January 13, 2010 by Barbara.

View More Wordless Wednesday Participants, look at my previous Wordless Wednesday entries, or check out the cute babies and kids at 5 Minutes for Mom.

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January 12, 2010 by Barbara.

Ken’s oral interaction test is scheduled for January 19th. He is working even harder to prepare for it than he did for the grammar and comprehension tests. Or, at least, it seems that way to me. Reid’s and my job is mostly to give him time to study. We speak French to him sometimes but we discuss “home” topics and don’t use the same vocabulary as he will in his test and so its not as helpful as might be. I thought of going away for a weekend or two but its nice to see him for breakfast and supper at least. Our plans have morphed into staycations instead.

On Saturday, we went to that Home Depot Kids’ Workshop and then straight to Kindermusik. We ate our lunch in the recreation centre, where Reid discovered that the lentil couscous I’ve been trying to get her to try for years is actually yummy. Too bad I didn’t feel the same about Reid’s bagel with cream cheese. After class, we had planned on going to Play It Again Sports but Reid fell asleep but I’ve extended the “don’t wake a sleeping baby” rule to prohibit waking Reid, regardless of her age. We slowly made our way home via a circuitous route to prolong Reid’s nap.

Once home, Reid applied the stickers to her calendar and then it was time for a power skating session that was offered in place of hockey. I wish the power skating happened more often. Reid enjoyed the drills - and going to the other end of the ice for the first time - and she needs the skills development. Ken came along to watch. He and I have some of our best conversations sitting in the stands, me trying to absorb all of his extra body heat and both of us thinking of what we want to tell the other. We try for a good conversation at swimming lessons, too, but the heat saps the ideas out of our brains and there is no touching.

On Sunday morning, Reid and I went to the Canada Agriculture Museum for our first visit since the fall. It was sooo cold! I remembered why I don’t usually go to The Farm in the winter. Our arrival put us too late for the rabbit and cow care sessions and before the afternoon sessions started but we were able to say farewell to the ram, about whose departure I had read on Twitter, and visit the pigs, sheep, bull and donkey in the main barn and the cows and calves in the dairy barn. The cows are suffering from ringworm - which they said doesn’t actually involve worms - and we weren’t able to touch them. The calves were behind a door. They’re so cute it’s nearly impossible not to touch them, or rather, they would find it impossible not to touch the people. They are lickers and nuzzlers to a one, those calves.

We ate our lunch sitting in the parking lot and then went to visit my friend, Carol, and her husband in the rural part of Ottawa. We took our snowshoes with us and were out for about an hour, walking along the Jock River and then through a field of pine trees. It was a sunny day and the landscape was quintessentially “winter in Canada”. Carol’s two dogs - one of which is nearly as big as the pony Reid rode when we were at Deerhurst and the other is smaller but still large - accompanied us. They rolled in the snow, ran away and came bounding back, occasionally sniffing at Reid. She was the tiniest bit hesitant at first but only for a short time. She has come a long way from her fear of Zoëy, the smallest (and cutest) Yorkshire terrier I’ve ever met. I thought that the big walk might have worn Reid out but she stayed awake for the whole trip back. Carol and Michael live near one edge of Ottawa and we’re close to another. The city might not be densely populated but it is widely spread out.

I made Madras chicken curry for Ken’s half-birthday, which we were celebrating belatedly. He’d requested a cherry pie, too, but I’d spent too much time away from the house to deliver it. I substituted three store-bought cupcakes that each had a plastic hockey jersey on the top. Reid and I got Senators jerseys (Go, Sens! Go!) and Ken got a Canadiens jersey (Boo! Hiss!).

And all of a sudden, our weekend was over and it was time for bed.

Speaking of the Montreal Canadiens, do you know what the “H” on their jersey signifies?

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January 9, 2010 by Barbara.

I took Reid to Home Depot for their Kids’ Building Workshop on Saturday morning. She asked why I was taking her instead of Ken. Like I haven’t taken her more than he has, though he took her to the last workshop. I’m not sure whether Reid thought building was the sort of job that a Daddy would do or whether she thought he was better, regardless of gender or if there was a third answer. It’s hard to know which would be a better answer.

