I'm back....

Yes, I'm back and I bring you....

Parent Night at Hockey



Tomas is in a red Team Canada jersey
Toria is the thing in pink.
.... and yes, I am The Mom out there.

Sports Sunday

What an awesome day we had on Sunday. First up was a game by the local hockey team - Victoria Salmon Kings (ya ya, I hear ya 'that is the dumbest name I have ever heard for a hockey team'.... BUT get this - they live on the west coast and play in the ECHL... Eastern Canadian Hockey League). Oh well, never mind. The point is - they won!

YES. She put THE TATTOO ON HER FOREHEAD! She's only 5 - what am I going to do when she's 15????? Note to self: Start looking into convents.




The Beavers and Sparks (5-year-old Girl Guides/Girl Scouts who wear pink!) were the special invited guests so, of course, that was us! Tomas sat with the Beavers (unfortunately, Todd was sitting in row 12, aisle seat, of a plane and had to miss the game) and Toria & I sat with the Sparks. I dashed back and forth to make sure everyone was OK - and I gave Tomas a walkie-talkie to call me if he needed anything. He totally did not. "He did awesome" says the mother as she wipes away the tears from her cheeks... her little boy is growing up.

Fortunately, there is still a little tattoo-wearing girl who needs me.


But the most coolest part was after the game when we got to skate on the ice with the Salmon Kings.






Toria had the Salmon Kings diaper-wearing mascot... a MARMOT! (true story - I guess the same drug-induced haze that led the 'suits' to name a western team playing in the ECHL the Salmon Kings also thought it was OK to put a diaper on a mascot . (OK - totally digressed there) ... Toria had the diaper-wearing mascot, err, Marty, the Mascot sign her helmet! Tomas opted to have the players sign his mini-hockey stick.

AND as is if hockey and skating wasn't exciting enough we then dashed to the pool where there was a JDRF function. We had skated too long and missed the swim but we got there in time for the supper and event thingmagigy. [Clearly the JDRF employee who organized it has no diabetes relative because for a 6:30 Sunday-night dinner she ordered big, gooey, thick crust pizza for the kids... oh ya!!you diabetes parents out there totally get that. 1-hour swim then pizza. At 6:30pm! Yep! (To non-diabetes readers - Pizza's does totally crazy things. It generally makes blood sugar go really really low and then BOOM it is sky high. And in this case, that would happen in the middle of the night when we should be sleeping. That is why - Tomas has pizza at lunch times. Except Sunday night when I got up twice in the middle of the night to check his sugar levels].

However, it was yummy and I was announced as the Family Chair for the Walk to Cure Diabetes. I have no idea what that involves but I guess I'll find out. Yack yack, yack, I'll get to ...
the guest speaker ....

Chris Jarvis who is an Olympic rower (competing this summer in Beijing) who has type 1. He was an awesome inspiration for the kids (and a reminder to us parents that these kids survive diabetes and they can do anything).

The most interesting thing he said was when he was telling us a story about his semi-final race at the Athens Olympics. Apparently, Canada was in 1st place with only meters to go and they were accused by the South Africans of hitting their boat. Eventually, Canada was disqualified and the South Africans won bronze in the final. What he said was that that diabetes actually HELPED him to make sense of this tragic situation... he thought about all the precautions and care he takes to manage his diabetes and the reason he lost his chance at Olympic gold had nothing at all to do with diabetes - it was a total fluke. And that is sorta what life is about. Living life with diabetes not letting diabetes decide your life.[And he's planning on getting gold this summer in Beijing].

And finally in my long-winded blog today... My snowdrops are blooming!

Ice ice baby

OK. So exciting! We went skating on an OUTDOOR ice rink. Now, I'm sure that my family on the prairie is saying "Yeah, so? Clearly that ocean air has fried your brain Carmen because everyone skates on outdoor rinks in the winter." In fact, my dear dad used to make one every winter in our backyard and I used to skate from the back step down a little ice path to the hockey rink he'd make. And if for whatever reason he didn't make one then you'd skate on the rink at school or you'd go to the creek and skate on it. There was always frozen ice SOMEWHERE.

Alas, not so where we are. There are usually no outdoor rinks in Victoria because we (a) very rarely freeze and (b) are even less likely to get snow.

However, the Butchart Gardens works 24-7 for for 1 month to provide an outdoor skating rink. It is a teeny tiny rink and, during the day, they have to constantly squeegee it to remove the melting ice (or rain when we tried skating on).... Although the rain added an interesting Zamboni-like effect.

Anyway, what fun we had. I have pictures but until Todd moves them I can't post them because they are on the other computer.

In related news... The kids are begging for snow. Each and every day they talk about it snowing and how much fun it would be. I asked one of Tomas' friends (who flew out east) what his favourite part of Christmas was and he said "seeing the snow". AHHH. I am sorry but I have not been away from the cold freezing prairie winters to even consider going on vacation somewhere where it snows. Next stop. Florida.... does it ever snow there?

Climbing Mt. Doug

Toria pulled her dad up the hill (ha ha - just kidding Todd - you led us up the steepest route and we all had a great time!).


Yep, we started way way way down there, near the farmer's field. Yippee for us!


