Thursday

So Thursday was my last day to have Nugley in the morning so I thought we would go mini putt. I thought it opened at 10 am so we went to the mall first to look around and picked up a bird cottage to paint and build. When we got to the mini putt place I found out it wouldn't be opened until noon and I had to pick up Choo Choo by that time. So Nugley and I went back home and painted his bird cottage. Mom and Dad were both home getting ready for a camping trip and suggested that I take the 2 kids mini putting in the afternoon. During their QT (quiet time) I was thinking about it but was unsure about 2 kids with putters in a small proximity to each other so I thought bowling was a better idea. They loved it and it was even Choo Choo's first time playing. She jumped for joy every time she knocked over any pin. I definitely think I will do this again especially when it is a dreary day. Now my summer has officially started both kids all day all week. It is nice though because this is what I really like doing.

Jack Pine Trail

So today is Wednesday, I've had 3 full days with Nugley and I think we are still getting adjusted to being around each other again. He is testing his limits and I am setting them for him. I decided he needed some more exercise and fresh air and since it was a beautiful day we went on a nature walk in the Greenbelt this specific walk was named Jack Pine Trail. It has a lot of boardwalks over the swamp/marshland and usually chickadees but we didn't find any even though we brought some food for them. We did however, see lots of frogs, some were on the path we were walking others in the swamp but then we couldn't only hear some bullfrogs chanting to each other. Nugley was searching for which one was making that sound and then he heard it from another area and had to look for it there too. We didn't see any deer this time which disappointed me. Oh well maybe next time.

China

So today I took Nugley to the Museum of Civilization we were going there to see Dinosaurs in the Imax theatre. We were there along with a bunch of different schools, luckily for us we were allowed in the theatre first and got some good seats. Nugley really liked the movie but was "a bit scared", not from the actual film but from how loud everything was. He does have tender ears considering how he has been through 3 sets of tubes in both of his ears. Before going to see Dinosaurs we had about an hour so we went to see this new exhibit about China. They had a lot of artifacts and material This exhibition arrived here on May 11 and will stay until October 28 when it will be shipped back to the Museum in Beijing. I have posted some of my favourite pieces.

The first one is a classical poem in cursive script written by Wang Wen.

The next one is a Red Lacquer Case with flower and bird designs.

This one is a stone slab with 12 small seal characters.

And finally this one on the right is a part of a painting Spring Snow 1997 by Wu Guangzhong (1919-). Guangzhong comes from Yixing Jiangsu Province. Following his studies in France, he taught at Qinghua University and the Central Art College. Wu specialized in oils and ink-and-wash landscapes, and has become known for creating a new form of contemporary Chinese painting, which not only integrates Chinese and Western techniques and concepts, but also blends abstract ideas with realistic representations.

First Day of Summer

Now I know it isn't officially the first day of summer but it is for Nugley. He graduated from JK last Friday and is now enjoying his summer. Since Choo Choo still has one more week of school before her holidays, I have taken it upon me to do some fun one on one things with Nugley (mainly because this will be my last summer with them). So today was a great day for STRAWBERRY picking. He was so excited and couldn't wait to get to the farm. There were already a few other people there too. I bought one small basket and one big one. He chose the big one to fill up but asked if I would help him. It took him a while to get started because after he picked each strawberry he had to ask me if it was a good one. I went along with it for a while then eventually mentioned to him that all the red ones were good ones. So away he went. I filled my "little" basket and started helping him. He did get to try one (and told on me for it to Dad because I didn't wash it first).I took us a good hour mainly because there weren't a lot of ripe ones out yet but they will come within the next few days. Here is Nugley showing off one of his prized picks. We ate some after lunch and for snack after "quiet time" plus they were requesting some for dessert after supper when I was leaving. I think I may have to make another trip to the Strawberry Patch.
I am using my strawberries for dipping in chocolate and making daiquiris.

Today

So today has been quite an interesting day of me doing NOTHING!!!!! I arrive at my usual time of 7:30 and get the kids their breakfast, dress them and hurry them out of the house to get them to 2 different schools. Normal so far. I get to the parents office as usually but it doesn't officially open until 10 today, I stay until about 11:30 so I can go and pick Choo Choo up from school and bring her home from lunch. As soon as we walk in the door the phone rings, it's Mom saying that she needs to take her at 12:30 for an assessment for a new school next year (no notice). OK....I guess I will quickly feed her and get her changed in about 10 min. Mom says that I should still pick up Nugley from his school at 3:20. No problem. Well at about 2:30 Dad calls and says he will pick up Nugley from school and he would see me after. So I have been sitting around their house with no kids and nothing to do (it makes the day go by really slow). Why wouldn't they just let me go home at this time, I really hope (because they didn't asked me before hand) that they are not expecting me to stay later because I know that they both have a department meeting tonight at the hospital. hmmmm......

A Sunny Weekend

This past weekend I went downtown Ottawa to the Byward Market. It was a very sunny day but luckily the humidity didn't return and we had a nice breeze. Our main reason for going downtown was so that Will could get a tattoo (Cheryl's pick). So after a few price quotes they decided on a dragon on the right shoulder blade. We had about 3 hours to wait so we went towards the market and took some pics of summer. We saw a few buskers doing their thing. This one was neat to watch with his "hula hoop". We also saw lots of flower stalls with all sorts of different types of flowers and plants. We picked up a few fresh veggies and fruits, some we ate while we were there, well some I ate. We even had to make a stop at the candy store for a few treats. In the market we also saw some artists creating some pieces using on chalk along the sidewalk. The picture I have is of a Picasso art not sure which one but looked nice and colourful. They have a lot of time on their hands and patience. I'm sure it'll look good when it is finished and all it takes is one rain fall to have it go and allow them to start again. Before heading back to the tattoo place we stopped to get an ice cream and while walking back we came across a "parade" if you could call it that. It was mainly a bunch of people (males and females) on bicycles riding through the city NAKED! I was a little unsure of the point of it but hey it's not me so it was interesting to see. They did have police escorts as well which was funny to see.

Finally we get back for his tattoo and it only took about 45 min. He was in a lot of pain, at least it looked that way. It turned out really good but to me it looked really big nothing I would ever get but he liked it and was very happy with it.

Stanley Cup Goes to Anaheim

WIN 2007 STANLEY CUP IN 5 GAMES!!!!!!

New York City

So this summer I am pleased to say that I am finally going to New York. I will be driving there from Ottawa with my two sisters and staying with my Aunt in New Jersey. I bought a book on what to see and do while there but I am still not sure what the one thing to do is. We are planning to go to Central Park, I didn't realize how big it is. We want to see Shakespeare in the Park, my sisters want to visit a store in SOHO called Anthropologie, and I did say they could choose one museum. So if any of you have a spot that is a "have to see" spot please let me know.

Nineteen Minutes

I have just finished reading Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. It is about a trial of a 17 year old boy, Peter Houghton, who was involved in a high school shooting. It makes reference to other school shootings which have happened, like Columbine. The Judge, Alex Cormier, on the trial has mixed feelings on whether she should sit in for the trial because her daughter was a student at the school. The book jumps around a lot from the day of the shooting and the past to know why this might have happened. The title Nineteen Minutes means that is how long it took before the shooter was found by the police. A good read and a surprise ending.

My next book on the list is Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult.