Learn to love like a Teddy Bear

Yup. It's been over a year since my last post. I should probably give it up and delete the whole thing. To be honest, the only reason I even thought to check it out is because some firetrucking idjit decided to post spam in the comments section... The nerve of some people's children.

So, what's new? DD is now three, and is attending a new daycare (her old one closed). She's had the chicken pox. She got diagnosed with astigmatism last year, and she now wears glasses. DS is 7 1/2 and in grade 2. He's doing well at school. He's still addicted to video games. DH is still working away at his videogame projects. He recently won a prize in a contest at instructables.com. If you'd like to see his project, go here: http://www.instructables.com/ex/i/E63A7FFC0A611029BC4A001143E7E506/?ALLSTEPS

As for me, I've taken up scrapbooking. I love it so much that I've become a consultant... God help us all! LOL. I tutor a boy from DS's school once or twice a week. I'm heading up a committee at my church and will be heading up another in a year or two. I still hang out with the Friday Night Gang every Friday. Oh, and we've bought a new-to-us tent-trailer.

Well, I guess that's it for me for now. Have a great day, all!

Ever find yourself saying something, then thinking WTF?

Actual conversation between myself and Dear Son:

Setting: DS is playing Super Smash Bros. on the Game Cube.

DS: Mommy, I shooted Mario in the head!

Me: Shot.

DS: I shot Mario in the head!

Me: That's good...

DS goes back to playing his game. And I'm left thinking to myself, "he just told me that he shot someone in the head and I'm more interested in correcting his grammar. What a strange world we live in."

Working in daycares has taught me the value of over-antisepticising and washing your hands like an obsessive compulsive.

It's one thing to catch a cold from your own kids or from kids you're related to. It's quite another to catch one from the four or more kids who are leaking like a faucet. You can't run to the bathroom everytime to wash up. You'll never get anything done. You'll also dry out your hands (which are already suffering from the winter weather) to the point that no lotion will save them.

I know that parents have to work, and that they can't take off a week or more everytime their kid gets the sniffles. There are some parents, though, who send their kids even if their feverish or if they've had yellowish-green mucus for more than 2-3 days. Both are signs of a sinus infection. Some don't believe that it's anything serious. Others don't believe in doctors. Others "have no time" to take their sick child to a doctor or a clinic.

Bullsh*t. If you bring a child into this world then deal with it. You will have to take them to doctors and take care of them when they are sick. YOU are the parent. These are the same people who are quick to blame everyone else for how their kid turns out. It's the daycare's fault, it's the school's fault, it's their friends' fault, it's society's fault... Heaven forbid that they should have anything to do with raising their own child... But that's a whole other rant. :)

Excuse me, I need to go blow my nose.

Ever wonder how Santa keeps track of everyone? Well, it turns out that he has a secret name for everyone. Find out what yours is: http://www.bbc.co.uk/derby/fun_stuff/christmas/santas_little_helper_names.shtml

Happy Holidays!

Cutie Hot-Elf

If you love the look and smell of a "live" Christmas tree for the holidays, I urge you to visit http://www.usfa.fema.gov/safety/tips/holiday.shtm. If you do not water your tree regularly and properly, it dries out and can literally burn up in less than 5 seconds. They have a video on the site that shows how quickly it goes up in flames, and in under a minute the entire room is on fire with smoke so black and thick that you can no longer see anything.

Keep safe!

SilverFlame

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all;" plus "a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make Canada and America great, (not to imply that Canada or America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only "AMERICA" in the western hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform, or sexual preference of the wisher."

(Disclaimer: By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher who assumes no responsibility for any unintended emotional stress these greetings may bring to those not caught up in the holiday spirit.)

Happy Holidays! :)

SilverFlame

Yup. It's been too long.

News, news, news... DS is now in 1st grade, and loving it. DD is now in Daycare, and loving it. I am working from home and loving it. DH is going nuts. :)

I have started a second business as a substitute daycare worker. I assist or take over in the government-subsidized "garderie en milieu familial" when the daycare owner needs to leave for appointments, errands, or just so she can catch up on things around the house.

