Heavy, Down

The title of today's post is "heavy, down" which is the opposite of light. I know that many bloggers like to keep things light, this is their space to share simple things like food, family activities, and fashion (did not mean that to be an alliteration!).  I like that too, but I have been known to write my opinion about various topics over the years.  I want you to know who I am and what I believe in, and sometimes that's more than baseball and ski mom. So here are a few non-lighthearted things that have been on my mind:

Charlie Kirk - Listen, I had never heard this man’s name until he was killed last week, although I am aware of US politics, I am not embroiled in it and I would be even less familiar with Republican players,  so my comment on this is really not directed at Mr. Kirk and his views.  My feeling is that people should be permitted to speak freely, on a university campus of all places, and be safe.  I should not however, that the right to free speech does not extend to hate speech, in my opinion, and in the interpretation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  But even hate speech, if that is how you could interpret some of Mr. Kirk's viewpoints and I can't really say that since I don't know much about him, should not be met with a bullet. The gun violence day after day is so disheartening.

Chat GPT episode on The Daily podcast - Yesterday's episode of The Daily addresses the feedback loop that people can get stuck in when they regularly interact with AI chatbots.  The sad part of the episode is about a teenage boy that committed suicide and then his parents found the dialogue with Chat GPT and it was quite disturbing what was being spit out at this teenager.  Suicide is one of my worst fears. Hearing from the parents who found him, and not knowing he was struggling, that is the true heartbreaking part. 

Israel/Gaza - This topic is so rife with controversy that many people avoid commenting on it at all, and I'm often included in that.  Every few years, the conflict reaches a certain level and we are all reminded about it again, and then when nothing is resolved, people lose interest. It's a cycle that seems unbreaking and I don't have any solutions either.  Ultimately everyone deserves to live in peace, on both sides.

9/11 - Every so often something comes across my Instagram algorithm with video footage of that day, and I always watch it. And of course since 9/11 was last week more has been popping up.  Even though I know what happens I am always still in shock seeing the footage, when the second plane hits, I will often clutch my hands to my chest like I'm seeing it again for the first time. It was trauma that lives on for many of us today, even for those like me that was hundreds of kilometers away safe in Canada. That's maybe why I love Come From Away so much because it demonstrates the humanity that lives on, despite that trauma. 

So if you are like me, feeling pulled down sometimes, this is your reminder that it's okay to feel that way and speak about tough things. For me, these things are part of the fabric of my life and I can't let myself feel continuously upset, but I don't turn a blind eye either. 

Weekend Recap

I love the heat and humidity of summer but I think September actually has the best weather.  It’s still warm and sunny but it’s not overwhelmingly so.  And as long as you’re prepared for the evening cool down then you can stay quite comfortable.

We went to pick up Q from the YMCA after school so we could all go golfing and we found him at cross country practice. He did a few laps (he’s in the pink) but we had to pull him away early. 

It was a beautiful evening to be out on the golf course. 

We had a good round and then enjoyed dinner on the patio.  

On Saturday I got up to go for a run and then we got ready to go to High Park. Q had a game at 11:00 and then we stayed to watch the next two games. We know so many people there it’s fun to hang out and support different friends. 

Picking up some gyro wraps.

These are so delicious!! We need to get our fill now before they close for the winter. 

Since we liked both teams we sat out in neutral territory in the outfield.

We biked home, watched the Blue Jays, I got groceries, we had some dinner and then Q and I rallied to go up to the Ukrainian Festival. E went up with his friends early and Dave opted to stay home. 

Q got a tornado potato. 

I got the Tiny Tim Donuts.

Q got an ice cream

We saw some friends and then Q played a carnival game to win a little stuffy.

There were hordes of teenagers gathering at the festival, and the police were present to make sure everyone was behaving.  I was trying to see where E was, not to bother him, but to make sure I knew what he was up to.  I eventually found him, not on the street in the horde, but instead he was making a craft with one of his friends. What a great kid!

So then Q wanted to do it too.  

On Sunday we were back at the ball field.  I went to church first but I snuck out early and only missed the first inning. Another beautiful day.

Another win!

Q dressed up his new carnival stuffy as a mascot to bring to the game.

We hung out to watch another game before we biked home.  We finished up our day with burgers on the BBQ, catching up on The Amazing Race, and the Emmys.

Friday Favourites

 Happy Friday!

With yesterday being 9/11 we listened to the soundtrack for Come From Away in the morning.  It felt very meaningful and I teared up a few times thinking the kindness showed in Gander (and elsewhere) and the ways people and the world were changed that day.  There is something about those events that happened during your formative years that really stick with you.  I was 20 in 3rd year university. 

