Thursdays on the Bench

(Cathy) Hi everyone, here's a question. I was speaking with someone at work and we were discussing social networking and blogging. The question asked concerned our perceived, "freedom of speech". Do we have it? It seems, and I have to do more research, that when we write it down and publish for the public we give up our right to freedom of speech. It seems that people can (and are) being prosecuted over "opinions" written for all to see in places like MSN, Facebook and personal blogs! Again, I need to research more, however, I think at first glance I think it's a correct assumption.
(Sunshine) I don't know much about how that all works but I would hope that if someone is being prosecuted for what they voice on a "private" page it is because what they say may possibly lead to something that they would do that would be in direct harm of others. We have been blogging our opinions for a long time now and who really cares, however, if I decide one day to actually go for a job that would put me in a position to make decisions for others in this country then I would assume that what my opinions are would matter greatly. Sometimes by reading someone's thoughts you can get a clue as to whether or not they are all there or are their thoughts skewed and have they been twisted by some circumstance in their lives that would make them make bad decisions? If we could peek into the minds of criminals for instance would we see something and would we be able to prevent a possible attack? There are stories of elaborate plans being put on the computer of devious acts that were later played out, what if someone was listening, could things have ended differently?
You've got a point there. I do believe that there are agencies that do check for keywords on the Internet and do check out the source. There is just so much out there. I did google free speech on the Internet and I did pull up various cases that were fought out in the court system. There were also a lot of articles from university students regarding free speech on the Internet. I did also read the article on Canada's freedom of speech. http://www.uottawa.ca/constitutional-law/expression.html. There is a lot of lawyer speak, however, I believe that at the base of it we still do have "freedom of expression" both on the Internet and off.

Thursday's on the bench

HAPPY CANADA DAY EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



(Sunshine)Today was a day for just hanging out. We did some gardening and cleaning and then we just hung out in the back yard. Mr Sunshine and Teen Sunshine are finally back and we were just happy to be together as its been a long stretch. I saw Caroline yesterday and she looked really good. I am sure that she must still be very tired but I have to say that it didn't show a bit. We went to a Greek restaurant for dinner as it was Mr Sunshine's birthday pick and it was really good. What greek restaurant did you go to?The remainder of the day was spent relaxing and watching movies and some tv. I hope that everyone had a great day.



Cathy may not be joining us for our posts for today and tomorrow as she is away at the cottage. Well Cathy, the good thing is that the weather for the weekend is shaping up quite nicely. Have a great time.

(Carolin) Happy Birthday Canada! Well I hope most Canadians had a day of family, food and fun. At our house we did NOTHING! The husband worked the afternoon shift, I did laundry and the teenager worked as well. The little one just hung around. Our cat Duster came to the back door with a baby rabbit in his mouth, so most of the afternoon was spent with the two girls trying to be vets. Yes they used one of my better tea towels, and a drinking glass and spoons. Lets say I wasn't to happy.

My body is still having a hard time returning to my old timetable. I seem to be up latter then normal and then sleep in late in the morning. Also I am tired all day. Had to have a nap today, I woke up to a friend of the teenager playing the piano. It was nice to hear the piano being played as it should be.

I hope Cathy is having a nice time at the cottage, the weather is great this weekend! I have started to pack for my next adventure. Have a good one all!

Thursdays on the Bench

(Cathy) Today my younger son will celebrate his graduation from junior high school. He is graduating from the same junior high school that I went to! My older son also went there. When my older son started three of my teachers were still there, weird! Just how old were they? When I went to my Junior High Prom it was held at night in the school gym. I remember we had punch and good music and dancing. It was a lot of fun. My older son had the same experience. His prom was held at night in the school gym and they had punch and pizza. So, I wonder what happened this year? My younger son's prom is being held in a convention centre. Many parents asked why as the gym has worked well since the school opened 40 years ago. It is costing more money as they also hired a professional photographer to take a photo of each student receiving their "pretend" certificate. This is the kicker, the "prom" is being held at 3pm until 5:30pm?????? We have received many letters advising to pick up the children no later than 5:45pm! What kind of prom is that? I understand it's junior high school, but this is just silly!


(Sunshine) Your old school is actually right on trend with most of the other elementary schools. As far as I am aware, the majority of elementary schools have their proms at banquet halls and convention centres and they are all during the day and go into the after school hours. That's what happened at our school last year and all of my daughter's friend's schools did the same thing. I remember my prom being during the day as I can remember getting off of the bus and my heal broke (on your shoe?) and it was definitely still day light. I am not quite sure why they do it this way. I suppose that another venue makes it a little bit more special for the kids and it's a little easier for the school because there is so much less to do. If the kids enjoy it, then that is really all that matters. As far as the timing is concerned, ours started earlier last year and finished by the end of the school day and that made for a routine school pick up and drop off day. Because the kids needed to be at school by about 11:00am that gave everyone a chance to get ready and then when we arrived at school there were a lot of parents taking pictures of all of the kids. It was really quite nice and the kids really loved it.


I had no idea that your children went to the same school that you went to when you were a kid. I thought that that kind of thing only happened in movies. That is a really cool thing. Congratulations to your younger son on this big accomplishment. I can't believe that he is already headed for high school next year.

Thursdays on the Bench

(Sunshine) CATHY WHERE ARE YOU???????

(Cathy) Hi all! I am really looking forward to Friday. So what did I do with my week? Absolutely nothing! I thought of a lot of things to do and did none of them. Next week will be better, (I hope and pray it will be better) I still have to fight with myself to get stuff done and not to sit around drinking copious amounts of tea. Stop your moping Cathy, yes I know it was your birthday and hubby is away but look at this time as a time to enjoy. Do what you want, cook what you want or even better don't cook! If you want to sit around reading books drinking tea go for it and don't feel guilty about. Enjoy, Enjoy, Enjoy. Cathy, why don't you just call me when you feel like that? You may actually catch me at home from now until September. Hey, that's right.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CATHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank-you!!!! It feels good to be 37........ again! What ever, Cathy! The folks took the boys and I out to the Mandarin for lunch. I told the boys to eat up as I would not be cooking dinner!

