The Mother We Share

This song speaks volumes.

Teach Your Children

Remember this one?! Love it. Such harmony among their voices; lifts up my spirit every time I hear it :)

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

Recently I learned some unexpected news. It's not 'bad' news but it is the life changing, what-the-hell-happens-now sort of news and I shared it with my Girlfriends last week at our Girls Night Out over our first glass of wine. And the conversation continued about it until many more glasses of wine were consumed and the restaurant was ready to close ..and we had to leave.
I've been friends with these girls since childhood; I was eleven when we all met. They know me well; too well sometimes!
It was obvious to them this news was upsetting for me to share and since then everyday at least one of them have been in touch in one form or another to ensure I'm ok. They've all reached out with offers on what they can do to help and have given me reason to believe everything is going to be ok. I absolutely love these ladies. I have other friends outside of this closely knit group who have been equally as supportive individually and I can feel the love flowing in, making my news a little lighter to handle. I get by with a little help from my friends. And I'm very fortunate to have these people in my life.

Fab Five: Neeru, Jill, Cheri, Me, Laura

Summer Days, Drifting Away

We've all seen the Back To School commercials where the parents are overjoyed to be sending their kids back to the classroom, we've all heard people thank god they're going back soon and we've all heard someone somewhere at sometime tell us how they go about celebrating once the kids are back in school. I don't get it.
Time off with my kids is spent living. Really living. We try to do something fun everyday and not everything has a huge price associated with it. Picnics are a big thing for my kids, skipping stones at the beach, swimming, summer festivals, camping; that kind of stuff. Why would I ever want those sort of days to be over? I work part time so not everyday was full of time and freedom but we definitely made the most of the summer. To celebrate the fact that they're stuck back in a stuffy classroom, surrounded by expectation, social demands upon them, absorbing an overload of information all day everyday makes me sad for them in comparison to what we've just spent the summer doing ...Living. And learning as we go; it seems far more natural that way.

I'm Thankful For This Life I'm Living And For Every Soul Who Has A Part In It

Today is Thanksgiving Day. It's the time of year when I tend to take a closer look at where I'm at in my journey of life and appreciate all that has made me fortunate enough to be where I am on the path. I have a beautiful family and carry on a lifestyle that reflects who I really am inside....who could ask for anything more? My dreams are my reality. I'm thankful for this life I'm living and for every soul who has a part in it.

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."  ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Those Were The Smurfin' Days

It just wasn't right watching 'The Smurfs' movie without my sister. That cartoon was a Saturday morning childhood ritual for us. She would come into my room, pull up my eyelids and say in her small Lindsay voice "Jenn, Smurfies are on!" My six year old self remembers every time she did that thinking 'I hate that she wakes me by pulling my eyes but I'm so happy to be up for this!' It all balanced out.

We would make our way downstairs quietly so we didn't wake anyone else up, first stopping at the living room where it was guaranteed there would be left over snacks sitting out. My parents would often entertain on weekends but wouldn't tidy up until the next morning, so Lindsay and I had a pre-breakfast smorgasbord feast of stale Chips, Bits & Bites, Crackers and whatever else was left out. It was glorious. The glasses would have dribbles left in them, mostly of melted ice cubes and backwash and I remember drinking them; taste buds shocked every time that it was booze....duh. We'd take our stash of snacks down to the basement always in time to hear the theme song play "La La La La La La, La La La La La" and happiness surrounded us for the half hour following. We'd have our miniature Smurf figurines lined up on the table next to us so they could watch themselves on TV. That was our time. Our magical time where we were absorbed into a world of little blue creatures who lived in mushroom houses and spent their lives avoiding and escaping the cruel hands of the evil sorcerer Gargamel. There was excitement, there was cheering and there was love. When it was over, my mom would call us up for a 'real' breakfast to start the 'real' day.

It was a short period of time in our week but we both looked forward to it . We knew when Dallas was on Friday night, that the next day was Saturday and we had to be up in time for The Smurfs. There are many things in my life that connect back to my childhood but The Smurfs relate back entirely to a world that only my sister and I lived in. Although I knew it then, I realize it more now that I Smurfin' treasured those mornings and am fortunate to have those memories that evoke the emotions they do when I Smurf back.

