Only those from BC will get the humor is this one!

You might be from British Columbia if:

1. You know the provincial flower (Mildew)

2. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.

3. Use the statement "sunny break" and know what it means.

4. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.

5. You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.

6. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.

7. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the "Walk" signal.

8. You consider that, if it has no snow on it then it is not a real mountain.

9. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Blendz, Moka House and Tim Horton's.

10. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye salmon.

11. You know how to pronounce Squamish, Osoyoos, Ucluelet, Esquimalt, Sooke & Nanaimo.

12. You consider swimming an indoor sport.

13. You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese,Vietnamese, Korean and Thai food.

14. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark while only working eight-hour days.

15. You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.

16. You are not fazed by Today's forecast:: "showers followed by rain," and

Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers."

17. You cannot wait for a day with "showers and sunny breaks".

18. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.

19. You know that Dawson Creek is a town, not a TV show.

20. You can point to at least two ski mountains, even if you cannot see through the cloud cover.

21. You notice "the mountain is out" when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.

22. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 5, but still wear your hiking boots and parka.

23. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 10, but keep the socks on.

24. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.

25. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.

26. You recognize the background shots in your favorite movies & TV shows.

27. You buy new sunglasses every year, because you can't find the old ones after such a long time.

28. You measure distance in hours.

29. You often switch from "heat" to "a/c" in your car in the same day.

30. You use a down comforter in the summer.

31. You carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them.

32. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.

33. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer) & Raining Again (Fall).

34. You actually understand ALL these jokes and forward them to all your friends in BC... or those who used to live here!

Trip to Vancouver

My new second cousin, welcome baby Jessica and congrats to my cousin Tanya!
Quinn loved the baby, and "petted" her head whenever she could. Hayley and Sam were only there for the entertainment value!
My beautiful, and growing up too fast, daughter, Hayley and Cadance, my niece.
Me and the two girls at the "Disney on Ice" performance. It was incredible!
Could not resist posting this one. This is Quinn and Hayley drinking $15 snow cones. Can you even believe it!

We had an amazing trip to Vancouver this past weekend. The gods, however, were against me, as my Mastercard was left to fend for itself on the Island. I guess that is one way to keep in budget!

We met mom, dad, Steph (sis) and Cadance (niece) in Langley and stayed at a hotel with a pool. It was only about a 10 minute drive (if you remember which exit) to my cousin Missy's house and even more second cousins. We had a blast swimming, talking and laughing. I am so lucky. I have two cousins whom I am very close to. We have kids that get along - we scrapbook - we laugh, have fun, cuddle our babies and take loads of photos. I love them both.

My niece and sister were also there, and boy is she cute! She is like a little fairy nymph. You just want to eat her up. She is walking now, toddling all over the place. It was also the first time that I had seen my sister since she was diagnosed with Celiac. She is managing well, it is so overwhelming the first year. She was over the moon when I told her all the junk food that she could eat though!

Disney on Ice was so good. Quinn sat mesmerized for two hours and Hayley loved it as well. All in all a great weekend away. Must do it again soon!

In Remembrance

"Without remembrance, there is repeating." ANON

Remembering is an act. It is faith that what happened long ago was not in vain. It is the acknowledgement of sacrifice and selflessness that war brought. It is knowing that young faces, often naive men, signed up to serve without the slightest idea of what is will cost them and their families. It is also knowing others stayed behind, in their country, not because they did not want to fight, but rather because they had jobs and commodities that deemed important for the war efforts to take place. It is for young women who darned socks, built care packages, tended to the sick, and typed letters of condolences when young soldiers lost their lives. It is remembering that hate ruled, guns spoke out instead of words, and violence was commonality. It is homes of fox-holes, of utter trust that went into the hearts of men, and killing before they, themselves were killed.

Seeing the elderly veterans today made me realize they were once these soldiers. They were not always the seniors that sit in the Legion, that drive scooters, that walk slow and interrupt my busy lives with their tardiness. They are not the inconvenience that look for exact change in the grocery line up, nor were they always the octogenarian that tells me that my girls need hats on their heads in the slightest cold. They were once young, visiting the dance halls, sneaking a kiss and a feel up in the car ride home. They were like me. They were raising babies, eking out a living, fighting with spouses......or worse yet, going it alone as their partner lost their lives. They have layers of pain, memories, tragedy, and sorrow. They may be old and cantankerous, buy they earned it. They have seen more than I ever will.

