIONS, DECISIONS...

I truly believe that parents make the best decisions they can with the information they have at that time.  I'm sure there are many things we all look back on in hindsight and think, if I knew what I know now I might have done it differently.  Early on we read and "bought into" a book called 1, 2, 3, Magic.  The basic premise is you give a short, clear, concise command once, twice and finally a third time (if necessary).  It could be as simple as, "please sit down, that's one", "please sit down, that's two", "please sit down, that's three".  If you have to ask three times the child gets a time out the same number of minutes as they are in years of age.  This was very effective for us when you boys were small.  We rarely got to the number three.  In fact, I remember a day, not too long ago, when I was using this strategy with Kieran at the dinner table and all of a sudden he sat down, looked me in the eyes and said, "Mummy, how do you do that?  Why does that always work?"  It was quite a funny exchange.  I do not regret using this short time out method and yet I stumbled across a quote today that made me wonder if it truly is the best strategy to embrace with children.  The older the boys get, the less I find I use time outs.  I often find a huge hug or some one on one time (reading a book, a short walk around the block, listening to music, sitting on a porch sipping on a lemonade etc) with Dave or me has a deeper, faster and calming effect on them.  We never talked about changing gears on this, it has happened quite organically and seems to be effective so we are going with it.  Amazingly, I saw this poster online today and realized that there is some truth in it and has made me think about time outs on a deeper level. 

This quote made me question that path that I chose 5+ years ago.

This is the book that I swore by. Shortly before K turned 2 we started using this method

FOR THE LOVE OF ART

With the recent passing of my grandfather came the aquisition of some family heirloom artwork I feel blessed to have hanging in our home.  It is clear to me where Quinn gets his interest and talent from.

This is a painting done by my Great Grandfather W.H. Bosley

Painted by my Grandfather, Raymond Bosley

My Dad (Michael Bosley) drew this tree when he was a student at Northern Secondary School.  It's all pencil, I love it!

This painting was done by my dad, Michael Bosley and given as a gift to his parents on their 25th Wedding Anniversary

My dad painted and framed this for me as my 30th birthday gift

Quinn drew this a few weeks ago.  I love how he sees the world in bright/bold colour

One of my faves done in the winter months.  A bluejay, owl and cardinal hanging on a branch together.

Q's submarine he did in class one morning, now hanging on the wall in his room.

BE SPONTANEOUS

3RD ANNUAL MARIA ST VICTORIA DAY FIREWORKS

What started 3 years ago on a whim with 5 houses each bringing $20 worth of fireworks for a small show has evolved into a little bit bigger, a little bit better each year.  As Dave and I sat and had a drink on the porch post festivities we figured there were approximately 60 people there last night.  Such great community fun.  I anticipate it will continue to grow a bit with each passing year.  Love our hood!

The Goods!

The kids taking inventory

Madden and Fitz transporting the explosives

Let the party begin

I believe these little suckers were called Tasmanian Devils

The finale

Sparklers are the best, as long as you don't get burned!

The clean up crew!

JUST LIKE ME!

Just Like Me!
Happy Mother & SON'S Day!

GYMNASTICS COMPETITION

We weren't certain if Kieran would be able to compete in today's competition.  He has had a high fever virus for an entire week, his first day being fever free was just yesterday (Thursday).  With not a lot of eating happening and no training at the gym for more than a week we didn't think he would be up for it.  Kieran was adamant that he wanted to participate and do the best that the could.  I definitely did not want to squash his "go get'em attitude" so off we went.  We were pulling out of the garage before 7am on route to the competition at Vaughan Gymnastics Club.  It was yet another fantastic experience for Kieran.  He participated in all 6 male elements (pommel, vault, parallel bars, rings, high bar and floor) with strength, determination and a massive smile on his face.  Way to go, Kieran!  I am very proud of you.  Keep working hard!

Toronto Gymnastics International Boys 7, 8 and 9 year old team

Rings

Starting out on P-Bars

Pike on High Bar

Getting ready for big dismount

7 Year old boys

Floor Routine Video - started filming late...  oops!

MOTHER'S DAY IS COMING...

Mother's Day is rapidly approaching, so I've decided to be proactive and tell my kids what I want for mother's day. Here it is:

What I Want for Mother’s Day

Dear Kieran and Quinn,

Mother’s Day is coming up, and I thought I should tell you what I want. This way there’s no guilty panic or last minute purchasing of flowers at the closest gas station. So, this is what I want, this year and every year after; it’s pretty simple really.

I want you to be a decent human being.

I want you to be who you are, but don’t be mean.

I want you to work hard at everything you do, because life is too short not to give it everything you’ve got.

I want you to ask for help when you need it.

I want you to help others when they need it.

I want you to learn how to cook, do your own laundry, pay your bills and know how to clean a bathroom.

When you screw up, and you will, more than once, I want you to own it, because it’s the screw-ups that make the victories sweeter.

I want you to travel, because the world is huge and you are one part of it.

I want you to know that even when we hate each other, I will never stop loving you.

I want you to play nicely with others.

I want you to feed your curiosity.

I want you to find a way to do what you love, and realize that that might look different than you originally thought.

I want you to respect every human being’s right to be who they are.

I want you to sometimes be more interested in someone else than in yourself.

I want you to know that you are flawed and you are extraordinary. There is no one else like you.

I want you to know that I would lay down my life for you.

I want you to realize how lucky you are every once in awhile even if only for an instant.

I want you to know love, even if it means getting hurt.

I want you to relax and not feel guilty about it.

I want you to know life can be brutally hard sometimes.

I want you to know that you can choose happiness even when the dark side offers you cookies.

And I wouldn’t mind breakfast in bed.

See, simple.

Love,

Mum