With Dave at the golf course on Wednesday we took the opportunity to go out for dinner.  Q had piano lessons that ended at 5:00 so E walked up to meet us and we continued on to one of our favourite places - Queen Margherita Pizza.  

My office had its summer event last night at the Blue Jays game.  It was a "Work from Dome" game with a 3:07 start.  Gausman pitched the whole game and the Jays made quick work of their opponents. 

I wrote about a few fun things this week, check them out below.

Three Things going on with each of us.

Teenagers

Seasonal Favourites - 5 things I like to in each season.

Linking up with Andrea and Erika.

Three Things

 

E 

1. E started Grade 9 this year which means a new school. It has about 1,500 students so it's a bit of a change. He's finding his way around and 

2. One of the extra-curricular offers is the Robotics Club so he has gone to the first meeting to check it out. There also a golf team but you needed to show a 13 handicap so he’ll have to try again another year. 

3. Besides the basics and Science and English, he is also taking Technology and Design, and Technology and the Skilled Trades.  So far he is really enjoying those classes.

Q

1. Q is in Grade 4 this year and for the first time in a couple of years he has a full class of grade 4s, not split class this year. 

2. As he finishes up his t-ball career and gets ready to transition to baseball we thought he could do some tryouts for other teams.  Ultimately we will stay at High Park for next year but it was nice to know he could probably make a different team in future years if needed. 

3. With E going to a different school Q has to head out the door to walk to school on his own this year.  I walked with him a few days but I won’t always be able to do that.  He seems to meet up with friends along the way easily enough. 

Dave

1. Dave is coach of Q’s team so he making sure the team is ready for playoffs and end of season.  He has ordered a keepsake for his team and come up with some awards for everyone. 

2. In case you missed it, Dave got a Hole in One last week when we were golfing with him.  It was very exciting and bears repeating :)

3. He ordered some new Google speakers for outside and hung them up this week.  We can then connect our music and hear when we are outside. 

Me

1. I have started singing with the church choir again this year.  We have paid section leads but unfortunately this year we do not have a Tenor or Bass so we are a basically a women’s choir with a couple of occasional tenors. It is a bit different but we will still have lots of good music to make. 

2. I have been doing a good job of getting up early to work out (and so has Dave!).  I never want to get up when my alarm goes off at 5:50 but once I am up, it’s not so bad.  I try to mix it up with weights, barre, Peloton biking, and a run once a week (at least until it gets too dark and cold). 

3. As Q’s rep team manager I was also in charge of planning the end of season party.  I decided to invite the team over here for a movie night for the kids and hanging out for parents.  I think we’ll probably put on Rookie of the Year for the kiddos, we watched it the other day and it holds up pretty well! And John Candy is in it :)

Let's Look - Managing Teenage Life

Linking up with Shay and Erika for Let's Look.

This month we are talking about managing teenager life. I struggled to write this post trying to strike a balance between being complementary of our young man and not be critical, while also being realistic.  I think what I've determined is that kids are so different that there really isn't a best way to "manage teenager life", it's a bit of figure it out as you go, knowing that each month/year and each kid will be different. It sometimes helps to think back to what I was like as a teenager but it is such a different time! And although E and I share certain qualities, we are not the same, so my expectations need to be adjusted. And just in case we do get it all figured out, our next kid Q is going to be different too!

That said, some things that came to mind on this topic are as follows:

Trying to listen. They say if you listen to the little stuff they will come to you with the big stuff.  Now, I really do have a hard time listening to E about the games he is playing but I try. And certainly when his tone changes and he does tell me about stuff at school or asks questions, I am all in.

Monitor phone use.  E does not have social media yet and doesn’t watch YouTube on a loop, so that’s good, but he does play games on his phone a lot.  Creating opportunities for him to put his phone down and teaching him some good habits is something we are working on, but we are at least conscious of it.  I also occasionally check through his text messages to make sure everything is above board. 

Creating independence while also providing guidance.  This is a work in progress. I want him to figure stuff out on his own but sometimes forget that he could still use some nudging in the right direction.  By this I mean he won’t necessarily be proactive on something like getting together with his friends or practicing golf, but if I suggest it or bring him along to the golf course, he’s usually all in.  Same with school work, it helps if we ask about his school work on a regular basis and encourage him to work on stuff that’s coming due. He can do the work but doesn’t take the initiative to get it done early. 

Remembering that we are doing a good job, even if it doesn't always feel that way.  Voices will be raised, feelings will be hurt, but ultimately we love our kids and they know that. 

I will be interested in reading through the other posts in this link-up so I can see if anything applies to us.