Christmas is coming. I'm about half done my shopping, and hardly touched the decorating. The holiday frenzy is escalating. I did some small crafts for DS's school craft fair. It's open just to the kids so they can buy presents for their families. It's a great idea, especially since nothing costs more than $3.50. Oh, and the church bake sale. Then there's the Sunday School pageant and party, little gifts for the daycare kids I work with, squares for DS's Christmas party on the last day of school... Calgon take me away!!! :)

Well, that's life in a nuthouse. Uh, nutshell...

I'll try to post again before next year. LOL

Happy Howlerdays!

SilverFlame

Yes, it's been a good long while since I've posted anything... I'm the type of person who, if I don't have anything to say, says nothing... :) Okay, those who know me might argue the point, but I'm still not the type of person who talks for the sake of hearing her own voice...

There have been some little things happening, but nothing really worth blogging about. DD is now 11 months old. The big oh-one is around the corner. :) DS had spring break last week. I bought Tupperware. Yes, it's expensive, but I love it. It was stuff I wanted anyways, and it was on sale... The family went to a cabane à sucre on Friday...

I *love* going to a cabane à sucre. I eat... No, correct that: I gorge. Eggs, ham (which normally I don't like), bacon, cretons, pea soup (again, something I don't usually like), bread, beans, cole slaw, homemade pickles... All drowned in maple syrup. And the desserts: sugar/maple pie, grand-pères, crêpes... Topped off with crème de la crème, maple taffy on snow... I know, it's nothing fancy. I can (and have) made all this stuff at home. Except the grand-pères. I should find a recipe for that... But there's just something about the atmosphere. Deep down, I'm a good little Québecoise... :)

On another note, if you used to be a BBSer in the Montreal area, you'll want to check out http://montrealbbs.com/xoops/.

From the main page: "This web site has been created in order to re-unite all the users of what was once a great communication tool --- the BBS (Bulletin Board System), and particularly the users of bulletin board systems that operated in the 514 area code (Montreal and surrounding regions)."

OOPS. Found this lurking in my drafts folder...

Don't you love that feeling? You know, the one that you can take on the world? Nothing is beyond your grasp? It's a fabulous feeling, but one that seems to come infrequently. At least for me.

I want to fix that. I'm tired of feeling like there's something wrong with me, like I have no control over things. I'm tired of "stokause" syndrome. "C'est pas de ma faute, stokause de..." :)

I want to succeed in my business. To do that, I need to pick myself up off the ground. I need to stop setting myself up for failure. I need to stop talking myself out of success.

BlogSpeak (my former comments service provider) ran into hosting problems, and is now defunct in terms of commenting services. Fortunately, HaloScan is picking up where they left off, and has imported all the old comments from BlogSpeak.

It's a little late to be fiddling with all the finangley details, so I'll leave that for another day.

Comment away! :)

For those not in the know, DD was in the Montreal Children's last Friday morning to have a small procedure done on her right eye. It's nothing serious. She's had a blockage in the tear duct since birth, and they flushed it out. However it required her to be anesthetized.

She had to fast for four hours before the procedure. They had pushed her appointment up from 9 am to 7:45 am, and I needed to be there an hour early.

Traffic has been hell on rice cakes all week, so I left home at 5:15 am to make sure I'd be there in time. Normally, it's a half hour drive. Add morning traffic, and you're up to an hour.

Know what? There was no traffic. Lots of wind and blowing snow, but no traffic. I arrived an hour early. The main doors were locked, I had to walk around the building to the emergency room entrance. The upside is that I got a primo parking spot. :)

Everything went well. The doctor's pretty sure that everything is fine now.
She'll have to use antibiotic ointment for two weeks, and back for a checkup in a year.

For all my stress and worrying, it took 15 minutes. Tops. From the time she
left, to the time the doctor came out to say that everything was fine. She didn't cry when the nurse took her away. She didn't fight the mask that the anesthesiologist used to put her to sleep. He had asked if I thought an additional injection to make her groggy would be necessary, but I said no.

The nurse had to go wake her up after the procedure. She was long overdue for a nap, so she didn't bother waking up. :) The nurses didn't want to let her leave. They ooh-ed and ah-ed her and said what a good patient she was. And they asked where she got the cute little slippers she was wearing.

They brought her to me, and she just leaned up against me. No tears, no whining. Just an, "oh good it's you Mummy" kind of cuddle. I nursed her there. Whereas normally after a seven-hour fast (which is quite long for a baby) she would be eating voraciously, this was much slower and more deliberate. It really takes a while for the anesthetics to get out of the system.