Welcome 2010

It was 10 years ago today that Chris proposed to me. Amidst all the Y2K chaos that night, he asked me to be his wife. That was a milestone for us. This next year will be full of events marking significance for us.

Seventeen years old & Seventeen years together. In March, Chris and I will celebrate our Dating Anniversary which we do every year, but this particular year will mark our seventeenth year together. I was seventeen when we started dating. I had an lived an entire lifetime before I met him! I lived my whole childhood before him. Now we've spent that same amount of time together as a couple where we've merged our lives and created our own family. It's a bit mind boggling for me, really. But pleasantly mind boggling.

I'll be turning 35 in April which I feel great about. My Aunt Hannah passed away from cancer at age 34 leaving behind her nine year old daughter, and this entire past year I've thought a lot about that. No one has any idea how grateful I am to be celebrating my 35th year. And I'm grateful for all that I've accomplished, acquired and been a part of to this point in my life. To celebrate my birthday, we're planning a trip to NYC... somewhere we've never been and we plan on leaving the kids at home with the Grandparents for the few days we're away... again another milestone for us. We've never been away from our kids for more than an overnight sleep over. We've never done a vacation away together without them ever. They're always with either Chris or myself. We love our kids and we like being with them. This will be an experience for us.

Of course 2010 also marks our 10 year Wedding Anniversary. We'll celebrate this in August and hopefully get back to British Columbia (WITH our kids!) which is where we spent most of our honeymoon after being in Alaska. The mountains and the ocean have taken my breath away before and I can't think of a better place to celebrate this anniversary.

So when I think about the decade that just passed us by I can smile knowing I made good use of those years. When I look ahead to what is before us, I can see there is a lot to look forward to.

Welcome 2010.

Twenty-Nine Years Ago Today....

Sarah McLachlan is the only person I'd say in the world who should be allowed to cover John Lennon. This version of Happy Christmas makes my heart warm. I grew up listening to John Lennon. He was a part of my childhood and influenced many of the artists who I appreciate now.

It was on this day 29 years ago that I remember my father coming home early from work absolutely horrified by the news of John Lennon's death. He was shot in New York City December 8th, 1980 so I would have been 5 years old at the time and I'll never forget my father's reactions that day.... I'll never forget how sad he was.

R.I.P. Mr. John Lennon

Burn in Hell Mark David Chapman.

StoneyCreekNews.com: News: Story: Family turned upside down

StoneyCreekNews.com: News: Story: Family turned upside down

This article is about one of Carter's really good buddies who has been in his class since JK. It is the "shortened" version of what was printed in the paper. Breaks my heart....

As I read through Adam's article today it reminded me what Shelley (Adam's Mom) has to deal with on a daily basis and how they as a family make it all work. She has good reason to get frustrated and yet I've never seen it in her. She always seems so patient, so optimistic and so together. The doctors say "Adam has an 85% chance of beating this cancer completely and a 100% chance of showing the people around him that life is a joy" This most definitely, is a reflection of how positive and wonderful his family is...

I Was Born Vegetarian

For some people being Vegetarian is a choice. It is an effort to go without meat and they are using will power to refrain from falling back into their old habits. It's similar to how I struggle when I'm trying to lose a few pounds. I have all good intentions and can sometimes go months and months of "being good" about it.... and then I fall off the wagon. People want to go meatless but have a hard time doing so. To those people I say "thank you for your efforts. You are making the world a better place just by trying."

For myself along with many others, being Vegetarian is not a choice. It's who we are. I am a blue eyed girl with white skin and brown hair but did not choose to look like this. I was born this way. I was born Vegetarian. So was my sister. I believe it's genetic. We are who we are. My mother never forced us to eat meat as children but she did offer it to us in our younger years. She has never been a much of a meat eater herself but always made my father his" manly meat meals." She does chicken and fish but even that is something she is very picky about. I could NOT be coaxed into eating meat poultry or fish. You could offer me all the world has to offer and I could not train myself to be a meat eater. It would be like trying to train someone who is gay to be attracted to the opposite sex. That would make no sense. I remember being in grade one and feeling nauseous by the smell of bologna sandwiches. Everyone brown-bagged it back then and no one used ice packs. The result was a class room filled with the smell of warm meat and it made me physically ill. I also had trouble on hot dog days. The smell would make me vomit and so I was a go-home-for-lunch sort of kid.