Tomas was awesome! He ran up then he ran down and back up again... building inukshuk's (trail markers) all along the way.

October Update

How does my cute little boy go...

from this (2006) to this (2007)???


Fortunately, my little girl is still a princess, err butterfly, through and through


In other news, I must share my creativity and ingenuity. One of Tomas' hockey socks had a hole in it and I put it in my sewing kit.... and forgot about it. Along comes Friday night hockey and Oh-OH Tomas is missing 1 hockey sock. Now, for those of you who don't know about hockey - let me tell you... it is mighty cold (not to mention strange looking) when you have nothing covering your leg but a knee pad.

Never fear Supermom is here. There was a big of clothes for Goodwill in my trunk including a stretchy maternity turtleneck. I cut off the arm of the shirt and voila! one black hockey sock!


You know October was a slow month when the hi-lite was reusing old clothes... and Halloween, of course!

Hockey Night at Our House

For 1 hour and 45 minutes my fantastic children were getting the living room ready for the hockey game. Here is the result:


The Players (I got to call out TOMAS as he walked onto the ice from his dressing room!)


The goalie water bottle and face wipe rag.


The tickets for the Stanley Cup Playoff game held in our living room.


The puck decorated with our very own handcrafted & designed Toria logo.


The Stanley Cup (well actually it is the Daytona Cup from Dale Jr. but we've got good imaginations!)


The souvenirs


The food:
First period: Hot Dogs & Ginger Ale (the *8* sunkist fruit packages and oreo cookies are for sale at the hockey rink... just in case someone else wants to buy some food).
Second period was popcorn... third period looks like it will be fingernail biting.


The fans!

OK, end of the second intermission. Bye for now.

Camera is back!

My globe-trotting husband took my camera on his globe-trotting trip and the two have finally arrvied back home. So, I have a picture to show you of Tomas & Toria's last skating lesson - - ta da!

They did awesome. Tomas played hockey on his last lesson and Toria was the only one in her class to catch the teacher when they played tag!

A lesson learned.

Today (Friday) is what is called a Pro.D. day. Teachers refer to it as Professional Development. Most parents refer to it as "What! My kids have no school again!" I refer to it "TGIF and we can Sleep IN!"

I digress from my story.

Tomas and his friend, Carter, love to play hockey. Carter has played for a few years and Tomas is just learning. So, this past Tuesday they set up a plan. On Tuesdays and Fridays at 3:00pm (when they get home from school) Carter will give Tomas hockey lessons.

[And on Wednesday Tomas came home from school and said he didn't have time for his snack he had to practice his hockey!]

Alas, today is Friday but there is no school. It didn't matter. Tomas was outside in the backyard at 3:00 getting ready and Carter was knocking on our door by 3:01. The lessons lasted 1 hour until the playoffs started on the TV at 4:00.

[Tomas tried to tell me he wasn't 'just watching TV' he was learning how to be a better hockey player.]

Let the Games Begin....

NHL - Nani Hockey League (Tomas said he has changed his name to "Tomas Roloson").
All that practicing with Nani must have paid off because today he scored his first ever goal during the weekly Wednesday hockey game at his school!!



It is 4:11pm - we're 11 minutes into the first game of the hockey playoffs - Tomas is in his hockey gear. [it's 4:12 and Ottawa has already scored.] Oh yes and Tomas said we can now call him "Tomas Luongo".

Hockey day in Victoria

Here is street/driveway hockey in Victoria in March. We're playing at our neighbours house. That's Tomas in the blue jacket, Toria in pink, Todd in jeans, Rob (neighbour dad) in shorts and Carter (neighbour son) in goal. [Then Tomas took a turn in net - a diving save!]



The kids are having so much fun with hockey they decided they needed to practice inside the house!
Toria is a goalie/player [Skating helmet, velcro ball catcher as a hockey glove, toy metal detector as a goalie stick, soccer shin guards with dad's socks over top as goalie pads].

Tomas is also a goalie/player [Bike helmet (he later used a balaclava and a bike helmet), velcro ball catcher as a hockey glove, wrapping paper tube as a hockey stick (see ground behind him), Todd's winter glove as a goalie blocker/glove. I was unable to get a picture of him while he tried to strap his pillow to his left leg and Toria's pillow to his right leg to make goalie pads!]



Tomas wants me to tell everyone that in the indoor hockey game the Oilers (Tomas, Toria) beat the Canucks (me) 7 to 2.

A sad day in hockey...

I can't believe the Oilers traded Ryan Smyth. Tomas is shocked. I am speechless. We're in mourning. AND on the day when the Oilers are retiring Mark Messier's #11.

Did I mention that I sat next to Ryan Smyth on the plane? Yes, 3 years ago Tomas, Toria & I flew from Regina to Edmonton. Ryan and his wife, Stacey, and daughter Isabella (age 6 months) were next to us. They laughed at me as I was letting Toria (age 12 months) cover me (and the airplane) with stickers in an effort to keep her happy on the plane. I told them in 6 months that Isabella would be doing the same thing. We laughed and smiled at our kids.

AND NOW HE'S GOING TO NEW YORK!