I'm not a religious person. Like my Granny used to say, I'm not religious, but I do have my faith. I know that religion is not popular anymore. Any mention of religion seems to conjure up atheists/agnostics and zealots. I prayed, though, and I asked people to pray for us. Those who don't pray, I asked for positive energy, happy thoughts, or whatever else they were willing to send our way. I really, truly believe in the power of prayer.

I'm not the type of person who likes to ask for help. Ask my dad, and he'll tell you about the time I was two and he tried to teach me to swim. I went to the bottom of the pool three times, and *still* insisted that "I do it myself". :) But when it comes to my family, I'll do it.

It's times like these when I realize how truly blessed I am. I am blessed with a healthy daughter. I am blessed with free medical services. I am blessed that this problem can be fixed with a minor procedure. I am blessed by sympathetic, competent medical personnel who understand how a mother worries. I am blessed that I have a circle of friends and family who will stand by me. I am blessed with people who love and support me. I am blessed with people who will pray with me and for me and mine. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

I thank God for my life. It's not a perfect life, but it's a blessed life, and I wouldn't trade places with anyone else. I hope you can find the blessings in your life too.

Yes, it's a new year. Time to break out all those old promises. I'm going to get fit. I'm going to start an exercise program. I'm going to watch what I eat. I'm going to get all my paperwork done. I'm going to get organized. I will get my finances in order. I will stop procrastinating. I will fix everything about me and my life that is less than perfect.

Just like I did last year... LOL.

Seriously, though, what is it about buying a new calendar that makes us go nuts? Birthdays and New Year's are the two times a year that people start analyzing their lives to see if they're on track, or if they came up short. I guess you're kind of lucky if you're birthday's on January 1st, you only have to angst once a year. :)

Yes, I can see the benefit. After all, "the unexamined life is not worth living," and all that rot. However, the notion of a turn of the calendar page "inspiring" major life changes is off the wall. Pardon the pun. Change doesn't happen overnight. It comes from little modifications in your day-to-day living. Choosing an apple over apple pie. Raisins over raisinettes. Putting that $50 in your RRSP instead of spending it on new shoes or gizmos. Walking to the depanneur instead of driving. You get the idea.

I'm guilty of it too. Putting off till tomorrow what should have been done last week. Did I make a resolution this year? Not really. It's more of a revolution. Cause it keeps coming around. :) I'm going to try to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm sticking with FlyLady. I'm sticking with PL. I'm cooking more, and eating out less.

But if I get a visit from the cellulite fairy, and she decides to leave some money on my night table and whisk away a few pounds, I'm not going to complain... :D

I love Christmas, I do. I tend to like Hallowe'en better, but I think maybe that's because there's less hype, less stress, and a chance to be goofy. :)

Christmas went relatively well this year. I won't lie and say it was stress-free, though that's my goal. Next year I've got to get on board the FlyLady Cruisin' through the holidays missions. But, all-in-all, I'm satisfied.

Had the kid's picture taken with Santa again this year. Really not thrilled with it. DS has a weird smirk on his face, and DD looks scared. Given another 30 seconds, it would have been fine, but I guess you must keep the production line moving. :/ Oh well...

We had the in-laws over for supper Christmas Eve, then we all went to the Christmas Eve service at my church. Back to our place for presents and dessert. After they left, it was time to wrap the kids' and DH's presents. Yes, I managed to get it done, with help from DH. And this year I *tried* to have it done before Christmas Eve, but it just didn't happen...

Santa was very good to me this year. Which just proves that the old fart needs new glasses. LOL. The best presents? A new crockpot, a rice cooker, and a new video camera. And just for the record, it's all stuff I had on my wish list. It's okay to get kitchen appliances when that's what you ask for. :) Oh, and I got a bathroom scale. It's actually pretty cool. It takes your height and gender and age, then when you step on it, it tells you your weight and % body fat. I'm not telling what numbers it gave me, 'cause it's rather embarassing. Needless to say, they need to be fixed.

DS *loved* his toy from Santa. It's a good thing Santa found it, 'cause Mommy couldn't find it anywhere. (And I looked!) Good ol' eagle-eyes. Every present DS got was, "just what I always wanted." Even if he hadn't asked for it. :)

DD liked her presents, but at 8.5 months, she's just as fascinated with the wrapping as the gifts. DS didn't mind, he got to unwrap twice as many presents this way.