The project was an interesting one - we made a perpetual calendar. There were 8 nails involved, which meant there was just the right amount of hammering required before Reid could paint. Reid did most of the hammering, for the first time, and her aim was much improved and we didn’t bend any nails. Maybe having Ken at that last workshop *was* better. ;+)

Mid-way through the workshop, I started wondering whether Lowes or Rona also offer workshops for kids. I’m pretty cheap, as you might have noticed, and free activities for kids are high on my list of things I like to spend time on. I’ve done a bit of research and see the Rona has a Little Hammers Club and Lowes in the US does as well. I couldn’t find any info on the Lowes Canada site but I’ll call. It turns out I’m not all that loyal.

If you’re looking for Reid on the morning of the 30th, you should check Rona. All that’s to be decided is whether she is stuck with second-choice Mama again.

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November 20, 2009 by Barbara.

We have a crazy weekend scheduled (even for me!): We’re going to SENSational Friday - where we skate on the Sens ice at Scotiabank Place, play games in the concourse and, according to Reid, eat hotdogs for supper. (It’ll be the second time for the hotdog but Reid holds tight to “traditions” involving hotdogs, no matter how new.) In previous years, we got our picture taken with one of the players but since they’re not yet vaccinated, all public appearances have been cancelled. Ken told Reid last night and she cried. Considering she nearly cried last year when we *did* get our pic taken, I was a bit surprised. Dennis and Bobby Hull will be signing autographs. I guess their health does have the same cost-benefit considerations. Spartacat is also planning to attended - I guess H1N1 doesn’t affect cats - and he is always a hit.

Tomorrow, Reid has hockey and Kindermusik as usual, but we also have tickets to a Family Adventures concert called “The Listener” in the afternoon and then are driving to Brockville for supper at Grandma Barb’s new place. Reid and I haven’t been there yet and so we’re very nosey, umm, I mean excited. I have Reid scheduled for her Christmas card photos on Sunday morning and then she and I are going on an adventure of some sort to allow Ken to cram for his written French tests on Tuesday. Whew, just writing it makes me tired.

Writing it now is a better way to keep track of all that we did -  my writing time is much diminished now that I am able to get a ride to work many mornings.

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November 2, 2009 by Barbara.

I have to apologize to the Five Man Electrical Band for misusing their lyrics for Signs, Signs but I needed a theme song for Sunday and this is as close as I could get.  I started my day in the line up to get a wristband that would entitle Reid to an H1N1 shot. I joined the queue at 6:03 but wasn’t one on the lucky 700 to get a wristband when they started passing them out at 7:30. Thanks to the time change, I’d been up at 4:50 but decided not to go early. Sigh. Hindsight really is 20/20.

I’d already planned to take Grandma Barb and Reid to Cora’s - thinking we’d kill time between getting a wristband and the shot itself - and so we went as a consolation prize instead. Of course, we had to stand in line again but at least we were inside to wait and the food was scrumptious.

After lunch, Reid and I took a bus downtown to the National Arts Centre for a Kinderconcert. There was a line formed just inside the door and we obediently took our places. It seemed odd to me that the programme was in French but since the concerts are offered in both languages, I decided that I’d just chosen from the pile. The stage, which featured a bath tub and sink, seemed odd for a concert titled, “Fred Piston and his Seven Trumpets“. My keen ears noticed that I heard conversations going on around us and I asked the lady in front of me if we were going to see a play or concert (but I asked en français, of course). The lady confirmed that we were in the wrong room and Reid and I dashed back to the people who were tearing tickets but not verifying that the patron was in the right room, evidently. We got to the new room and settled on the floor with a couple of minutes to spare.

Our next line was at the community centre where Reid’s hockey pictures were to be taken. I’d been worried that Reid would get chilled waiting her turn but it turned out she overheated. I have to say that I’d make a good beauty pageant mom because I patted Reid lovingly, held the belly part of her chest protector away from her tummy, which she said wasn’t feeling well, but didn’t agree to take her home when she said that she felt sick. Once I got Reid cooled off a bit, she quit saying she was sick but she didn’t lose her pasty-white complexion. I’m hoping that the photographer will add a little healthy colour before printing the pictures.

