Fun Summertime activity: Water balloons angry birds

I'm not usually one to create activities and then write about it. But I do read many blogs with creative craft ideas and games. This craft/game was just so much fun, I decided I had to share and give you all the play-by-play. 

Austin loves Angry Birds so thanks to No Time for Flash Cards, we created our own outdoor Angry Birds game. 

First: I filled a bucket full of balloons -- adding angry faces and all. 

 Step 2: Draw pigs on the driveway.

Step 3: Take aim

Step 4: Bombs away!

The kids had a blast and it was a great way to get rid of the afternoon crankies. And surprisingly, it never occurred to either of them to toss water balloons at each other.

'We're doing something important'

This is a picture of our dress-up box in the basement:

It's solid wood and filled to the brim with dress-up costumes (mainly princess costumes for our little princess).

Here is the exchange Ryan had with the kids earlier this evening (now I wasn't there, but according to him, this is how the story goes):

Ryan, looking for the kids after telling them to go get ready for bed and then finding them in the basement.
Ryan: What are you doing?
Kids (I don't know who answered): Something really important.
Ryan: What?
Kids: Nothing.
Ryan: What were you doing?
Kids: Ummm....letting Moo out of the dress-up box
Ryan (Trying really hard not to laugh): Why was she in there?
Kids: Because we put her there.
Ryan: When?
Kids: After Alex had her dinner (before she went out with Ryan for her soccer game)

In other words, about two and a half hours earlier!

Yes, that's right folks. My kids, who love playing with their new kitten, thought it would be fun(?) to put her in the dress up box and then close the lid. Oh yeah, and then wander off and to do something else (like go play soccer) and FORGET ABOUT HER!

Thankfully she didn't seem to be worse for wear once released.

Wordless Wednesday: It's a good thing canning season is upon us...

...because my supply is looking a little bare. 

Happy Father's Day

At school pick up a few Fridays ago, as us stay-at-home mom's wished each other a good weekend upon saying goodbye, one of the mom's grumbled, "I hate weekends, it means I have one more person to look after."

I didn't know how to react to that, so I didn't say anything. But I assumed she was referring to her husband.

Now, maybe she was having a bad day. Maybe she had just had a fight with her husband. Maybe she was just in a bad mood. But it got me thinking.

I love the weekend -- because it means we can all be together. It means that the kids can have their daddy around for more than a couple of hours before bed.

Hanging out with mom all day is great (well, at least I think they think it is) but daddy, is well, daddy. Mommy is the one you cling to when you're scared, hurt or sad. Mommy is the one who kisses the boo-boos, tells you it's alright and is generally an all-around sucker. Daddy is the one who plays like you're never going to get hurt (and you usually don't), encourages you that you can go farther, faster and harder (and you usually can) and is generally an all-around fun person to be with.

So, this post is for the best husband -- who loves me for all my flaws and imperfections. And the best father -- our kids are so lucky to have a wonderful daddy like you.

A hazard of working for yourself

So, I blew up my computer a few weeks ago. Not literally of course, but it felt like it at the time.

It was a Monday morning and I was working away -- trying to finish up some writing before an afternoon meeting. And suddenly my computer took on a life of its own. And before I knew what was happening, an official looking Windows window popped up, told me to scan the computer and simply started 'scanning' my computer without the 'ok' click of my mouse.

Yup, I had a virus. And within minutes it wiped out everything. Files, photos, music, software -- it was all gone.

In a state of shock and disbelief, I packed up and went to my meeting. And when I returned I took my laptop over to Staples, practically pleading with the tech guys there to fix it. And while they did, I moved my work life over to my kids' desktop computer in the family room. Not an ideal situation but what else can you do?

A few days and a few hundred dollars later, the virus was cleaned off, my files were rescued and everything was loaded back on. Unfortunately, now I'm having some hardware problems with it -- I don't know if it's related or not, but it's definitely annoying and definitely something I'm going to need to get fixed. And fast.

I have learned to no longer store my files on my computer. Even though I used to periodically remember to back them up to an external hard drive -- why take the risk? Everything I need is now on a cloud drive. 

This experience has taught me yet another valuable lesson about the perils of working for yourself -- you have to be your own IT department. And since I know nothing about IT, it's definitely a peril.

Mother's Day Run

Instead of a relaxing, sleep-in kind of morning, for Mother's Day, I dragged my family out to Yonge and Eglinton for 7:45 a.m. so that I could run a 10K -- my fifth in two and a half years.

It was an awesome race and I felt great from beginning to end and, being Mother's Day, my cheering squad came out in style -- making this mom feel very special.

They greeted me just 500 metres or so after the start line and then hopped in the car and met me 500 metres or so before the finish line, which I got to in 1:09:47 by the way, only 8 seconds slower than my personal best time. Maybe I wouldn't have been 8 seconds off if I hadn't slowed down to blow them both a kiss at the beginning. Ah hell, it was worth it!

Thanks Ryan, for standing on the side of the road with the kids, to once again watch thousands of people run by just to catch a glimpse of me for 10 seconds. You three made this mom feel very special on Mother's Day.

Wordless Wednesday: New love