I have a meat loving husband and when he cooks bacon I can't be home. I barf every time he cooks it and I get very emotional about it. The same goes for ribs, lamb etc. I can't handle it. I am fortunate that he understand and respects who I am and will usually wait until I am out to cook. Alternatively we eat out often so he gets his meat-fix in restaurants, making it less of an issue at home. He is usually content eating vegetarian at home.

It is difficult to explain to someone who has been a meat eater their entire life why I am vegetarian. I'm often questioned about raising my children vegetarian as if I'm committing a crime. QUICK, CALL CHILD SERVICES! SHE IS FEEDING THEM A VEGETARIAN DIET!! AND HAS BEEN DOING SO SINCE BIRTH! SINCE BIRTH! LOCK HER UP! SHE'S CRAZY! Truth is, Carter is exactly like me. I can tell already he has "the vegetarian gene." He gags at the sight and smell of meat, he doesn't like anything gummy or gelatin-like and is hesitant about what he is being asked to eat and wants to know what is in it first. He loves salad, soy and asks if he can just eat extra healthy food instead of taking his multi vitamin. His body accepts him being vegetarian because he is bigger and taller than any of the kids his age. He always has been. And I mean taller by far. Callum on the other hand may just be like his Daddy. He is curious about meat and asks a lot of questions. He is disturbed by some of the truths around eating meat so I'm not sure which way he is going to go in the future. I need to be honest with myself and recognize he just may not carry the vegetarian gene. I can educate him however and always hope that he continues to be vegetarian by choice. My in-laws didn't understand it when I first met them over 16 years ago. I'm still not sure they understand it but they are tolerant about it and accommodate it. My grandmother-in-law however has to challenge it every time we have a meal together. It is very exhausting and draining having the same conversation time after time. I can't expect her to understand it. She lived in a generation where that wouldn't be acceptable. My mum has often spoken of her aunt who used to host family gatherings in Scotland. She would put out big dinners in the dining room then hide in the kitchen to eat her plate of vegetables! That generation was raised to eat what was on their plate regardless of what was being served. They were meat and potatoes people through and through and so she was an outcast. Vegetarianism is by choice for some but it's hereditary for others. I was born vegetarian.

RIP Tori Stafford

I cannot even imagine what the Stafford family must be going through today. Victoria Stafford's remains have been found. I can't imagine how they have been coping all these weeks since Tori's disappearance. Since April 8th when we first heard of her being led away from her own school yard, I've often found myself thinking (and hoping) for her. With Tori being so close in age to my own son, this story has hit very close to home for me.

As a teenager, I was traumatized by horrific death of our school mate Leslie Mahaffy. She will never be forgotten. To think that these situations even occur and can happen in our own neighbourhood is absolutely nausiating. What sort of world are we living in? I am in constant fear for the safety of our kids and am saddened for the loss of so many innocent children who have died at the hands of demons.

RIP Tori.

Susie & Jenn + Ten

ABOVE: My group of seven.

It seems whenever I meet up with my friend Susie we have an abundance of children with us. Either I have 5 and she has 5 or if she just has her own 3, then thats the day I end up with 7.... regardless we call them "Susie & Jenn + 1o" days. It's what our lives have become and we wouldn't want it any other way. Our children are growing up together.

There was a time I recall way back when (pause for a moment as I drift down memory lane) when Susie and I were young, unmarried and childless. Neither of us were ever bad-ass kids but we did have our fun. In high school we had a few classes together and the most memorable was definitely German class. I'm embarrassed to say this but I think we may have been the cause of Frau B's nervous breakdown..... seriously. (We did earn an OAC in Deutsch Klasse though!)