Wow, what a busy day it was yesterday. I woke up, took a shower and got ready for work. Then dropped off Miss Teen Sunshine at school. Back home again to pack a lunch for Little Miss Sunshine and drove her over to her school. I dropped her off and headed to work. Worked my shift and went to the bathroom to change and make myself presentable as I had a funeral to go to. My sister picked me up at work and we went to pick up my dad. The funeral was in the east end so traffic was crazy. We got there and met my other sister in the parking lot. It was my dad's uncle who passed away and he was 90 years old so there was a light mood and really we talked and laughed and caught up with family that we have not seen in years. There is a talk of getting all of us together for a family picnic and if it works out, that would be great. Well we got in our cars, it is now 4:30 and we start to drive home. I check on the girls on our way home. Miss Teen Sunshine has taken the bus to Little Miss Sunshine's school to pick her up. This was her first time on the transit and she did beautifully. They were going to take the bus together from the school to our house but Little Miss Sunshine is going through a scared faze since the death of our dog in April so she was very apprehensive. I was very lucky that my niece said that she would pick them up for me at school and take them home. When I called they were safe and sound at home. We got back to my work and I picked up my car and went straight home. The girls had made some pasta and were ready to go to the soccer field. I was changing and Little Miss Sunshine informed me that practice started 15 minutes ago. I forgot that we had to be there at 6:00 and not 6:30 and it doesn't help that one of the coaches is with me. We rush over to the soccer field, and they play in the cold and wind and it was a good game. We now head over to our car which is a mile away because we were so late and there were no parking spots close by. We finally get home and have a snack and then I am on the phone with both my sisters and my dad. I remember falling asleep at around 11:30 from shear exhaustion. Then I woke up this morning at about 4:15am and could not sleep so I decided to blog. I think that my internal clock is set at this time as Mr Sunshine's alarm clock usually goes off at this time. Oh well, it is my last day of work and I am looking forward to some quiet time off. I still have to go in a few times over the summer but that should be pretty easy. I hope that the weather warms up. How do you manage to do so much in a day? Just reading that is exhausting! Sounds like a busy time. Pass my condolences to your father. Thank-you. Sunshine keep in mind the teenager has my car while I am up north if you need her. Thanks again. Speaking of the teenager today is her last day of high school ever!!!!!!!!!! Wow!!! She has to go in on Monday for two exams and then done, done, done. Can you hear Alice Copper's, School out Forever. You will now be singing that all night. :) I love that song. Alice Cooper was on American Idol singing that song and all of the Idols' were dressed in Alice Cooper type of school uniforms, it was great!!! The boys play that song at the end of every school year!
Carolin, texted me a few time from the G8 yesterday and it sounds as though she is doing well, bored but well. She always makes me laugh with her take on things. She certainly is very original and she does not hold back. I had to text you cause Mr. Sunshine was killing me. I was sitting in my seat slinking down hoping know one ever finds out I know this guy. That's a very different attitude from a few weeks ago when you were hoping that Mr. Sunshine would drive you up there and everyone would see that you know the boss personally. Have a great time Carolin. I am looking forward to the stories I hope she will bring back with her. (Carolin)Not sure if you want me to add to this or do a new blog entry just on what is happening at the G8. What do you think boss Cathy? Is the G8 worthy of its own blog and label? I think it is worthy of it's own blog and label! Go for it! I will tell so far it is good. The Secretary from school drove myself and her sister to a mall that everyone was meeting at. The weather yesterday was nasty, cold and raining. They had three school, yes I said school bus's for us to ride in. Lets say by the time we got to the camp my butt was killing me. But all is good today the weather is amazing. Have a good Thursday all. I need to get some dinner now. I will try to blog after diner. Have a great day everyone.

Thursdays on the Bench

(Sunshine) Good morning everyone. It's been another busy week. When will things actually slow down? Work is busy, the kids are both really busy, the house is always in need of cleaning and repair and Mr. Sunshine is gearing up for the G8 Summit amongst his other million responsibilities. I would love to disconnect all of our phones and really be on vacation at home together for one entire week. No interruptions, just us. Oh, to dream. I will soon be on the same page as you. I, too will be looking forward to the weekends when Hubby comes home. I have thought about the coming winter as well when he might not be able to make the drive because the roads are so bad. I know, looking too far ahead.... only one day at a time.
A week's vacation; I am hoping that's what it will be like at the G8. A vacation from family and household responsibilities anyway. I totally get the busyness of life. I finish work Friday morning and I am hoping this weekend, and the two days I am home before I leave for G8, to clean the house and cook a few meals for the family to have while I am gone. Will you be gone for one week or two? What do you think about the cell phone jamming? What if someone is on a 911 call, what about the possible negative consequences there???

The little one had her retainer out on Tuesday morning and her mouth is still a little sore. We go back to the orthodontist next Tuesday for a new retainer to go in. The new one is a removable one she only wears at night (as I understand). The younger one had his braces removed last week. Did I already tell you this? He now has a permanent wire glued to the inside of both the upper and lower set of teeth. It's supposed to be there for life. When the older one had the same permanent wires installed I was told to come in at any time if they come loose and they will fix it. With this child I was told they will only look after them for 3 years. I was to have our dentist check them and she could reglue them if necessary. What happened to lifetime????? I think they have too many flat screen t.v.'s in their office!!!
Last night the little one and I went to a 'bead for life' home party. http://www.beadforlife.org/indexS.html Women in Uganda make these beads out of recycled paper and then they are brought to North America through a fair trade program and sold. As in most fair trade programs the women receive a major portion of the sale of the necklace and bracelets. I bought a few different ones (not that I am a big jewelery wearer), I am using one necklace as a Christmas gift. Always thinking ahead that's me. I hope my husband is home for Christmas, permanently! I know... one day at a time!

Thursdays on the Bench

(Cathy) It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring..... well, he's not snoring, he's upstairs on his laptop. I had a nice day today in spite of the rain. Hubby and I went to Humber Nurseries where I purchased a much wanted Bay Laurel plant. (Sunshine) I have no idea what plant that is. I also bought a Lemon Verbena bush, as well as some lemon thyme, cilantro, an oxygenating plant for my pond as well as a few marigolds and dirt for a container. I think that's all. It turned out to be customer appreciation day so I received 10% discount as well as points on my loyalty card. (Carolin will be very proud of me!) Afterwards, Hubby and I went to try out a thai restaurant that Carolin likes called the, "Bamboo Garden". It was tasty, we will go back. Thanks to Carolin for the tip. (is this the little one by the fish store? Yes, it is. If so, we have never eaten in the place only got food to go and it is very yummy and cheap!)Hubby had the chicken in lemongrass sauce with pad thai and I had the chicken in basil sauce also with the pad thai. It was the lunch special and each dish was only $6.99 plus tax! After our tummies were full we went to the grocery store, (the only way to go, never, ever go to the grocery store hungry!!!) Our younger son is in a cooking stage. It's great! So far he has made: spinach and cheese tortellini in a tapanade sauce with green beans, chicken in a light cream sauce with broccoli and tonight he is making a meatloaf with baby potatoes and green beans. Yummy! I just heard the dinner bell, so I'm off to dine. Wow, when is he available to cook for me?
Sounds very good, I remember the when the teenager went through that stage. Unfortunately it didn't last long. Though today she made cupcakes (from scratch) and saved two for me without icing (I don't like icing) and they were great. The drawback though is the big mess that is always left behind. Little Miss Sunshine loves to bake but she is not yet independent enough with the baking to make things on her own.

The teenager graduated today from the RAP program at her high school. Her Dad and boyfriend went for the ceremony. The husband said it was very loonnngggg. It started at 8:00 AM and went to 10:30 AM, with the music students being last (she is in the music program). At this time she seems to be indifferent about the whole thing but I am confidant that she will be proud of her accomplishment as the years progress. Congrats to the teenager, what a big accomplishment.