Christmas dinner was held at DSis's house, though Mum still provided the turkey.

I hope all my readers had a safe and festive holiday of their choosing. And if I don't post between now and New Year's, have a safe and happy New Year. And pleasepleaseplease, don't drink and drive...

Smoochies!

...to make yourself crazy. Lalalala-lala-la-la. :)

Yup. Eight days and counting. My shopping's not finished. My tree's not up. My decorations are half out. My front porch and home office are in a state of CHAOS. I have shows to enter for my business. My baking's not done. The presents aren't wrapped. We have family from out of town staying with my parents for a few days, so we have a mini-Christmas thing going on tomorrow. The list goes on and on and on and on and... Well, you get the picture.

Every year, I tell myself that I won't be up until the wee hours wrapping presents and stuffing stockings. Every year I tell myself that I will not be anywhere near the stores on Christmas Eve trying to get those few last minute things. Every year I tell myself that it's going to be different.

Well, it is different. It's not where I want it to be, but it's better. I'm lowering my expectations. I don't expect Currier and Ives. I don't put other people's demands over myself. I don't take guilt trips.

For a long time, Christmas went like this:
Christmas Eve:
Work. If I was lucky, I got off at 2 or 3 pm. But that was a last minute decision that I couldn't count on. Then it was dinner at the in-laws (in East-End Montreal). Then back to the South Shore for the Christmas Eve Service. Wrap presents. Stuff stockings. Sleep. Maybe...

Christmas Day:
Wake up. Watch those hours of wrapping disappear into a garbage bag. Breakfast. Wrap presents for family. Go to parents' house for gift exchange. Go to in-laws for gift exchange. Go back to parents' for gift exchange with extended family, and the big turkey dinner. Then home and crash.

I had two days of non-stop running around. I lived off adrenaline. My blood pressure was off the wall. I was so stressed, I'd snap at every little thing. Tears happened on more than one occasion. And no matter what, I was always made to feel like I was letting someone down. There's nothing like a side order of guilt on Christmas. :/

So, I gave up. I'm not out to please my parents or my in-laws. Christmas is about love and friendship and giving. I finally realized that I was miserable, and that nothing I did was going to be good enough in everyone's eyes. I now enjoy Christmas as much as I can. I can't live up to their expectations. I tried pleasing everyone, and it wasn't good enough. No one was happy, especially me. Now, people are still disappointed with me, but on my terms. And I'm okay with that. :)

Yup, she's going to kill me for this one... :)

She comments regularly on my Blog. She's the one who convinced me to start one of my own. She has one too, but she rarely posts there, unless she's found another blogger... :) You can visit it here.

Well, I think it's time to pay homage to this wonderful woman. I've known her since I was five or six... We went to the same elementary school, high school, CEGEP, and university. She was always the smart one. She knew most of the answers (at least until high school math). :) She's a veritable fount of information. You do not want to play Trivial Pursuit with her. I think in all the years I've known her, I've won once (maybe twice), and I think it was just cause she was rolling badly.

She is the most loyal and devoted friend. She'll stand by you regardless of what others say. Her heart and forgiveness know no bounds. She'll give you the shirt off her back, and the last dollar in her pocket. When she loves, she loves completely, mind, body and soul. She has this amazing ability to remain neutral in conflict. She rarely takes sides. But cross someone she loves, and watch out! And don't ever diss Chris de Burgh or Macs... :)

She was one of my bridesmaids. She's godmother to my DD. She's my best friend. She's my sister by choice. My life would suffer a tremendous void without her.

I love her, and I wish her all the blessings in the world, today and everyday.

Smoochies!

Yes, the weather's gotten colder. We've had our first snowfall. Not enough to stay, but snow nonetheless. The car's loaded up with scrapers and brushes and a shovel. DS wears snowpants everyday. It's enough to send you back to bed. Or at least to the couch with a blanket, a good book, and a cup of hot chocolate. Maybe get a little fire going in the fireplace (if you have one), or light a few candles... Anything that inspires thoughts of warmth.

Lately, I've been making soup. Homemade soup. From scratch. And you know what? It's good.

I've never been a big soup person. Sure, I enjoy a bowl from time to time. I'll eat it if it comes with the meal. I practically lived off soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, and fruit when I was pregnant with DS and had perpetual morning sickness.