As I look at our own children now I wonder what friends they will have, what sort of teenagers will they be and what kind of person will they become? My hope for them is that they have as much fun on their journeys through life as Susie and I are having and that they find life long friends along the way. Hey, if they all turn out to be like her & I, then they'll have done alright in life.

I Want To Live Forever Young

I always think of my childhood friend Laura when I hear this song. She introduced me to it way back when.... when we had very little cares in the world. Our days consisted of hanging out talking about our plans and dreams. We have grown up now and have realized many of those dreams, created wonderful families of our own and have many, many cares in this world. I hope those childhood days will never become vague in my memory. I know in my heart we will always live forever young.

P.S. 22 Chorus Singing "Forever Young" Children from this world-famous Staten Island public school sing "Forever Young"

RIP Michael Jackson

The King of Pop, music icon and childhood favourite of mine. I remember my sister having a Michael Jackson Thriller poster on her wall when we were little but she had to have it taken down because the eyes frightened her! Otherwise, she was obsessed with MJ. She had a sparkly glove that she wore, an MJ doll (but my cousin lost the glove & Lindsay never really got over that) and she really wanted a red leather jacket like him. I practiced the moon walk so often I thought I had mastered it and I had pins and buttons up and down all my bags. We would get together with David, Paul & Ashley and have concerts but we ALL wanted to be Michael. Oddly enough it worked! This is a sad day. RIP MJ.

Flowers for Aly

Read about Aly, Tracey's daughter in Connie Smith's blog about sick kids.

Four Grandmothers who are GREAT!

My boys are fortunate to have FOUR Great-Grandmothers. They chose what they would like to be called when Carter was born and 3 of them liked the sound of "GG" which obviously stands for Great-Grandmother. (Granny will always be Granny to everyone) We have GG Jamieson, Granny, GG Oakman and GG MacGregor. I have vague memories of the great-grandparents I had. Those who were living when I was born lived in Scotland and I only saw them when they were here to visit once every few years.  Although Chris & I lead a very busy life we are sure to do our best to have them as involved in their lives as much as possible. Already, at the young ages of 7 and 4, Carter & Callum's minds are rich with stories from these elderly (but wise) ladies who are a huge part of the people we have all become.  How lucky our boys are to have four GREAT grandmothers!

Our Party Of Five

I'll never forget my first day of Grade Six. It was November, I was eleven years old, this was my third school in less than a year and my mother made me wear a kilt on my first day. The teacher sat me beside Cheri and basically told her to be my friend. Neeru was also in my class that year and she was kind enough to hang out with me, the new kid in town, even though I clearly did not fit in. Everyone else was wearing Vuarnet shirts and I was in a KILT! Nee & I were probably the only 2 girls in the class that didn't have a 'mushroom haircut' like most of the other girls. Thankfully, we didn't have a mushroom haircut like most of the girls, really. (no offense to you, Cheri! It was a GREAT look on you!) I met Laura in grade seven. We were both invited to Denise's roller skating birthday party and neither one of us were looking forward to roller skating. She didn't know how and I said I didn't either. (well, I told her I wasn't good even though I had taken roller skating lessons for years as a kid and was once in the Yellow Rose Of Texas performance that was aired on the local TV station.... I lied to her. I was awesome.) I actually told her I couldn't skate because I wanted to hang out with her and so a friendship began... I met Jill in grade 10 and she has always been a combination of sweet/straighforward. She is the one who will tell it like it is and won't hold back. Love her, love her, love her. Love all of them. Anyways, it's been almost 23 years since that first day of school and I am so proud to say that the five of us have all stayed connected. We all go off and live our lives for awhile at a time, but we always seem to reunite at some point to catch up and make plans which create new memories. Often we'll meet somewhere for a girls night and make a reservation for a 'party of five' at a grown up restaurant often unsuitable for kids which for those of us with kids is nice to get out to a place without highchairs sometimes. Other times, we plan to get together with all the men & children in our lives and have family gatherings. To this day, that makes it a party of sixteen and it's still growing! Love it, love it, love it! Every Thanksgiving when I stop to think of all I am thankful for in my life, I smile from my heart as this group of girls crosses my mind.