I have had a good, busy week so far at work and I am only open for another week. I am looking forward to heading up north to Hunstville to work at the G8 Summit. I am excited to learn new skills and work on new equipment. But most of all I am looking forward to being on my own

The more and more I read and watch about China the more I am concerned. The husband and I discussed making a conscious effort to not purchase items that are manufactured in China. I am concerned about the constant quality issue, health issues, and human rights issues. I don't know about you but I get these emails about the food that Walmart sells (ie; chicken, pork) is imported from China and that is why it is so cheap. I don't shop at Walmart often and have never bought meat from them but it does make me wonder. Also, I don't know about you but how are we supposed to know just were our meat comes from? I have been told that our meat comes from the states and New Zealand and even when it says Canadian grade A meat. All that means is it has been cut and packaged here. Is this true?

(Louise)Yes it is raining....I just spent the evening at my son's soccer game sitting in the rain and it didn't matter that I had a hat, jacket and umbrella I got soaked. So did he, but he loved it. I was home today because my little one coughed all night long and then started a fever. He's been coughing for a few nights now, but now that a fever started I thought I would get it checked out. Let me tell you......walk in clinics......they are just horrible...I think we waited about 45min. and let me tell you; that is not easy with two young boys. Finally I thought, I'm just going to let them be and not try to contain them any longer it will either get us kicked out or they will throw us in a room. After the ball came out and I stopped telling them to come and sit and be quiet they put us in a room. Then the doctor came in, he seemed very nice but he kept calling my little one a girl or kept saying she.... I think??....His accent was so strong I couldn't really understand. Do you ever notice when people seem to not understand you or you can't understand them you just seem to talk louder and louder.....It really doesn't help! Anyway, my son doesn't have an infection and that's all I cared about anyway. He gave me a prescription even after I kept asking him about cough medicine and small children( I thought they banned it) but he gave it to me anyway and said the pharmacy may fill it out, he wasn't sure if they have taken cough medicine off the shelf for young children??? I think I just asked him that??? If not just try some puffers.....Okay then........I just shook my head, and I really hope that we will never be sick again... I hope that everyone will be better soon.

My daughter is off to OFSAA tomorrow(track meet) with the school, she will be gone until Saturday, she is so excited!!! I would be too....Good luck to her and her school!!! Run Run Run!! I hope she has a great time. Our school is at OFSAA as well, so I hope she does well but of course not as well as my school! :) Good luck to everyone, I heard a lot of buzz about that tournament at my school all week.

We were also at soccer in the pouring rain last night. We were all soaked but the kids had a great time. It's been such a long week. Mr Sunshine is off to Halifax and PEI until Saturday. I swear we hardly see him these days anymore. My car has been having some trouble so we spent the last two and a half hours at Canadian Tire. All fixed for now, lets just hope that it stays that way. The ants in my house have been back so we had arranged for a second spraying. This morning was the third time that I had a scheduled appointment, and the third time that they did not show up. I had to rearrange everyone's schedules three time and I was absolutely livid this morning when they did not show up. I called the company and told them that I was leaving as I had to drop off one of the kids at school and then go to work. When I get home, there was no phone call for apologizing or anything. They seemed to get here on time and on the correct day when they took a big chunk of my money. It is guaranteed for one year ant free and re spraying free of charge if needed. I guess the jokes on me as free of charge means that they do absolutely nothing. Actually that's not true they do make me rearrange everyone's schedules as we need be out of the house for four and a half hours after they have sprayed. What has happened to good customer service???????????????????????

So, I left the house very unhappy, then I had car trouble on the way to work and Mr Sunshine was on a plane out of town. CAA , there was no time to call them. Well the teck guys at work helped me out so that I could make it to pick up the girls and get to a mechanic. Thank goodness, I am very thankful for their help.

We had the pool opened on the weekend and the pool company arrived during the chaotic garage sale and they turned around and left. We had to call them back and tell them to come and park in the neighbours drive way and open the pool. They finished and we payed and later when we were out there we noticed that the diving board was not on. Mr Sunshine called to ask them to put the diving board on. They left a message explaining that the technician spoke to me and advised me that the diving board was cracked and he could not put it on (personally I think that the technician is on crack, because he never said anything of the sort to me, I saw him for all of one minute as I handed him a bottle of water). Well they will not be back to put the diving board back on because if something were to happen then they would be liable even though Mr Sunshine says that the board has always been cracked (I didn't know that). We had to ask why they did not list that on their paper work but they listed the fact that they left the hose running and owner must turn water off when the pool reaches desired level. Once again where is the service???????????????????????? And why was I not deducted some opening costs when no diving board was installed??????????????????????????????????

The more I work and make practically nothing, the more it bugs that things are outrageously expensive and no one cares about customer service and very few companies stand by their product. How do these people sleep at night knowing that they willingly rip people off daily?

Well enough ranting and raving for now. I am going to have some dinner, and put my feet up and relax tonight, at least I hope that's what will happen. Have a great day.

Thursdays on the Bench

(Cathy) VACATION!!!! Yeah! I am on day one of my vacation for me! This is my selfish mommy week. It's all about me! ME, ME, ,ME! What do I plan to do you ask? I plan to garden, swim in our pool, cook, read, garden,... I think we ladies are planning to attend the new Sex in the City movie this Friday. Plans are not yet set, however, I have penciled it in. That's so great Cathy. Enjoy your time off. You deserve it.

I am loving this heat wave we are having. I hope it lasts all summer long! Hey ladies, guess what I was doing outside in the heat of the afternoon? Yup, drinking a cup of hot tea! (delightful!) I was just taking about you and your hot teas in the summer last night. I still don't get it but Teen Sunshine was trying to explain it to me. All I know is that when I am hot, a cool drink (with a lot of ice in it) really cools me down. Sometimes just looking at the picture perfect drink will d0 the trick.

Yeah for you! It's bloody hot here and I haven't turned the AC on yet. I am sure to break down by Friday and turn it on. The problem with our AC is it doesn't reach the second floor. So sleeping is still a huge problem and with no one home during the day it seems a waste. I finally broke down and turned on the AC last weekend. It make comming home a real joy. The second floor is definitely a lot warmer in some rooms more then others. When we first moved into this house, all of the bedrooms had ceiling fans and so did the kitchen. I really despised the look of the fans but I must say that now I don't really know what I would do without my ceiling fan in the bedroom. We leave it on when the nights are really warm and it makes a huge difference.
Yes Cathy, SITC 2 is set for Friday night we are planning on the 9:45pm show and dinner at East Side Mario's first. I sent you all an email let me know if you are in so I can make the reservations. Friday will be tight for me as I have to get the little one packed as she and her Dad are away for the weekend at Circle Square Ranch. I have a training session at 5:00 pm in the new equipped kitchen at school. It's finished! Yeah! Does that mean that things have been settled for next year? I was brought down to see it today. Pretty fancy smancy. I was kidding with Romeo (one of the Pleasant Bay Camp directors who also works at the school) that after I have had a taste of the new school kitchen I just don't know if I can go work a summer in the old camp kitchen! Mind you I am getting a little ahead of myself as I still don't have a contract for next year. I was told yesterday that a board member is just now reading over my proposal I gave them a year ago April! Sometimes you just have to shake your head. I find it a bit rude that the board member is just now reading your proposal. It would be nice if they would consider the 'human' attached to the proposal who is trying to make a living. I wonder just how long they think they can keep you dangling. It's good you are a strong willed individual! Patience, patience Caroline, I know that everything will all work out for you in the end. You will succeed at anything that you do.
Have a nice time on your vacation Cathy, I only have two weeks of work left. Then I am home for two days then head up to work the G8. There is a lot of talk about it lately, I am looking forward to getting away and only being responsible for myself. That sounds like a vacation to me. Did you see the big article about the Summit in the Toronto Star on the weekend? You are going the be part of history in the making. Have fun and enjoy your self. I think just being responsible for yourself will be fabulous. Are you able to take pictures? I hope so, Or, maybe Mr. Sunshine can take some of you 'in action' for us! Whenever you see Mr. Sunshine, tell him that his wife and children say hello!!!!!


Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!

Thursdays on the Bench

(Carolin) So this is my second look at Thursdays on the Bench post that supposedly Cathy set up. She sent an email out saying Thursday was all set up so I went on to add my two cents worth but saw nothing and promptly closed it thinking I was too quick for Cathy. But here I am the next day and still nothing. So just what exactly did you set up, Cathy? I set up a blank canvas, awaiting your artistry with words! Did you get my e-mail regarding our new Friday post, "Catch Up Fridays?" It was Sunshine's idea. It will let us tell each other what we have done each week. (Our lives are so interesting!?) It's getting harder to get together and with you being away all summer (I hope you have internet access!) with this we can keep up to date with each other. (Sunshine) Should we use a different spelling ie. "Kathcup Friday's"? Internet might be tricky, I have my blackberry (my most favourite thing in the world). I thought I might try to hit the local library once a week and perhaps use the computers there.



Guess what? It is Prom season in our house. The teenager is in her last few weeks of high school and has decided she now wants to go to Prom. (might be because she has a new boyfriend) Anyway, you know on TV when they show the mother and daughter going out shopping for the perfect Prom dress; well, let me tell you what you see on TV is nothing close to reality. I remember my highschool prom dress. It was a long lavender dress. It had a shawl or do you call it a cawel(sp?) neck. My mom knit me a shawl wrap to match. I think I had white high heeled shoes. Only one of the girls in my group of friends had a date, I think, so we all had a table together. It was held in a hotel downtown Calgary. I can't remember how we got to and from the hotel. Hey, Carol.... do you remember? I only remember my grade 12 prom. I wore a "black" lace dress and for some reason I had on white heels. I did have a date as I had a boyfriend at the time and we all had a great time. I wonder why I don't remember my grade 13 prom.


Prom dress shopping in the Carolin household goes something like this:
Teenager, "Mom, I going to the mall with (insert friends name here) for a prom dress."



Me, "But I thought we could do it together, you know make a day of it"


Extreme laughter is heard throughout the neighbourhood and the teen pulls herself together long enough to tell me, "NO"



So Saturday comes and we Prom dress shop like this:


Teenager, "Mom, I am leaving now can I have money"


Numerous $50.00 are handed over and the teen leaves.



During the course of the day I text her, "did you find a dress?"



Teen texts back, "Yes."


Then she gets home that night I ask to see the dress but she is grumpy and says she is tired and goes up to her room and chats on the computer for the next two hours to her friends.



What I know is this; the dress is black and fuchsia, she says it is medium length. Her Dad on the other hand would like to know where the skirt is for the blouse she bought. I would like to know where my change is from the numerous $50.00s that exchanged hands. But I can't ask her at this time cause she is off to the Mandarin with friends for dinner and last I heard it was her treat! Have you seen the dress yet and do you like it? Is she buying shoes and a new purse, too?


I have seen the dress in a ball on her bed. I picked up and hung it on a hanger in her closet. She has a pair of black heal sandel she said she was going to wear. And a purse??? Never asked.


She is going to look amazing no matter what she wears.

Thursdays on the Bench

(Cathy) So, let's talk about the word harassment and what it means in today's society. Have we given our children too much power so that we as parents have our hands tied? Do children today have the same healthy fear we did as kids? What about respect? Respect for themselves and others. What happened to addressing adults by Mr. and Mrs.? Is this way better and safer for our kids? What happened to create this situation? Protection, does the word protection go hand in hand with harassment? I know a lot of questions, however, this is a big subject.

(Sunshine) This is such a big controversial subject. As it is with most things in the world there will always be those who take advantage of laws and bend situations to suit their own needs. However, we can only hope that these laws also protect the innocent and are effective for the most part. Miss Teen Sunshine and I were talking about this very subject as it came up at my work place between two students the other day. The boy, in this case used inappropriate language and was accused by the girl of "feeling her up". This heated discussion occurred very hap hazard as they were ordering lunch in front of everyone. She was seemingly upset at first and then laughing and he was laughing the entire time and he commented on how he would not "feel someone up like her because she had too much junk in her trunk". It certainly stopped me in my tracks and I don't really think that anything was done about it. I brought it to the attention of my supervisor she voiced it to a few of the teachers and they shook their heads and I don't really know what happened after that.

Miss Teen Sunshine commented on how in the hall ways at school boys will slap a random girl on the butt and just keep walking. Then she said that in gym class when they are running laps with the older boys, they will randomly touch a girl's butt as they run by. Is this true? Is this what our society has come to. I really hope not. I almost don't want to believe her because it really bothers me to know that this is what it is like. I asked her if it has ever happened to her and she said no. She did say that for most girls it's no big deal as it happens all the time and they just laugh. I asked her how she would feel if it happened to her and what she would do. She said that she would push them away as she did not give them permission. I asked what she would do if it were to continue and her answer was that her physical response would increase from pushing to punching to rendering someone unconscious but she still did not seem to think that there would be any need to let someone of authority know. She felt that it was not something that warranted getting them involved as she could deal with it on her own. Oh Boy, what a mess!!!!!!!

Is the level of respect for their elders any less then when we were kids? Everyone seems to think so but I am not really sure. At my work I see kids who are always consistently very respectful and I see those that don't know or care about being respectful to anyone. The kids who stand out as the disrespectful ones seem to be the ones who have a lot of issues at home. And then there is the third group of kids who are good kids but they have not been taught how to act towards adults. They don't know how to wait for their turn and say please and thank you. But, once you teach them, they catch on really quickly.

Is there less respect for themselves or is it just that they are more comfortable with their bodies and more open? It's tough to watch such young teens making out on the bench outside the cafeteria. They don't care who is watching and who is walking by and when they are asked to stop, they laugh and slowly go back to class. These benches sit right outside of the main office so there is a lot of traffic and a lot of teachers walking by all of the time. It's different because our generation was more reserved than that, but then our parents would say that we are all more open than they ever were. Is it simply evolution? or Is is a disrespect for themselves and for others? I really don't know. Maybe we need to stop judging and keep educating. With this generation, everything is in the open and there are resources if they need help. They have all talked about everything so there is no need to hide in the shadows if something has happened. You can discuss and get help. Inappropriate things have always occurred in history but today they have a bigger voice then ever. Maybe we have taken the fear away from the innocent and put it back onto the perpetrators where is should be. The results that are capable of being yielded are positive if you ask me.

