Too much pressure?

We all want something great for our kids. Some start them in hockey at the age of 3 with the dreams of their child being the next Gretzky. Some, like this kid, strive to be the next Michael Jordan. Despite what the clip says, I find it hard to believe that his parents aren't pushing him even just a little bit to practice those 4 hours a day after school!

But I'm different.. I swear I am! Or at least I was until last week! I told myself when I had my babe that I would never pressure him into anything he didn't want to do. In fact, the hubs really wants little E to play hockey. Little E isn't so keen on the idea. So, I've gone to bat for him and I think Ronnio now agrees that as long as E can skate like a real Canadian, we're doing fine!

But now something big has happened that has changed all of this. E has turned a corner and there's no turning back. Now the pressure starts from me... BIG TIME! Can you say "the next Lance Armstrong"??? You be the judge!

The next Lance Armstrong???

The single life!

So, I've decided that I need to take my blog a bit more seriously! I started this blog in August 2009 just on a whim. I written a few times over the course of the past year but lately I've been feeling like I'd like to write more often. The challenge is always figuring out what to write about.

So, thanks to my good friend Claudia for giving me the inspiration for this post! She thought it would be fun for me to write about what life would be like if I was single. Not just without a kidlet, but completely single. Not 25 and single, but the age I am now, with the lifestyle I have now, just on my own (never married, not divorced). Don't mistake this as an indication of me being unhappy with my current life. Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm happy with my life... my hubs, my kidlet, my work... everything is good. I just think it's fun to surmise what my day to day life would be like on my own. So, here's what I think a typical week day would be like:

7:00am - wake up well rested after a wonderful, uninterrupted sleep

7:15 - 8:15 - get ready for work, watching the news that I want to watch without the channel being flipped

9 - 5 (yes, in this fantasy day, I work only 9-5! Can't remember the last time this was reality!) - work a full day in the office (or in my home office depending on the day). At work, I'd talk about what I did the night before or the weekend before or what I plan to do tomorrow or on my next vacation!

5:30 - head to the gym to do either a spin class or a cardio pump class

7:00 - head home or meet up with a friend for Thai food for dinner. If I was heading home, I'd make myself some toast for dinner. Or on a good day, I might make myself some eggs!

8:00 - soak in a hot tub and watch my favourite shows and just think about what I might do on the upcoming weekend. Maybe call a few single friends to see about making plans for the weekend.

10/11:00 - head to bed. Read a book, and settle in for another perfect, uninterrupted sleep!

Flip to a single girl weekend and it's all about me! I'd probably go to the gym or go for a run or 2. I'd do some grocery shopping, I'd do a bit of me shopping, I'd clean my house, I'd visit friends, maybe see a movie, go out for dinner, maybe do a bit of work and do a whole lot of relaxing!

All this sounds absolutely wonderful, doesn't it! Imagine never having to worry about anyone else. Imagine not having to be at someone else's beck and call or having to adhere to someone else's schedule. Imagine not having to worry about picking someone up from school or about what to make a picky eater for dinner!

Just 1 problem... if that was my life, I'd be missing out on everything I actually have now... I'd be missing out on the super-duper Evan snuggles, I'd be missing out on the feeling I get every time Evan says "I love you, Mummy", I'd be missing out on all of the laughs and love I have with Ron and I wouldn't have anyone to share my day to day stresses, joys and accomplishments with. So really, what fun would that be?

In honour of Oktoberfest!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Dancing With the Stars 2010

So this time last year, I was sweating bullets. I was one week away from making my public dancing debut as a "star" in the Dancing With the Stars fundraising event benefitting the HopeSpring Cancer Support Centre. I originally got involved as a challenge for myself. I don't like being the centre of attention and I really felt the experience would force me to confront that fear. I also happen to think that HopeSpring is a charity worth supporting. They provide amazing services free of charge to people going through cancer, as well as their caregivers. All this with absolutely no government funding!