Weekend Recap

We had a very exciting night on Friday when we all went golfing as a family because Dave got his first Hole in One!! 

There it is!  It really rolled in after he landed it a couple of feet from the hole. 

How cool that we all got to witness it and be there with him. 

The amount of well wishes Dave received from his text groups, people walking up to him on the patio, and on social media rivaled an engagement or new baby!! 

Tradition is that you get drink tickets to give out to everyone when you get a hole in one. Since we were one of the last groups out, and it was a chilly night on the patio, they let him use it the next morning when he was out with all of his buddies. 

So yes, on Saturday he was back at the golf course for his early tee time and more accolades :)

 I actually slept in until 9:00!! I did wake up when Dave was leaving and didn’t think I would be able to fall back asleep but I did and it was a nice treat for me.  Then I took the boys to Staples to get their school supplies.  After some Blue Jays baseball in the afternoon we went over to High Park for Q’s t-ball playoff game.  Unfortunately they lost, but it was pretty close for most of the game, and the team played well.  

Despite the loss, we did got and get an ice cream cone. 

On Sunday I went back to church.  I am singing in the choir again this year.  The boys opted to stay home.  After I got home Q and I biked to High Park but this time just to watch the games. We always know lots of people there and it was fun to enjoy a game without having to do the scoring or walk up songs.  Meanwhile E met up with his friends to attend a local street festival, which aside from the kettle corn, didn’t hold their attention for long so he got home around the time we did.

Later in the afternoon I thought there was a baseball tryout for Q, but I had screwed up the dates so when Dave and Q showed up it was a different age group.  My bad!! There are still a few others he can go to, including one tonight!  (This is for next year)

We finished our weekend with a couple of cocktails and some football!  I was one of the fans that gave up on the Buffalo Bills and turned it off in the 3rd, so was pleasantly surprised to see they pulled out a win after all!! Sorry Josh Allen :)

Sharing Our Lives - Seasonal Activities

Happy Monday! Thank you for joining us today where we Share our Lives with you.  My co-hosts are: Adrienne, Dara, Jen, and Joanne.  We are here on the second Monday of each month.  If you have a blog and posted on this topic, please link up with us below.

Today we are sharing the top five things we like to do in each season.  I used to hate winter and live for summer but I have changed over the years and now appreciate each season for what it has to offer.

Spring

Enjoy the flowering trees - I love seeing the Earth come alive again in the spring and we are fortunate to have many pretty trees in our neighbourhood and the cherry blossoms nearby in High Park.

Get outside - With the weather warming up, it’s nice to go for walks and work around in the yard.

Travel - Traveling in the spring is great because it has been something to look forward to in the winter, and the weather is usually pretty pleasant wherever you decide to go. 

Celebrate Easter - This is almost my favourite holiday over Christmas, since it still has the religious significance but less obligations.

BBQ - We like to start cooking outside as the weather warms up.  I love the smell of the BBQ in the still cool air.

Summer

Golf - We spent a lot of time at the golf club this year and I can only see that increasing next year.

Swim - I’m not talking about doing laps in a pool, I just want to splash around and cool down.  

Bike - We like to use our bikes as transportation, it’s pretty easy to get to where we need to go on bike lanes and it’s way more fun than just getting in the car. 

Eat outside - I love to take a meal outside

Watch baseball - Nothing says summer more to me than having the Blue Jays on TV.  And we have enjoyed watching both boys play t-ball and baseball over the years.

Fall

Enjoy the fall colours - As much as I love the flowering trees in spring, I think the reds, oranges, yellows, and browns of fall may be better!  

Travel - I like to travel in the fall too! Again, the weather is usually pleasant and there are maybe less people out and about.

Celebrate the boys’ birthdays - Q was born in September and E was born in October.  It makes for an even busier fall and I’m here for it!

Bonfires - I love the smell of a bonfire in the crisp fall air. 

Bake - There is something about fall that makes me want to make muffins, cookies, cake, and pie.

Winter

Ski - This was our strategy for making winter more enjoyable and it works!  Now I love seeing snow and colder temperatures in the forecast because I know it means the skiing conditions will be better.

Celebrate Christmas - There are so many wonderful things about the Christmas season - being with friends and family, decorating, yummy food, and singing Christmas carols.

Stay inside - When it’s dark and cold I don’t feel guilty about staying inside.

Go out for dinner - I like to go out for dinner all the time, but there is something more special about going into a cozy restaurant. 

Make soup - Now my family doesn’t always love a soup meal, but I do.  There are so many different kinds to make and it’s a nice way to warm up.

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