The difficulties occur when someone is wrongfully accused. I don't really know what to say about that. It has been experienced in all fields, doctor, teachers, care givers, and everything else under the sun. That is why so many meetings and even examinations all take place with a second party present to avoid such accusations. Maybe that is going to be more along the lines of what has to happen in the future. How do we determine the truthful ones from those who are telling a lie just to get someone else in trouble? Then, how do we deal with those who really believe that something inappropriate has occurred and it really hasn't. It can be a nightmare to have to deal with being wrongfully accused and having to prove your innocence. How do we stop that kind of thing from happening? Your guess is as good as mine. It would be wonderful to find a happy medium. I am going to stop now and give someone else a chance to write.

Wow, Sunshine sure has a lot to say on the subject. (Carolin) Here is my two cents. People are just stupid! We get ourselves all worked up over stuff that in the grand scheme of things really doesn't matter. I am tired and have had enough of stupid people and their self absorbed attitudes.

I'm wondering if the consequences for the accused are still too light. It could be that people will make a 'wrong' choice knowing that nothing too bad will happen to them. Victim be dammed! Maybe it's time to rework the justice system. Oh wait, I think I've heard this said before....From experience there is NO CONSEQUENCES for the accuser. They can even hide behind anonymity if they choose.

Thursdays on the Bench

Hi all, I in my garden today. It's cold and windy. Why is it that the days I'm at work are beautiful and sunny and the days at home are cold and rainy? - I'm back inside now. I can't decide if it's hot or cold out, but it sure is windy. Did anyone watch the 'youtube' video I posted? Yes I watched it but I think I have seen it before. It was cute. I watched it but I too have seen it before and yes it is funny. .I thought it was very funny! I bet you thought they only drank "Red Stripe". So, besides the whole dating thing from this week what else is new? The younger one will not be here this weekend. He will be at a Scouts Jamboree. This Jamboree is shared between Canada and the U.S.A. It's held every "Mother's Day" weekend. It's Mothers Day this weekend!!!!! sugar, I better get on that.Is this supposed to be a gift for us moms? I'm sure it is for some, however, I like my kids and want them around on days like this. Oh well, he loves scouting and he looks forward to this Jamboree every year, so off he will go!
Mothers Day snuck up on me. My brother in law called to see what we were doing and I was wondering why he was calling so early.
(Carolin)I sure liked the cold today as I was so hot at work I needed to step outside to cool down.
(sunshine) Our hood system has not been working for the last week and half and I have been one big ball of sweat, especially when I am frying at lunch time so the wind is a welcoming friend at the moment. I had my first catering job in the school. It was a ACSI Principal Luncheon .http://www.acsi.org/ . It went well but I was pretty frazzled for a while. I helped set up and made assorted muffins for the morning. The Junior High kids came for lunch at 11:45 am (15 min. early) then the High School kids came for 12:00 pm, I then got the lunch for 40 set up for 12:30 pm (45 bowls of beef barley, 60 assorted sandwiches/wraps, and 90 cookies). I had made the muffins and cookies early this week and the soup I made last night. So I had the sandwiches for today. I also had the elementary kids come for lunch at 12:30 pm. Thank goodness the husband came to help and I had a HS girl also help. She is very good at her job and extremely reliable. What was nice is I gave the coordinator the invoice in the afternoon and she had a cheque ready within 10 minutes! She also asked if I would like to cater for her again next November. It is at the school again but for 600 people! Please pray that the new kitchen is completed and I am there next year as this would be a biggie for me. Congratulations sounds like a busy day and you nailed it. There is a lot of money to be made on catered functions.

I had met up with the Geography (HS) teacher today. He was telling me that KD had sent him some Geography curriculum (she is a Geo teacher) and in it she had made up a quiz. One of the questions on the quiz was 'What in-school lunch lady will also be cooking at this years G8 Summit?' All day the kids would come visit me or stop me in the hall to congratulate me on cooking at the G8. Now that I have started to receive emails in reference to the summit I am getting a little excited. I will be forever grateful to Mr. Sunshine for having faith in me. But I must be off as the little one and I are on our way back to school for Arts Night and Open House. Hopefully I will sleep like a baby tonight! Congrats on the Summit as well and with such a busy day how could you not sleep well tonight.

Not much else going on this week. The basket ball tournament that Little Miss Sunshine was in is over and they came in third place. We didn't get home on Tuesday night until after 8:30pm from the tournament. Miss Teen Sunshine went to see Frankenstein yesterday with her school. She said that it was really good and the most impressive thing was the set because everything was entirely made out of paper. Her bus was suppose to arrive at the school at 5:30 but it got stuck in traffic LMS and I waited at the school for about 2 hours. Just a little tip if you don't already know. Make sure Teen Sunshine has her phone when she goes on trips and she can call you when she gets close to school. Never has the bus arrived on time in the 4 years the teenager has been there. And what is a LMS?

Have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day.

Thursdays on the Bench

(Cathy)Here we are again, another Thursday. Time flies by. So, what's new. Well, the older one came home from his high school senior band trip to Washington, DC. He had a great time! He could not get over how he could feed himself a complete meal (??) for $3.00US! He has not stopped talking about soft drink sizes. He claims that a U.S. size small drink is equivalent to a Canadian large! We sent him with enough money to eat well with and also to buy whatever he could afford. It was about $150.00US for 4 days. Only breakfast was included and the tours and admissions to the museums were included. He came home with $100.00US!! He is too funny! We are just glad that his first out of country trip without us was a success. (Sunshine) I am so happy that things went well. Did he have a good time? Was he home sick? By the way he has his parents frugal nature and I think that's a really good thing. I am learning to be more like that every day.
Not much new around here. Mr Sunshine is in New York. I know that we should be use to him travelling by now but I have to say that the house is just not the same when he is gone and I think that all of our moods are a little bit brighter when he is home.
Miss Teen Sunshine is participating in a 30 hour famine fund raiser for world vision over the next two days. There was a big waver that I had to sign absolving the school and the government of any responsibility if something negative were to result because of the famine. The recommendation is that they drink a minimum of 180ml of water every hour and they can have a small bowl of white rice a day ( the rice is optional). So far she says that she would like to do this famine without the rice. I wish that they would have chosen to schedule this famine on the weekend, when they could relax and expend little energy. It's going to be really hard to complete their fitness blasts on Friday as I am sure that they will be week and starving by then. However, I am proud of her for participating. (Carolin) My school did the 30 hour famine last Friday and Saturday. The kids love it they have so much fun. A Christian rock band came and preformed, the teachers and World Issues class had different games planned for the whole night. I stayed for a little of it mostly to listen to KD's speech on world poverty. I am sure Teen Sunshine will have a great time.
Little Miss Sunshine has been really stuffed up so we are trying some children's allergy medicine to determine if it is allergies. Also, Little Miss Sunshine has been surprising us with her athletic abilities lately. She was on the soft ball team this year and now she is on the school basket ball team. They did really well this week and are going onto the next level next week. Its funny, she has me sign these permission forms so that she can try out and I always tell her that she may not make it but we are proud of her for trying out anyways. She told me last time that I sometimes I am not that encouraging. Oops!! I will have to be more careful. I just didn't want her to be too upset if she didn't make the team. This is the first year that the grade fours are permitted on any team and grades 4, 5 and 6 make up the junior teams. She was actually really good when she didn't make it for the volleyball team. I guess my little 10 year old is growing up fast. Yeah for LM Sunshine!
I had a crummy few days at work this week so that has me a little bit down but my mood is improving as every day goes by. I need to grow a tougher skin (is that the right saying?). How do you do that? Oh well only 7 weeks and two days to go until summer break. Sorry to hear you had a rough week, hopefully it will get better.
Things are trucking along at my end. I have my first in school catering job planned for next Thursday. :) I had a chat with the principal last Friday and he assures me I will have an answer and agreement about providing food services for next year by June 11! I have been busy in my spare time working on summer camp menus, I would say I am about 80 % done.

