Nothing

I have nothing,nada, zip, zulu to blog but I know that so many of you excitingly check each day to see if I've posted anything witty and wise (OK, my mom does) but nonetheless I felt I would be slipping if I didn't respond to my audience.... (AKA Mom)

Alas, no new pictures have been taken, no wise children stories, we're muddling through our spring, though there are less than 9 weeks left of school.

I guess I could blog about hockey.... Go Dallas Go. I'll be cheering for you Wednesday! WAHOO. (I don't have anything against San Jose but oiy oiy oiy was I ever glad when Pronger was given his golf clubs! Nice.)

Field Trips & 1-year

On Monday I accompanied Toria's class to Swan Lake for a field trip.


On Tuesday, I accompanied Tomas' Class to Butchart Gardens (and what a bunch of posers- Everytime they saw a nice grouping of flowers, or a fancy rock, or a view, or a totem pole, or a fountain, or whatever - they'd all run in front of it and go "Cheese". Do you think they're a digital camera generation???)



On Wednesday I did taxes
then on Thursday the Beavers built Birdhouses!



On Friday I attended a planning meeting for an event I'm involved with but only TWO people out of an expected TEN bothered to show up. Not even the 2 'leaders' were there. Well, phooey on them.

And finally on Saturday - it was the 1-year anniversary of Tomas' diagnoses with Type 1 diabetes. This time a year ago - I wasn't sure how to get through a day let alone a week or a year but with Tomas by my side - we've done great.... He's an awesome kid andI'm very proud of him and how he handles everything.

Nice try Tomas

Scenario: Earth Week and the school has told the kids they're not supposed to watch TV or play video games for the ENTIRE WEEK! (Clearly whoever suggested this did not have kids and a mud puddle for a yard but I digress...)

Tomas: "Can I please watch the hockey game tonight."

Mom: "You know the rules. No TV."
(Never mind that it was a 7pm start time so I was figuring I could watch the third period myself from 9 - 10 because the kids would be fast asleep but gimme a break - No TV for earth week wasn't my bright idea!)

Tomas: "Please. I'll do an extra 30 minutes of printing practice".

Mom: "WHAT?" (30 minutes of printing !!! - This is FANTASTIC!)
Mom: "OK, you can watch ONE period"

Tomas (without blinking an eye): "OK, I'll watch the third period".

Seeking Treasures...

Indiana Tomas and Indy Toria seek treasure in the forest...

Indiana Tomas (complete with ball cap and shades) searches his surrondings looking for trip wires and hidden treasures

Treasure:

1 metal garbage can lid

3 rings from rotted barrel

1 section of downspout

1 broken fire grate

1 loafer (shoe)

1 plastic l'il tikes screw (not ours!)

-----------------------------------

Toria does training for her role as Indy Toria by rock climbing... they couldn't find a harness small enough to fit her...

Go Toria!

Tomas Tomas Super Tomas

Like father. Like Son. Tomas got a new bike - a MULTI-SPEED Kona and decided he HAD to ride it home from the bike shop.... in the POURING sideways pelting rain. This picture does not do him justice. He was one wet, muddy mess! But what fun.


Tomas is in the best Beavers ever. They just finished learning about hot air balloons and the science behind them then they built their own hot air balloons (Tomas played with his outside for nearly 2 hours!). Next weekend the Beavers are going to the airport to tour a plane and meet a pilot. The following week their sailing to Sidney Spit for a picnic and the list goes on. And most importantly, he loves it.


How does one get the mud out of the jeans? He has been sliding down the mud hill. LOOK at his pants... and that is only the front - you can't imagine the back!
Though he told me it was my fault because we don't have snow where we live he has to play in the mud.


And because he is a boy - this is Tomas at Toria's T-Ball game! Ha ha ha.

Toria at her finest

Do you see those 2 white 'lumps' that were under Toria's pillow?

Yes, Toria decided she needed money. And her allowance wasn't enough. SO....
she found 2 tiny rocks, wrapped them in soft kleenex (she cut the kleenex to size!). She then placed the 'teeth' under her pillow because (and this is a direct quote) "The tooth fairy is old and doesn't eat carrots so she doesn't have very good eyesight so she'll take my fake teeth and leave me money!"...... Err not but you must admire the creativity.




Toria and I had a fantastic time at the (Grand)Mother/Daughter Sparks (pre-Brownies or like Daisy Girl in the US) sleepover. Here is Toria posing... do you think she was EXCITED!!