I thought about what it would be like to live through a war. To have entire towns say goodbye to the young soldiers, and then celebrate those that returned with a parade. To see strangers come up your drive and ring your doorbell only to deliver the worst news known to mankind. To have a funeral for someone that only has a memory, not a body. Or the opposite. To have your heart burst with pride and joy knowing the end has come on the 11th hour of the 11th month on the 11th day. To once again embrace those that left so long ago.

I took time to remember today. I urge you to as well my friends. Lets all be thankful for the strangers that sacrificed so much.

My mean ol' boss

My boss is very picky today. She has presented me with deadlines that are impossible to meet, she is demanding, temperamental and above all - irrational. I don't know what to do. It is not as if I can just quit, I have others that depend on me. My job is not an easy on to fill either - not like you can just put an add in the paper and wait for the responses to pour in.

Some days my boss is great. She makes me laugh, fosters my self esteem, tells me I am beautiful, and wants to be around me. Then there are days like today.

My boss is two and a half. Her name is Quinn, and she needs a nap.




For those that do not know I am taking a parenting course through the LIFE seminars. It is aptly called "Sidestepping the Power Struggle" and I love it. I am learning so much, and it is enabling me to be a better parent. This is a excerpt from my course.

THE GOOD CHILD

Effective parents produce normal children, not "good children". The message "I love you honey, but I hate everything about your behaviour!" doesn't have a great outcome in the bigger picture. If we are expecting children to be "good" then we really have to CUT IT OUT! Good children curb curiosity in order to be quiet, hide strong feeling and learn to be obedient. They can grow into adults who permit others to treat them badly, can't stand up for themselves or be assertive, and feel ashamed of their true self.

Isn't it amazing to hear people describe a good baby? Sleeps a lot, eats a lot, has bowel movements at regular times and doesn't cry much. The child gets older and starts to separate and assert himself and now what? Does that make him bad? It seems that "good" just means creating little work or trouble for adults. It has nothing to do with the child's moral awareness, kindness, empathy, psychological or spiritual health.

This is normal, healthy childish behaviour. Does your child fit here anywhere?
*makes messes and forgets to clean up (take a look in my girls room)
*gets into a lot of things (my makeup, hair products, cotton balls.....)
*misuses time (time to go in the van = time to find a toy)
*gets distracted (getting her backpack takes 15 minutes)
*fails to plan ahead (not hungry now = no food for later)
*makes great messes and resists (or can't) clean up (my life, need not expand)
*says things that aren't true (Quinn was once sick while riding in a helicopter)
*loses things (jackets, water bottles, agenda, scarf, mitts, head)
*can't focus on what is important....in my mind (manners)
*has mistaken ideals about the world (money grows on trees)
*forgets her manners (dinner every night)
*can act rude, inconsiderate and loud (farting and laughing, then telling everyone again)
*seems to think only of herself (but I need it right now, don't care if you are peeing)
*argues about silly things (rubber boots do go with everything you know!)
*says she can't do things that she can do just fine (like walking)


My kids must be normal. Maybe I need a coffee break from my little bossy boss today.

Photos of the scary day!

Picasso the Pumpkin

Quinn's pumpkin

Trick or treating princess

Hayley's dad and his mask of horror!

Princess Quinn in all her glory

Me (doctor Michelle), Hayley (princess Leah) and Quinn (pink princess) goofing off.

Hayley as Princess Leah

The daycare kiddies

So Halloween was a great success. Quinn had moments of nervousness with dark doorways and smoky areas, but other than that she was a trooper. As for Hayley, she looked awesome in her Princess Leah costume - and managed to bring in over 125 candies for her dining pleasure and my dental bill's demise this year.

I dressed up as a doctor, and the girls loved it! It was a fun costume, and I have to admit, it started as something that I did for the girls, and now do for me as well.

We had a daycare party through the day and they all had fun. We danced to crazy Halloween music and ate orange popcorn with spiders in it. Then mellowed out and watched "Dora's Halloween".

I am thankful there are no more candy ridden holidays until Christmas. Although, have to admit, like those chocolates that are filled with baileys.