I have to admit though, it wasn't until after the show was over and the money was counted, I really felt the impact of what my involvement meant. Being involved in that show meant that many more people could have free wigs as they lost their hair to chemo. It meant more people could reap the benefits of one on one and/or group counselling sessions.

So, when I was asked after the show last year if I would help organize the event for this year, I didn't hesitate to say yes. This year, I'm the chair of the organizing committee and am once again, so proud to be involved in this event. This year, for the first time, we've gone after, and found corporate sponsors for each of the couples competing in the show. This means the event will raise so much more money for such a terrific cause. I'm proud to be a part of this committee who has worked so hard for the past 9 months to organize what promises to be a great show.

Also for the first time ever, we have a celebrity judge and guest performer. Everett Smith from So You Think You Can Dance Canada will be there to critique the dancers as well as wow the audience with 2 performances. We've got incredible prizes up for grabs in our live auction as well. I really think this year promises to be the best show yet and I'm so excited to be a big part of it.

So, if you're looking for something fun to do next Friday (October 15th), get a ticket. I promise you won't be disappointed. Tickets are still available from HopeSpring but they're going fast.

Oh, and wish me luck... I may not be dancing this year, but I may have to make a speech in front of the 700 people in the audience!!!! YIKES!!!!!

The Power of Music

As some of you may know, before I started my career in advertising, my dream job was to be a flautist with the National Ballet of Canada. I had always dreamed of being a ballerina as a little girl. I took ballet for several years and as a child I idolized Karen Kain and Frank Augustine. But honestly... I wasn't that good a dancer! So when I started playing the flute and then went on to study flute at university, I thought what better way to fulfill my childhood dream than to play my favourite instrument in my favourite setting. Of course, this dream was cut short by a car accident after my first year of university. I continued to study flute for second year, but then my neck and shoulder just couldn't sustain me for the number of hours of practicing that were required to really perfect my craft.

I continued my music degree, but instead of focussing on performance, I switched my major to music history. I went on to do my coursework for my master's degree in Musicology at McGill. After 2 years of coursework, I moved back to Ontario to work and to complete my thesis. I got my first job in advertising and sadly, my thesis remains unfinished to this day!

I guess the reason for me explaining this background is so you understand that I know a lot about music. I know the history of music. I know the technical aspects of music composition. I know all 9 Beethoven symphonies. I can tell you that in the movie Die Hard, Beethoven's 9th symphony is used to increase tension and make the viewer more agitated at certain points of the movie. But what I can't explain to you is why music has such a powerful emotional effect on people. I Googled this when I was thinking about writing this post. Here's what I found:

"As for music's emotional impact, there is some indication that music can affect levels of various hormones, including cortisol (involved in arousal and stress), testosterone (aggression and arousal) and oxytocin (nurturing behavior) as well as trigger release of the natural opiates known as endorphins." (This is extracted from an article by Michael D. Lemonick for Time Magazine).

I'm sure everyone would agree that there are certain songs that evoke strong emotional reactions. Music also has the ability to transport you to another time and place. Music has the power to bring memories flooding back to you so you are re-living incidents of years ago. I'm going to give you a few examples of songs that do this for me! Maybe you'll chuckle when you read some of these. Maybe you'll have memories of your own that get stirred up by some of the same songs! Or maybe it'll get you thinking of some special pieces of music you have in your own life!

Here's a good one! I clearly remember walking with my best friend Kristen to our first high school dance in Grade 9. We had a single can of tonic water which was 1/2 tonic and 1/2 gin. We shared this cocktail on our way to the school. We also had 1 Sony Walkman that we shared. Kristen had one headphone, I had the other. On the cassette tape side A was the Psychedelic Furs "The Ghost in You" album. On side B was an album by Ultravox. Whenever I hear this song, I am reminded of that walk and how much fun we had that night and how excited we both were to be going to our very first dance! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aMHL1lEQBk