Soup is supposed to come from a can. Add water if it's Campbell's, don't if it's Habitant. Making soup? Who's got time for that? And it never tastes quite right... Until now.

I don't know what's changed. Maybe I got fed up of checking the labels because DH has a reaction to MSG (monosodium glutamate), and it's in 90% of commercially made soups. Maybe I'm not such a big Campbell's kid after all. Maybe it's because I'm actually using recipes, as opposed to believing my Italian friends who tell me to throw everything into a pot, and voila! soup.

It started with my DGM's (dear grandmother) stew. Growing up, it was the only stew I liked. So, a few months ago, I pulled out the recipe and made it. Then DS reads the story of Stone Soup (if you've never heard the story, there's a version here.) Long story short, DS decides he wants to make stone soup. So, we find a nice smooth rock, scrub thoroughly, and make Granny's Stew (with minimal thickening).

I'm trying to use my crockpot more often. So, next thing you know, I'm making Granny's Stew frequently because I know it works well in the crock pot. And I'm thinking about how similar this is to vegetable soup, and wouldn't it be nice... And here we are.

On Saturday I made a chicken in the crockpot. I was on my way out after supper (to Ladies' Night - see below), and I didn't have the time or inclination to pick the bones. So, I left it in the crockpot, covered it with water, set it going, and left. Come home, turn it off, and set it in my near-zero porch to cool so I can scrape off the fat. Next thing you know, homemade chicken noodle soup.

I think, for me, it's suddenly fun because it's easier to break it down into steps. It's not an all-or-nothing thing. I don't have to dedicate an entire afternoon or evening to making it. Took me 48 hours to get my soup (basically didn't touch it on Sunday; too busy), but it was *so* worth it. It tasted great, I've got enough leftover stock to make another batch or two, and I wasn't exhausted at the end of it.

Okay, it's probably just a phase. However, I've made a great vegetable soup with beef and tomato and barley and alphabet pasta (like Campbell's), and I really enjoyed my chicken noodle soup. I think the next step might be to try to replicate Granny's Chicken Rice soup, which I *love*. And then, crème de la crème: Scotch Broth. Num-a-num. :) Maybe it *is* a phase, but I'm sure the folks at Premium Plus are not complaining.

On Saturday we had a long-overdue Ladies' Night. Basically, a bunch of us try to get together without the men-folk (under 12 excepted). It does my soul good. :)

What do we do? We eat, we drink (if desired), we talk, we watch movies, whatever tickles our fancy at the time. Now, these are women that I see on a regular basis. I'm not sure why I enjoy it so much. It's not like I never see them. It's not like we do anything different than when the guys are there. But being with the women who are such an important part of my life without any testosterone around... I'll say it again, it does my soul good.

Contrary to what most people would expect, we don't engage in men-bashing, femi-nazi crap. We don't demean the men in our lives, or men in general. We don't tear down the women in our lives with catty comments. We don't gorge ourselves on rich food, alcohol and the like. We don't do makeovers (although we do have some henna that we're going to use next time).

I love the women in my life. Those who were there, and those who couldn't make it. I love that they are real women. They aren't ashamed of their womanhood, neither do they think it makes them superior. They lift each other up, instead of tearing each other down. They are strong and capable and a force to be reckoned with.

These are the women who, last summer at Fest, dropped everything to search for a missing child while the men stayed at camp to batten-down the hatches for the incoming storm. (The child was found, she was playing with friends in the campground and hadn't told her parents where she was).

They are my gal-pals, my girlfriends, my sisters-by-choice. Oh, and my wife. ;) I love all of them dearly, I wouldn't trade them for the world.

Smoochies, Ladies!

Last night was the launch of PL's new 2004 catalog. I love it, I love it, I love it. Did I mention that I love it? I think, visually, it's got to be the best one I've seen. And then, to top it all off, I got my product pre-pack today (it was only supposed to arrive December 1st). *Happy Dance*!!!

Don't mind me, I get excited every time there's a launch. It's like Christmas all over again. Oddly enough, while I get very disappointed if I get a glimpse of a real present before it's time, I *need* to know what's coming up when it comes to product launches. I want, need, love spoilers.

Now comes the hard part. I have to try to keep all this fun stuff under my hat until December 6th, when I do my Open House for my friends and clients.

But I'm still a happy camper...

Yup. It's that time again: Sunday.