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September 14, 2009 by Barbara.

Reid and I went out to Eddie’s for breakfast yesterday and then went to the Ottawa Farmers Market - which is different from the Byward Market - for the first time. The colours of the fruit and vegetables were vibrant in the golden fall sun. (I love the sun in the fall!) I’m lucky the vendors only accept cash or we would have come home with much more than we’d planned. Reid found organic granola with sulphite-free cranberries for me, artisanal cheese for her dad and smoked sausages for herself; we left all behind and bought broccoli as big as a bride’s bouquet and a cauliflower bigger than Reid’s head. We got some seedless blue and green grapes, golden plums and ground cherries, too. Our only splurge was some tea biscuits that were to die for. Or to die from, if you’re Ken, who has a stronger antipathy to tea biscuits than I remember.

When we got home, Ken invited us to go for a walk at Mer Bleu Bog and, of course, Reid and I accepted. Okay, Reid accepted after I told her that we weren’t going to watch *Dora’s World Adventure* if we stayed home. She was eager for me to see the usually-villainous Swiper in a helpful role. By the time we got to Mer Bleue, though, Reid was keen for the adventure. I tried to apply some of the lessons I’d learned at the photography class I’d taken at Henry’s on Saturday but Reid and Ken were unwilling subjects and not so patient while I worked with the more willing flora. The colours in the bog weren’t quite as vibrant as they will be in a couple of weeks but the walk was lovely.

After lunch, we - mostly Reid - watched the Dora movie and then we got ready for our first ice skate of the season. Reid hunted up her Senators jersey without prompting and insisted on wearing her snowpants from home, even though it was 24 degrees Celsius outside. At the rink, Reid was hesitant to skate without holding onto me. My *knowing* that she could skate on her own didn’t translate into Reid *believing* that she can. We got a skate frame from the complex and she whizzed around the ice with it. Near the end, we returned the frame and Reid confidently skated on her own. Not fast, but certainly faster, and with the confidence that she’d lacked. I was glad I hadn’t insisted Reid tough it out without the frame. I’m finally learning that sometimes we need to sneak up on a solution.

Our skating adventure ended with a definite high and an even more definite low. When public skating finished, the zamboni came out! Yes, really! I hurried to get Reid’s skates off of her so that she could go up in the stands to watch while I took my skates off. Unfortunately, while I was taking my skates off, someone took off with Reid’s skates. I’m hoping that it was an accident, that the woman will notice them and return them to the complex where I’ve left my name and number, but I’m not optimistic that it will happen in time. We were skating on Sunday afternoon to get Reid comfortable on skates before her first hockey practice/game that will happen this Saturday. Now she is comfortable on skates but skateless. Our evenings are jam-packed this week and it seems I may have to try buying skates at lunch, lugging them home and trying them on. Sigh.

Reid asked me if I was going to tell Ken what had happened. It was a funny question. I don’t think I say, “don’t tell Daddy …” Ken and I just aren’t in the sort of relationship where I need to be afraid of his reaction. I told Reid that I would tell him, that I hadn’t done anything wrong and that he’d find out anyway. I should have said, “Of course, I’ll tell him” and left it at that. I don’t want her to think that withholding information is okay when you’ve done something wrong or when the other person won’t find out. But maybe I weigh those things subconsciously? I wish I would have seized the “teachable moment” and told Reid that adults only kids to keep secrets when they - the adults - have done something they shouldn’t have done. Maybe the next time, I’ll think of that. Probably I’ll forget.

At home once more, Reid was a hungry girl. I gave her a golden plum and she loved it! A few minutes later I noticed Reid was still eating plums and told she needed to switch to vegetables. Reid needed two more plums, or so she said. I asked her how many she’d already eaten and she said she didn’t know. I replied that I was   pretty sure she’d had more than three. Reid’s quick comeback was: “But less than ten.” Apparently ten is the minimum number of plums defined by the term “too many”, as in “Reid, you’ve had too many plums. Have some vegetables instead.” Again, I missed a teachable moment. I should have reminded Reid that when you can count something, the term to use is “fewer”. Ah, well.