Now, this was a fairy-themed sleepover and each girl was to bring a fairy costume. Toria has many fine 'traditional' pastelly fairy costumes but Nope, Not my daughter. She has to be unique - she wore her 'ladybug' fairy costume. [Yes, she declared there are ladybug fairies so there is.] Her outfit was carefully completed with matching black wings, a tiara, and the shirt that said "LOVE".

I wonder where she gets her unique ideas and determination????


Just after the Sparks camp finished we were off to Toria's very first T-Ball game!!
Here she is getting some advice from the third base coach...


I'm not sure what weighed more - her or the back-catcher equipment!...Check out the pink glove.

Awesome job Toria!

It's Official

The Edmonton Oilers are out of the playoffs. Now, since I've been an Oiler fan since I was knee high to a grasshopper I say with some authority that they've been &^%'d since they traded Ryan Smyth (and where is he now? ... talk about a lose-lose situation. (OK, he's in the playoffs but he's at a -3 on the year for crying out loud! He's just another overpaid skater in a hockey helmet). Then there was the entire Oilers/Wayne Gretzky trade mess... Yes ,I know that was like 2 decades ago - give me a break - I'm in Oiler non-playoff-mourning. [And yep! I still have my Jari Kurri #17 (he was THE BEST!) hockey player.] Anyway, now Edmonton has The Kid Line: Cogliano, Gagner and Nilsson so we shall KEEP THE FAITH! 'Til Next Year.

Alas with the beloved Oilers out of the playoffs who am I going to throw my heart and cheering soul behind?

Fine. By default I would usually cheer for the Canucks. We live nearby, blah blah blah. Alas, they royally screwed up their last few games and now the only Western Canadian team left is Calgary.

(I briefly thought about cheering for the Winnipeg Jets, err, Phoenix Coyotes but oh lord, don't get me started on that debacle).

That brings me back to the Calgary Flames. Nope. Can't do it. Even lived in Calgary for awhile. Can't cheer for them. I'm an Oilers fan. I bleed blue (well, green for the Grey Cup Winning Saskatchewan Roughriders but that's football in the summer so let's not confuse the matter). Oilers hate Flames. We extinguish them! So, err, that ends the cheering for the Flames. Ain't going to happen.

Who, in sam heaven, am I going to cheer for during this seemingly endless playoff season that hockey is thoughtful enough to offer?

The Montreal Canadiens? Ha ha ha. Non.
The Ottawa Senators? Really, what kind of a name is Senators? Have you seen a government Senator? OK, I might break down and cheer for them but they are Easterners! Easterners I SAY. Quite frankly, if my neighbours found out I was cheering for the Easterners I'm not sure if they would allow me to remain living here. [Never mind that the latest statistics show 96.3% of the population here is actually from the East ... and never going back - because the West is the Best.]

I digress....
I guess I could cheer for the Dallas Stars since through my MIL's, friends' son we have a connection to the coach and he got us autographs. Way Cool.

Though I've always had a soft spot for Steve Yzerman - which lead to a marginal like of the Detroit Red Wings. Yeah, maybe I'll cheer for them. Chris Chelios still plays for them and he's even older than me! A lot older! But.... they're the team most expected to win the playoffs and you know me - I don't want to be seen as a bandwagon jumper. (OK, sister, you can stop laughing on the floor now.)

The Anaheim Ducks dropped the Mighty part but that's OK because they couldn't use it when they have Chris Pronger as a team member which is the one and only reason necessary to NOT cheer for them.

I suppose I could review the remaining 16 teams but... maybe just maybe... I'll cheer for the Nashville Predators. I've been to Nashville. I liked it. They're a scrappy little team... who will get knocked out in the first round. There goes that idea.

If you are still reading this post - then you must be my parents (parents are great that way) - Hi Mom and Dad! - Anyway, I may offer polite applause for Colorado (well for Ryan Smyth) , Dallas and Detroit but the throat screaming cheers have yet to find a team.

I guess I will consult further with my fellow hockey fan, Tomas "Roloson", when he wakes in the morning. ... because we only have 5 more sleeps until the 2008 NHL Hockey playoffs start!

------
Which by the way is the same day that my library is going to open it's doors! Yes, thanks to us rowdy protestors we forced everyone back to the bargaining table and an agreement has been reached.
------
UPDATE: At 7:45am my brother-in-law phoned me (and he hadn't even read my blog!). He's a super Oiler fan too and we've consulted with Tomas and agreed to throw our support behind Ryan Smyth.