I think we are schedule to get together this Friday at Louise's. Hope all of us can make it.
Have a great weekend everyone!!!!!!

Thursdays on the Bench

(Cathy)Hi all, I hope the week has been good for all of you. Have any of you been following our Book Club? I was wondering if the ladies had anything further to add about the book besides the discussion questions? I would love to sit down with all of you, enjoying a good cup of hot tea and take the book apart. I have many thoughts as to the meaning of the book. Is it that life itself is a lie???? All trusting means no trusting???? I know this is a book and yes it's an interesting dissection of a group of friends, girlfriends at that which as we all know hold a special place in our hearts. So, what is the book telling us up to now? That you really do not know your close girlfriends or is it that we as human beings choose not to get too close because it's too uncomfortable? As I continue to read the story I naturally make comparisons between the characters in the story and us four ladies. So often as I read I will think to myself, "this is just like us, or maybe this is just like us!" I am not talking about the external situations that the ladies find themselves in. I am referring to the general 'makeup' of each of the ladies. I think we all have an 'public' face and an 'internal' face. How often do we get to see each other's 'internal' face. I have been told by the ladies that I am a 'vault' which is funny because I always saw myself as being transparent. However, again as I read I find bits and pieces of myself reflected in the story; good bits and bad bits, and bits I'm none too proud of. I think all of you benchers understand that we ladies do love each other unconditionally. Here's a question, after all these years, do we 'really' know each other?

I can hear the ladies responses, (in my mind) to what I have just written and I must say I have a smile on my face now. Let's see if I am still smiling when they have responded.
(Sunshine) Well Cathy, a vault can mean many different things. I think that you are good at keeping other peoples things and you don't share when its not yours to share. You are very careful and respectful of what you will say about others. That is a very positive thing. With regards to your own information, I think that you share when you are ready to share and then look out, nothing is off limits and that is also very positive. It demonstrates that you have a comfort level with us and that you are comfortable with who you are. What else can someone ask of a friend. How about some food?

With regards to the book. I am enjoying it. There is so much life within these girls and their families and each one has a different set of circumstances that has made her the person that she is at that time. No one's life is perfect. The only sad part is that many of them feel that they have to keep their lives hidden from the others. It's so much harder to go through life by yourself. It is easier when you accept life and yourself with all of its faults and if someone doesn't like the way that you are then that's just too bad. I guess that most of their reservations come from the fear of rejection. If rejection does happen then was that person a good influence in your life to begin with? It is something that the girls in the story and also we as human beings must really think about. There are people in life whose opinions don't really matter to me and others whose opinions mean the world to me. In the end, I must be at peace with who I am to really be me. That keeps the inner conflicts to a minimum but they still occur now and then.

Do we really know each other? I think that we do but you can never know everything about a person other than yourself. With regards to knowing others, people are always changing and evolving so there is always something new to discover about others and ourselves for that matter.

(Carolin) Cathy wants us to really get into this book. I just read it. I find it a light bit of fluff. This book would be a good airplane or beach book. I think with this group of ladies (in the book) why they can keep their secrets so well is because they on the most part live in different cities. They don't see each other all the time. I feel it is harder to keep two separate lives if you see each other often.

Thursdays on the Bench

(Cathy) So, how has everyone been this past week. I have not seen or spoken with any of you so have no idea what is happening. Is this my normal purple colour? It looks a little different. How about this purple? Hmmmm. Have I told you about the grackles? They are the black birds with iridescent heads. The past two years, once the babies have hatched, the father grackle starts to attack our dog when he is out in the backyard. I have seen the father grackle swoop down and peck at our dog who, at the time, was doing nothing other than his 'business'. Our dog became so frightened of the grackle that he started to refuse to go outside. We would have to go with him and scare the bird away. My husband wanted to get rid of the nest and the baby birds, but I said we had to wait until the nest was vacated. We did wait, however, all summer long the father grackle would sit on the fence, or on the roof, or in a tree and taunt our dog! This year they are back again. We have been removing the nest bits as they are building it. I am hoping they will become too frustrated and build a nest somewhere else! Time will tell. I love nature, however, we all have to learn to live together, in harmony!(Sunshine) We are doing well, thank you. I like the second purple colour the best. The visual image of your family trying to scare the birds away is making me laugh and its been a long week so I could use a good laugh. I hope that your grackle issue is solved soon. I have a carpenter ant problem and its been ongoing for years and I am finally fed up and so are the kids. I finally called a plethora of companies to enquire and to get quotes. The consequences is that if we do not solve the problem then it gets bigger and bigger. Also, the thought of the ants in my walls is just disgusting. Well, cha- ching, cha- ching and there goes my last two weeks pay check, so no built up savings once again. They are coming tomorrow afternoon and they will spray the entire house inside and out. They will guarantee that the problem will be fixed but only for a year. There is no long term guarantee. Sometimes the problem never reoccurs and other times it is a yearly treatment. I am at a loss as to what else to do. Mr. Sunshine has used aunt traps and aunt bait (how do your sisters feel about the traps and bait!)(I was going to fix that 'aunt' and then I saw your comment and decided to leave it, ha ha ha!) and powder and nothing seems to do the trick. Well, we have to be out of the house for 4 hours tomorrow night including the dog. Apparently once the spray settles and dries it is no longer harmful.(I find that highly suspect)Do you vacumn it up? It is supposed to be just fine for children (even with allergies) and for pets. That is what all six companies have assured me. I really hope that they are absolutely sure of this. Please wish me luck! I hope that they will find the queen aunt(??) (she is well protected behind her outer bailey, moat, inner bailey, gate house, the ants are keeping watch through the narrow windows in the towers and marching along the rampart,hiding behind the turrets. But rest assured if you can do it you will find the Queen hiding in the Keep) it really is to bad I can't write the little ones test cause I know all about medieval times. as well as any satellite nests. I know gross, gross, gross. I am not sure what a carpenter ant is? Is it a big black ant or the little ones?
Mr. Sunshine has been away now for quite some time. It has been a few weeks now with a short one day visit last weekend. I am tired and we all really miss him but so far he will be in town next week. That's all for now. Everyone be good and only two more days until the weekend. Oh, and yesterday I missed all of American Idol because Little Miss Sunshine had a test on the Medieval World. Wow! There was 70 pages of in depth information that she had to know. It was crazy! There was the Roman empire, Barbarians, Castles, Armor, Emperor Constantine, Emperor Augustine, Alfred the great (a warrior but not at heart), St Benedict, St. Patrick, The Feudal System., catacombs and a whole lot more. By the end of the night I was going a little bit loopy and Little Miss Sunshine was exhausted. I asked how she did on the test and she said that it was hard and that she did not remember if there was anything on the test that she didn't know. I am working on homework as I type with the little one and just looked up what a Fief is. For all you out there not working on grade four Medieval Times, Fief is another word for land. This is the third time that I have had to help her study for a test. She usually studies for about 20 minutes (if that) and is done. It has worked brilliantly in the past but this year the marks have been sliding so I realized that she did not know how to study for tests like this one. There is so much detail. I forgot how much work it is to help and teach good study habits. Was I successful, only the marks will tell. See you all later. I feel your pain, since it doesn't seem to matter if we study or not she always has crappy marks (the little one). I get so fustrated with her cause she really does not care so it makes it very difficult to study with her.