Just before falling asleep at bedtime, Reid told me that she was sad because she missed her skates. Missed them? She barely knew them!

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September 4, 2009 by Barbara.

Reid and I saw 21 balloons in the sky on the way to school this morning. I saw quite a few more while waiting for my bus, including a turtle and a skunk’s head (or maybe it was a black-and-white cat’s head). It’s going to be perfect weather for the Gatineau Balloon Festival and it’s not too late to decide to hop in the car and come to Ottawa for the weekend.

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August 25, 2009 by Barbara.

Uncle Roger told me that he and Reid were at Seacliffe Park one day last week when Reid got into a sticky situation on the climber. He noticed that she was hanging from the bars as she said, in a normal voice, “Help me, please.” Uncle Roger told Reid that her if she was in trouble she needed to yell loudly. He said that I may have said not to yell but that I would agree it was okay when she needed someone’s help. Reid replied,  ”I yelled as loud as I could without hurting my ears.”

I love this story for two reasons:
1. Uncle Roger didn’t try to undermine my rules about yelling while teaching Reid a lesson about self-preservation.
2 Reid seems to have managed not to roll on the ground laughing at the very suggestion that she *needs* to be louder. It’s not advice I’d have ever expected Reid to be given.

I would’ve been tempted to say something about Reid risking broken bones to prevent hurt ears. And Reid might’ve ended up with a phobia about playground structures. It’s good Uncle Roger was there and not me. ;+)

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August 17, 2009 by Barbara.

Reid’s been at Gymnastics Camp this week at Starr Gymnastics (where she used to take classes before she suddenly stopped liking them this time last year). They ban sesame seeds, as well as peanuts and tree nuts, from their facility. I didn’t think the impact would be that much greater until the coach took Reid’s ancient grain tortilla roll-up sandwich away from her on Monday at lunch. Now, technically, she was told that she could eat the sandwich if she went to the office. What 5 year old is going to choose exile? Luckily, I’d packed lots because I wasn’t sure how much Reid would need, what with me having to pack snacks, too.

Since we had no explanation, I decided that perhaps flax seeds were also banned.  We have 2 kinds of bread and 2 kinds of pitas in our house. All have flax seeds in them. On Tuesday morning, thanks to us not having a functioning central air system, Reid and I were both up by 5:30 and thus able to bake banana muffins for her snack. All seemed to be fine at camp but on Wednesday night, Reid reported that the coach had taken her muffins away.

I asked on Thursday morning why they kept confiscating Reid’s food, since by then I’d verified that flax seeds weren’t actually banned and I couldn’t figure out what whole grain foods I could send with her. The fellow said that the flax seeds had probably been mistaken for sesame seeds and they didn’t know what was in homemade foods. There’s an endorsement for single-serving convenience foods, eh? I was told that I should label things I baked and then they’d know. Coincidentally, I’d done just that earlier in the morning. Not that there was anything in the camp info to say this was important. I also received a small lecture about the severity of allergies suffered by some of the campers. I never disputed the need for vigilance, though, just the lack of feedback I was getting. It’ll be good to get Reid back into school where all of the food she requires is provided.

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August 6, 2009 by Barbara.

I asked Reid if she wanted to go to the free Kids’ Workshop at Home Depot this Saturday. She said that she did and then asked if she’d be making a Mother’s Day present since she’d made a Father’s Day present at the last workshop she attended. I told her that we’d missed the Mother’s Day workshop because we’d been camping. Reid considered this and then said, “Well, if it’s for Kid’s Day, I’ll just keep my eyes closed.” <grin> I guess Reid wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise when she opened the present she was making. She might not want the banged fingers from hammering with eyes closed either but, then again, Reid tends not to want to be the one who holds the nail that she is hammering.

According to a couple of websites, Reid and the other kids will be making a message centre. I guess Reid will be able to keep her eyes open since I’m pretty sure the message centre isn’t intended as a present for Kids’ Day, which does exist and is celebrated on various days, including  on November 20th in Canada.

And, no, I’m not concerned about the fact that Home Depot is being attacked in the US for sponsoring Kids Workshops at gay pride events. I do wonder, though, about the people who dedicate energy to objecting to such things who could use that energy to help kids in need.

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