Construction Mommy

This summer was awesome!  Not traditional at all for Adventure Mommy and family, but awesome nonetheless.

Last year, the Yes Man and I talked about the possibility of selling our house and building new.  On the lot right next door to us.  Yes, 10 feet to the East of our current home.  Hmmmm.

We spoke with James, who is my uncle and also a top realtor with Remax.  We let it simmer for a few months - until February of this year.  Another call to James and the decision to sell (and build) was underway.

What a plan!  James has this whole team of pros that helped us - from staging, colour palette, professional and spectacular photography etc... and James himself.  He brought over props - a bench, Muskoka chairs for the back deck, a beautiful orchid for the master bath...just touches that took our house over the top.  Heck! He even made fresh fruit skewers for our Open House.

So it was basically a marathon from February until the listing hit the MLS on May 13.  Some may consider that an unlucky number, but for me, it has always been good luck.  And it was! 13 days later we had sold our house (see, 13 is lucky!!)

During all this selling the house business, we had also started building our new house.  Onto the next adventure!  I knew that I was going to be a key part in building the house as the Yes Man has that full time job thingy.

So to date, we haven't had much time away up north, or done tons of traditional summer vacation stuff, but we are making other memories.  I'm on site full time and loving it.  This house, our house is more special to me because I've been part of every facet of building it.  Every decision.  Finding solutions to things that I didn't know that much about but somehow figured it out.  Every laugh on site. Every wire connected to our absolutely fantastic piece of art electrical panel (seriously, you have to see it it's amazing!)  It's me and the A+ crews that we have been very fortunate to have come onto site and into our lives.

Heck, I even placed the final brick (I think it was brick 15,000 or there about). What a feeling!  And I was referred to as "Sir" one morning and I took that as a compliment.  The topper was when a crew member asked me where the next site was that I was going to.  I even feel a little sad when a crew leaves the site and has done their part.  I have been documenting the journey with photos and I think I will put a collage together and hang it in the new house.

As Mountain Man Rob - a master mason - said to me upon placing the last stone (it was too high up for me to go) "Love many, trust few and always paddle your own canoe".  Well said.

Keep smiling!

High School here we come!

We had grade 8 grad last week for our daughters class.  That is a momentous occasion for sure.  It's literally a flash of time right in front of you - remembering when she was 4 and just starting JK and then bam! It's grade 8, last day ever of elementary school,  clapping out all the grads and watching them walk out into their future.  It's letting the rope go a little bit further, trusting that she will make good choices most of the time and knowing that there will be mistakes along the way and that is ok too.  Really, mistakes can be awesome in themselves.

So I left the grad dance (I was a chaperone much to my daughters dismay!) and thought about all the emotions I was feeling.  I felt thankful.  I felt like I was watching something bigger than me.  I felt proud.  She makes us proud.  Thinking back to the first week of grade 8, the teacher asked the parents to write a letter to her entitled "In a Million Words or Less" and tell her about your child.  Strengths and weaknesses, what they love about school and what's not so great, funny habits or anything else that mattered or that we considered a must know.  I really enjoyed writing about Naomi - and think that I may one day give her that letter. A snippet in time to show her where we were at in our lives at the beginning of that important year.  The year when your child is not really a kid anymore, but blossoming into adulthood.

We had a lot of fun times this past year as a family, but what sticks out in my mind are the funny little moments.  The things that made me laugh so hard I couldn't catch my breath!  I've discovered that Naomi has a sense of humour that will serve her well in her future.  I think that is what her friends love about her too.

I haven't forgotten about my other kid - he's well on his way into preteen.  He's balancing on the line of kid / teenager and finding his way too.  This is what raising kids is all about.  It's raising human beings.  Passing along our knowledge to our kids to give them a base to make decisions on.  Hoping and praying that you make the best decisions too.  Really all I've ever wanted is to have kids that know kindness and compassion.  To be the best person that they can be.  The rest will fall into place.

As I write this, I am sitting on the deck at the trailer, it's going to be a beauty of a day.  Roxy is curled up across from me in the sunshine biting at her paws and driving me crazy!  All is good in the world.

Keep smiling! and thanks so much for reading Adventure Mommy!

Plusses and Minuses

What a day!  It was a day chock full of plusses and minuses!  The day started off normal enough - getting ready for all my kisses on the Kiss n' Ride at school - just kidding.  I never get any kisses. Then helping out at our school for our Annual Dance-A-Thon.  Going to be a great day, right?

Well, Ben goes to open the door of the car and BAM-O!  The alarm goes off.  Not just the honkey honkey alarm, but a real extreme kind of alarm.  The kind of alarm that makes your neighbours roll their eyes.  Especially when you can't shut it off - sorry neighbours!!

Turns out, we have a KICK ASS after market alarm system that was installed by the previous owner.  Only this alarm doesn't just make noise...it shuts down the whole car!  Yep.  That's right.  No start.  Not a single sputter.  AHHHHHHH! What?  Really?  Ok.  We pack up in Fancy (that's the Yes Man's car) and we head to school.  Only now I have to hurry back (he was missing Fancy) and try and get this thing sorted out with my vehicle.

So, CAA comes and fiddles and ends up towing my girl to the dealer.  She sang the whole way there.

Now for the plus - Fancy and the Yes Man drop me off at school for the Dance-A-Thon.  Phew!  I haven't missed the whole entire thing!  It rocked!  We had hired this group called "Bounce" and they were FANTASTIC.  The kids were dancing non-stop.  Me too!  It was that fun!

And another plus - the dealer called.  My girl was not singing-honking-alarming-annoying everyone anymore.  They figured out the glitch.  So off I went in a cab to pickup my girl.  They showed me the trick - hopefully it won't happen again. Fingers crossed.  Oh yeah.  The plus?  NO CHARGE!  Yippee!  Sometimes a smile and a happy disposition goes such a long way.  Thanks Greg!

And lastly, the biggest plus - my friends Steph and Michelle introduced me to some wonderful Caribbean eats - Sunrise in Pickering.  Fantastic!!  Loved it so much I took the kids there after school for some!  They loved it too.  I think it's Ben's new favourite restaurant :o)

So I guess there were a lot more plusses than minuses.  That's a recipe for life.

And thank you for reading and following my Adventures - I am so grateful!

Keep smiling!!

Wise Words

I do have the occasional moment of ah-ha-id-ness. Recently, Adventure Mommy, the Yes Man and kids went to the Mayan Riviera for a weeks vacation. During our holiday, we opted for an excursion to Xplor park which was out of this world!  

The day started off with Ziplining - which was totally exhilarating!!  I don't have a Bucket List, but if I did I would have crossed that off for sure!

And then we decided to try Kayaking in the cenotes-spectacularly beautiful and extremely frustrating for our youngest, Ben. Trying to get the arms and legs working together to maneuver in that small enclosed space was a challenge to say the least!  Naomi and the Yes Man were in the lead miles ahead of us...and me at the back trying to direct Ben without directing him too much-if you know what I mean. Anyway, I said to him at one point when he seemed about to lose it "Ben, small movements mean big changes". Ah-ha. There it was!  That's truly a metaphor for life if I've ever heard one. 

Thankfully the kayaking came to an end and we moved onto known and more comfortable terrain-lunch and smoothies!  Good on Ben for tackling this challenge. That's the way we roll!

Keep smiling! 

It's SNOW Time!

Could it be?  No, I can't believe it!!  It's snowing!!!  Do I seem a little excited? Over the top?  Yes sir-ee I am totally over the moon to see snow!  After all, it is the end of January in Southern Ontario...we should have snow - lots of it!  It's officially toboggan time!!

We have a great hill close to us - anyone who grew up in Scarborough probably remembers it.  Some call it Dead Man's Hill - we just call it BIG.  And STEEP. And SO MUCH FUN!  Sorry for the shouting, but I just love to see the big, fluffy, white flakes that promise so much enjoyment.

Grab your sleds and head on out!!  Hey, it is Southern Ontario after all - we may have spring tomorrow.

Keep smiling!

Little Retirement Home = Big Fun

Armed with my Bose speaker, my iPhone and the Songza app I headed into the retirement home for Friday manicures!  The ladies had been harassing me on my Tuesday visit that we'd been away for too long (away for 2 weeks over the Christmas break).  They really love us!!

Well, I put on Songza, and chose the "Pleasing a Crowd - Celebrate Good Times" playlist.  What a hit!!!  Toes tapping, gossip flying and everyone smiling.  It was a great morning.  I'm still smiling as I type this!

One of my favourites - Maryanne, came up with a dandy quote on the spot (I wrote it down so I'd get it right):

You only live once - with limitations.  Let's not go overboard.

I know it's hilarious!  I think this is t-shirt material.  No pun intended.

Keep smiling!!

Christmas Magic

We have a little elf named Carter

Who comes to us in December,

He brings us laughs and joyous smiles

And helps us all remember.

His mischievous pranks and funny jokes

Keep our eyes lit bright,

The magic in our hearts that's Christmas

 Each and every night!