(Carolin) Hi all, the weather here is wonderful. I sat outside when I got home for 15 minutes just enjoying the warmth. Not much going on here, same old, same old. I am tired and always seem to have stuff to do but no complaints.
We have had a Canadian geese couple eyeing our front garden as a new home the past week or so. As much as it would be cool to see the eggs from our front window. Canadian geese can be very nasty when they are nesting and I am not sure who would win the fight the geese or Duster our cat. Speaking of Duster, he has been pretty sick for some time now. He throws up at least two times a day, not much stays down anymore and has lost some weight. The husband took him to the vet today for his rabies shot and to check him out. He is down 2 pounds, which doesn't' seem like much but he only weighed 10 pounds to start with. The vet was concerned and wants to see him in a month. He gave him a another anti vomit vaccine. So we will see what happens in the next month. Duster is 13 years old and has suffered from an over active immune system that he has been on medication for, for the last 5 years or so. We have not said anything to the girls yet as we thought we would wait till after next month and then we will have to make some hard decisions.

Thursdays on the Bench

(Cathy) Hi everyone! What does everyone think about the book club? Sunshine, for someone who does not have time to read a lot of books, you sure got a lot out of the first reading!!

Let's talk about the weather. I'm not complaining, it's just that.... o.k., maybe I'm just a little miffed that it rained on my days off. It's funny because it seems in the summer it will be beautiful weather during the week and come the weekend it rains. I know now is the rainy season and I'm grateful as we didn't have a lot of snow this past winter. We definitely need the rain to build up our water tables. I hooked my rain barrels back up and they are now full! All my seeds are doing great except for my pansies. No sign of them yet. It was old seed and this winter I cleaned up all my old seed packets. In other words, I planted it all to see what was still viable. I just read over what I wrote.... what a bunch of rambling nonsense! Oh well.... Uh, what are you talking about? What you wrote now or something on the blog from last year or some other secret writing you do??? Ha! ha! ha!
(Carolin) I don't mind the rain because we had such an amazing Easter weekend. My cousins were in their bathing suits tanning. Who would have thought, tanning at the beginning of April. There are a lot of people complaining about Global Warming but for a Canadian, Global Warming is great!
I don't think I am going to plant anything this summer. No baskets, planters or vegetable garden. The little one and I will be away all summer so there seems to be no point. Now sounds like a good time to remind all the ladies about our annual bbq on the Sunday of Labour Day weekend!!!!!!!! Where did that come from? I won't have many opportunities to remind you relentlessly over the summer, if you're not here!!!! :)!
It was a bit of a damper this morning waking up with the rain and no sunshine. My daffodils are almost ready to bloom and my tulips are peaking through the ground. I hope that my peach tree has a lot of peaches this summer. I like it when the weather is not nice cause I am busy at work and today was no exception. I was busy all day. We took the cover off of our pool. The rain is starting to fill it up. (the water level has risen about an inch!! lol!)
(Sunshine) What an incredible weekend.(past) It was probably the nicest weather we have had in a long time for the Easter long weekend. On Friday all four of us girls and our families met for fish and chips. We met at a local fish and chips place and it was very busy. The restaurant had a wait of over an hour to be seated and we quickly realized (actually Cathy and Carolin as they were first on the scene) that even if we waited, there was no way that it would accommodate all 20 of us at the same time. The decision was made to order(take out) for each of our families and then Carolin graciously offered up her home as a meeting place to have our dinner. We waited outside at the restaurant for about an hour and that was actually fun! The kids were sitting on the curb chatting and laughing and us adults were observing some of the other interesting people and also chatting. The hour passed by very quickly and I actually had a really good time. When do we find that we actually have the time and patience to wait in line for such an extended period of time and not even complain about it? It was nice to have everyone off work and relaxed and just enjoying each others company. It was a really nice evening!
As our food was ready we headed over to Carolin's house. When I arrived she and her husband were making an apple crisp. It was the fastest that I had ever seen two people put together a home made dessert. Let me tell you it was so delicious! We ate and talked and the little kids played together. The men ended up on their own in the living room for a while and I spent a lot of time talking to my nieces as they had actually scheduled some time to be with all of us without having to rush off to another outing. It was fun to catch up. I have to thank Carolin and her family for a great night and for hosting my 2 nieces as well as my sister and her boyfriend and his daughter and my family. She was and always has been a gracious hostess and we really appreciated it. It was a fun evening and having everyone over was great. Glad we all had fun! I thank-you too, it was a great time. I'm looking forward to the start of my new shift so we can do it again!
Then on Saturday we had a house full of people as I had both sides of the the family over. It was busy and a lot of fun and by the end of the night I was so tired. On Sunday it was just our family and on Monday, Mr Sunshine was off to Orlando and the girls and I went to the movies. We saw "The Last Song" and it was a good movie but a real tear- jerker. Wow you were busy, things were much laid back at our house. I cooked and cooked and cooked and then we went to KD's for dinner on Sunday. We had Easter dinner on Saturday night at my folks place. My dad cooked a roast lamb. It was yummy! It was leftovers for the rest of the weekend. We are also busy this weekend coming. We are going to London, ON, for dinner with family. We haven't seen them in a while and we are looking forward to it. Have fun in London, my mom is coming for the weekend so my family has been spending the week gathering all their stuff that needs mending. We wouldn't want her to feel bored and it's important that she feel usefull, right?

Thursdays on the Bench

(Sunshine) Hi everyone, how is everyone doing? It's a long weekend and things around here are getting very busy. Today was Little Miss Sunshine's birthday (she is finally double digits). My sister came over as she is off for the week. The birthday girl wanted to go for dinner and then bowling so we were out quite late. On Thursday after school she will have her girlfriends over for a little party. She wanted to make it a baking party so we will be baking muffins and pizza and cookies. It will be a fun and very busy night. Then Friday is Good Friday so we are in the process of arranging our yearly fish and chips outing. We should be getting our book club books when we are together on Friday. Then Saturday we will celebrate Easter and Little Miss Sunshine's Birthday at our home with both sides of the family; so I will be busy preparing for 30 people. It will be a very relaxing (??) weekend. Actually, I am looking forward to everything except all of the work that is involved. (Carolin) I don't know about relaxing and it is Friday morning and you have already stressed me out! The little one said she had fun at Little Miss Sunshines birthday party. Thanks for inviting her.