Fast forward a year or so... I had a boyfriend in high school named Mark Champagne. He sang in a band and looked like Jack Wagner from General Hospital!! He was dreamy! One night Kristen and I snuck out of the house to meet up with Mark and his less dreamy brother (sorry Kristen!!). We walked down to the canal and sat on a bench talking till the wee hours of the morning. At one point that night, Mark the dream boat, started singing this song to me. I'm reminded of that night every time I hear it!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eT464L1YRA

And finally, whenever I hear anything by Erika Badu, I'm reminded of my second date with my Ronnio. He picked me up at work one night and we drove to Toronto for an amazing dinner. I brought my Erika Badu CD to listen to in the car. I think he thought I was trying to seduce him. I think he may have been right!!!! 2 years later, we were engaged. 8 months after that, we were married! Guess the EB worked! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CPCs7vVz6s

So, today I'm having a hard time shaking a couple of songs. Both are stuck in my brain and are reminding me of my fabulous Vegas getaway. They're songs we heard in the clubs and danced to until dawn. They're reminding me of the amazing group of women I bonded with over those 4 days. And they're making me realize that just because I'm turning 40 doesn't mean that I don't still have the ability to have fun and let loose sometimes! After all, as my friend Kristen says, 40 is the new 20!!!! Enjoy these 2! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-dvTjK_07c&ob=av2n http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjZD63BWKgA&ob=av2n

So, I'm curious to know about what songs spark memories for you. Surely there are some good stories out there. Don't be afraid to share them here!

A healthy dose of fun!

I'm writing this blog in response to many people saying "So, how was Vegas? What did you guys do?"

Well as most of you know, this past weekend was my big Vegas girl's getaway. The reason behind the trip was to celebrate my upcoming 40th birthday. I started planning this trip a year ago when I casually mentioned to 5 of my friends that I wanted to do something special to celebrate. After all, 2 years ago when Ron turned 40, he took off to Vegas, stayed in a penthouse suite at the Palms and did the booty shake with Jessica Alba at a club!!! So surely I deserved a celebration of a similar caliber!

When I started thinking about my birthday getaway there were several options I considered: a weekend at St Anne's spa, a spa getaway to Scottsdale, AZ, a Caribbean getaway... all great options. But the one that stood out and won out was obviously Vegas! A total escape from reality!! So the planning started...

Since we booked the trip 6 months in advance, we had a ton of time to plan out exactly what we wanted to do once we were finally in Vegas. We got together a few times over the course of the 6 months just so everyone could get to know each other a bit better before we left (the common thread in the group was me so a few of my friends didn't really know the other friends that well). The week before the trip we got together for some drinks and pedicures and we watched The Hangover. We were certain our trip would rival the one the guys took in that movie (minus the missing tooth of course!!!!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=162PBJp1akg

Our limo picked us up at 4:45am on Friday. We started the journey by having a couple of mimosas on the way to Toronto. Everyone was so excited that the trip was finally upon us. We survived the flight and got to Vegas at 11:30am which meant we had the entire day on Friday to have fun. We checked in to our GORGEOUS hotel (The Palazzo Las Vegas), got settled, had some lunch and just walked around a bit. We had an early dinner that night at Olives at the Bellagio and then we were off to enjoy front row seats for Cirque du Soleil's O which was by far the best show I've EVER seen.

Saturday was all about shopping... SHOE SHOPPING! If you missed my tweets while I was down there, the news is all Louboutin, all the time! Bought my first pair as a special Happy Birthday to Me present (thanks to a very generous birthday card from Ronnio). Yes, you heard me... it's my 1st pair... 1st of many!!!! Saturday night however was all about a great dinner at Lavo, followed by an amazing evening/morning at the club. When was the last time I danced in 5" heels from 10:30pm until 4:00am???? Not sure if that's ever happened to be honest.

Sunday was a day of low key recovery by the pool. To say we were all tired would be a bit of an understatement. But still, starting the day with a champagne cocktail seemed completely appropriate at the time!!!! Sunday night we ended up at a club at Bellagio which we didn't really like and then back at our hot spot from the night before, Lavo Nightclub! All I can say about Sunday night is that I tried to get a good night's sleep that night, but it just wasn't meant to be.

Which brings me to Monday. Monday was all about the shopping. Shopping, shopping, shopping. We caught the red eye home at 11:30pm so we had a full day of fun before we had to get our tired butts to the airport.

I like to describe this trip as 4 days of being awake with 3 hr catnaps in between. I literally didn't sleep more than 3hrs a night for the entire time. It was amazing. We had such a great time. So much so that we're all up for making this an annual trip! And you know what that means... if Vegas is an annual trip, so is the Louboutin boutique! Better start saving my pennies right this minute.

Thanks so much to my wonderful, amazing group of ladies who agreed to come on this adventure with me and celebrate with me. You are all truly the most incredible women and friends. I'm so lucky to have you in my life. And thanks to all of you around me who indulged me with listening to every last detail of the planning leading up to trip. I know I've been driving people mental! And to the husbands who stayed at home with the children and never questioned the need for us ladies to make this journey, we love you to pieces. It is because of your love and support that we actually came home and welcomed the re-entry to our reality!!

So, there you have it... the trip in a nutshell. May not sound too exciting, but let's not forget, this blog post has been edited and re-edited because after all:

"What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas"!!!!!

Dealing with fear!

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I decided to take little E out for an afternoon of good, honest (and cheap) fun. We gathered up some butterfly nets and a bug catcher; we packed a few drinks, a few snacks and his Bugs of Ontario book and off we went. Our little guy loves bugs and all things creepy crawly so for him, this was the best idea we'd had in a while. We found ourselves the perfect meadow out behind Langdon Hall that was full of milkweed and monarchs... a prime bug catching location.

Our first find was a tiny little tree frog. We scooped him up and put him in our catcher. Things were moving along nicely and little E was getting more and more excited. When we found a big leopard frog things got even better. Then we started walking through the tall grass of the meadow in an attempt to catch ourselves a monarch, or better yet, find ourselves a caterpillar so we could bring him home and "grow" our own monarch butterfly.

E and my hubby went one way through the meadow and I decided to go off on my own... BIG MISTAKE... HUGE! After being on my own for a few minutes, I decided to go and join up with my 2 guys. I was walking along and suddenly stopped in my tracks just shy of walking through a big spider web. I saw the web and thought to myself "wow, that's a big web... I'm glad I didn't walk through it and get it all over my legs". At that point, I looked once more at the big web and realized that sitting right in the middle of it was the biggest, blackest spider I've EVER seen in my life. I can only compare it to the size of the base of a cupcake. It was huge. The body alone was about the size of a quarter.

I've always known I was afraid of spiders, but that day in the meadow, I realized I was more than afraid. I have a true phobia. For a moment I was frozen. Everything started spinning around me. I thought I was going to either throw up or pass out. And then the screaming started. I literally screamed and started crying hysterically and running through the meadow like I was being chased by an axe murderer. The whole time my little boy was yelling "Mummy, what's wrong? Mummy, what's wrong?"

I think my "freakout" session probably lasted no more than 10 or 15 seconds, but it was just long enough to really make my 4 year old scared and upset. When I stopped, I realized that I had done something that I have always promised myself I wouldn't do... I've always said that I would try my absolute best not to relay any of my fears onto my child. I don't like spiders or snakes or roller coasters, but there's no rational reason why he shouldn't. I can quite honestly say that I felt a ton of shame that afternoon at my behaviour. The last thing I want to do is make my son afraid, but I can also tell you that I couldn't help it. Fears are irrational and our reactions are often uncontrollable.

I did do my best to calm little E down and make him not afraid. I did a lot of talking about how Mummy is afraid of spiders but that I'm just silly and there's no real reason to be afraid. Hopefully our talks did the trick because the last thing I want to do is instil my silly fears in him. I'm curious to know how other people deal with this with their kids. Did I do okay with it (after I calmed down)? Ideas/suggestions are always welcome! In the meantime, I'm just going to stay out of the meadow and enjoy the monarchs from the peace of my backyard!