For different people, Sunday invokes different thoughts. Sleeping in, church, sports, Sunday drives, Sunday drivers, a/the day of rest (at least before Sunday shopping was created), or "easy like Sunday morning". For me, Sunday means one thing above all... Supper.

Ever since I was a teenager, my family did Sunday Supper. My family was so busy with various activities, sports, socializing, work, school, etc., that we never seemed to be able to sit down as a family and eat a meal. And if we did, we needed to be somewhere else, and soon, so we scarfed it down as if we'd been starved for a week. My mom was afraid that instead of being a family, we were just four people who lived in the same house. Thus, Sunday Supper was invoked.

The basic premise is this: you are not *obliged* to be home for Sunday Supper, but you are requested to make an effort to be there. So, if a better offer comes along (say a concert, friends in town, or some-such, or if you really aren't up to it), you can skip Sunday Supper, but it's still a standing date.

Sunday Supper is usually a medium-to-big production. Dessert is a must, so you know it's special. :) Main course tends to be things like roast beef, turkey, chicken, or lasagna. You know, the meals that take too long to prepare during the week. Sometimes we have what I consider standard week fare: spaghetti, stir-fry, shepherd's pie. It really doesn't matter what we eat, as long as we eat together.

My widower grandfather came over every Sunday. I remember he started coming when my grandmother went in the hospital, and for years later, until he passed over to be with her.

It kept him involved in his family's life, and got him a home-cooked meal to boot. Oh, and dessert. Puppas *loved* dessert. My mom would usually make up a "doggy-bag" for him to take home. Most of my favorite memories of him are from Sunday Supper. I remember hearing stories of his navy days, his pets, and of course, slipping treats to the dogs. There was no point in telling him not to feed the dogs. He'd just do it when you weren't looking. :)

Well, I'm no longer a teenager, being 31, but I still look forward to going home on Sundays for Sunday Supper. The table's somewhat crowded now, with 9 people: Mum & Dad, DSis, BIL, DNiece, Myself, DH, DS, and DD.

I love the fact that my children get to spend time with their extended family every week. I love that I get to see my sister every week. I love not having to cook one day a week. :) My parents love touching base with their girls and their families.

My mom is the envy of many women. After all, how many families these days have a standing date? A weekly family reunion, so to speak?

For my mom, I think the pinnacle of Sunday Supper success happened when I was pregnant with DS. I had perpetual morning sickness, and frequent migraines in my first trimester. Now, when I get a migraine, I just want the world to shut up and go away. I lock myself in a dark room, use earplugs, and sleep until it goes away. Well, when it happened on Sundays, DH went to Sunday Supper without me. There was nothing he could do for me, so I told him to go without me. My mom was so impressed. "After all," she once told me, "I can't be that bad of a MIL if my Son-IL will come over for supper by himself." :)

So think about this... If you're within any reasonable distance from your family, arrange for a regular reunion. Don't wait for the special occasions or holidays. It doesn't have to be Sunday Supper. It can be brunch, or a weeknight evening of games, or afternoon tea. If there's a moderate amount of distance, meet halfway for coffee. If you can't do it weekly, do it bi-weekly, or even monthly. But I encourage you to do it.

In our busy world, we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle. Sure, you call, but then the calls get less frequent, and the e-mails only happen when something important occurs, and next thing you know, you haven't seen them in weeks or months. It's a sad state of affairs when you can e-mail around the world, but you can't drive around the block to visit.

And after all, the way to the heart is through the stomach... :)

I've submitted to current trends and peer pressure and started my own blog. I'm not sure why I need a blog, or how often I'll update it, but I'll give it a whirl.

My intentions are to basically make a running journal of semi-interesting things that are happening in my life. Particularly for people out of town, or whom I don't get to see often.

So, about me... You can call me SilverFlame. If you've met me in real life, you can call me by my real name. My family lives in the Greater Montreal Area. I'm the mom of two: DS (Dear Son) is 5, and DD (Dear Daughter) is 7 months.

I am a WAHM (work at home mom). I have my own business as an Independant Candle Consultant with PL Gifts, and am currently exploring another avenue to supplement the household income. DH (Dear Husband) of seven years also works from home as a programmer (he telecommutes).

We have a menagerie of pets. One dog, two cats, and an aquababies aquarium with two fish, two frogs, and a snail.