(Cathy) Hey Sunshine, you will be very busy this weekend. I bet you don't want to change places with me! I will be working, Good Friday, Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday; then I get two days off! I have taken advantage of the weather though. I have done all of my laundry and hung it outside to dry. I love to hang clothes outside to dry, nothing beats that warm sunny fragrance. I am doing my laundry right now the first load is hanging outside as I type. have been tidying my garden beds, too. Please note all budding gardeners..... please resist the urge to rake your lawns and dig in your garden beds! It is much too soon! We have clay soil and the moisture (frost) is still coming up from the ground. Too much walking and digging and raking will just compact the clay and come August you will have bricks. Stay off the lawn!!! Just go around and crumple the leaves back onto the garden bed. You should make the neighbour behind me read this, they are out there raking away. Tidy up broken twigs and prune whatever needs pruning at this time of year. I hope I will have time to sit and read a book and drink a cup of tea, (my favourite past time), in the garden. We are all looking forward to fish and chips this year! (Carolin) Hi all, I am late typing thankfully Cathy sent a email reminding me to get on and type. Yes it is Good Friday we are home from church and it was a nice service. I am hoping to get my laundry and tidy the house today before we all go out for Fish and Chips. I hope everyone had a good week. Work was good though my $$ are down I am assuming it is because it is the first week back for us after March Break, and the weather is nice so the kids want to be outside. I spoke to the principal about what is going to happen next year. He still has nothing confirmed so I am getting very frustrated. I have to type up a letter with what I want and give him and the board a deadline. I have also started telling parents and students that if they want me back next year and they find having food services in the school beneficial then they need to email the principal and any board members and let them know. I am hoping it might put a fire under the board and they will get my future settled once and for all.

I wish everyone a very happy Easter and amongst all the family, dinner's, and chocolate may we all remember who sacrificed his life for us so we could be saved.

Happy Easter Everyone!

May the Lord bless you all.

Happy Easter to everyone and have a great long weekend. The weather is suppose to be amazing!

Thursdays on the Bench

(Cathy)Phew! I got lucky. I went to bed last night and remembered that I had forgotten to set up this post! I work early in the morning so as I came home I rushed to turn on my computer to see how many nasty e-mails ( :) ) I received. Guess what..... not one. Like I said, I got lucky, lol!


(excuse me a moment as I send the ladies an e-mail now).... done.

So, how was everyone's week? We have settled with the insurance company. They were great! It's funny because, and I guess it's natural, I keep thinking I hear something outside. I need to relax and not let the break-in make me a prisoner in my own home. I know with the good weather coming it won't take long., and hey, it could have been a lot more serious, right?! (Carolin) We have had our cars rummaged through a number of times now (in the old house and this one) it is a little unsettling but eventually you get over it. The one thing we have learnt is not to keep anything of value in the cars.

Congrats again to the teenager for receiving her acceptance to her first choice University!!

Sunshine..... how was the trip to New York?

(Sunshine) We had a great time on our trip. It was very busy because we ran around all day and did so many things but at the same time I felt very relaxed the whole trip. We were at the border ready to cross into the US from Canada when I voiced to Mr. Sunshine that I thought that my passport was probably going to need to be renewed soon. Well he took a look at it and low and behold it had expired in January of this year. Well now what? I said that if they would not let me into the US then Mr Sunshine and the kids should proceed without me and I would meet them in Niagara Falls on the way back. Everyone voiced that they would not go on the trip without me. Well the customs officer never even noticed. So I got in, will they let me back out?

The first stop that we made was in New Jersey to Carlo's Bakery (The Cake Boss). Little Miss Sunshine watches this show every week so she was so excited and so was I. We took lots of pictures and bought some canoli, a crumb cake(sort of like a coffee cake) and a muffin. These were the things that Little Miss Sunshine wanted to taste. They were all delicious. We were there for about an hour and the store was very busy. We asked where the boss was and we were told that he was in Philadelphia. We were watching the stair case and we caught a glimpse of Mary, Cousin Anthony, the mom and Grace. We asked if Mary could come and meet Little Miss Sunshine and take a picture but we were told that Mary was busy and I could hear everyone else asking the same questions that I was. Everyone wanted to meet them. In the time period that I was there, hundreds of people visited the store. It was a fun experience. We were never rushed and we were made to feel welcome. We did meet Frankie and Stretch and Little Miss Sunshine took a picture with both of them. They were both really nice. Sounds really fun and I am sure it would mean more to me if I had a clue who any of these people were.

Then we headed over to New York. It was interesting as our hotel was sandwiched between flower shops in the middle of a street. You could drive right by it and not even know that it was a hotel. Every square foot of space in NYC is inhabited by something.

While in NYC, we visited the Statue of Liberty, skated at Rockefeller centre, saw The Phantom of the Opera, saw street performers and artists at Washington square, had a rickshaw tour of Central park, ate at Carnegie Deli and many other restaurants, Visited Julliard, visited Trump Tower, visited Little Italy and China town and did a lot of walking around and riding on the metro as well as visited Central Station. Oh yes and we played the big piano at FAO Schwartz.

There were a lot of interesting people and St Patrick's Cathedral was a very busy place as we were there on St Patrick's Day. There was a lot of celebrating going on. It was a see of green and everyone was well behaved.

Lets not forget Times Square, what a sight. Little Miss Sunshine and I had our picture up on one of the large bill boards for a period of time. It is a pretty cool place. There are thousands of people gathered in one area. NYC truly is the city that never sleeps.

We also visited ground zero and spoke to someone who is presently working on the new Freedom Tower project. He was in NYC at the time of 9\11 and he told us his story. It was really fascinating and I learned a lot. 4500 people lost there lives that day. The Twin Towers were struck and in total seven buildings actually disintegrated. The new Freedom Tower project is scheduled to be completed 2037 and the Freedom Tower is self will be taller then the CN tower (sorry about that said George the worker). It will be 1776 feet tall because that is the year that the declaration of independence was signed. Our conversation with George is still so fresh in my mind that I can remember every detail It was fascinating being there and I could not fathom to understand how the city must have been during that very difficult time. But, there was hope and happiness in George's eyes and in his smile and he could talk all night about his beloved city. Meeting him was one of my favourite parts of the entire trip. (carolin) Wow that sounds great but I think I would find also very emotional. Though I do find it a little wild that it will take another 27 years to complete. What are they building that will take a generation to complete?

Miss Teen Sunshine was constantly asking me if I like her future home town. She fell in Love with New York on a father daughter trip a few years a go and now I can understand why someone with her interests is so captivated by this unique city.

They let me back into Canada and we arrived home safe and sound. You mustn't of had any backpacks with you!!! (read on)

In conclusion I LOVE NEW YORK It has been a number of years since we have been but I too love everything about New York.

The little one and I have just got home from a day at the Museum. I have been so often with the teenager that just the thought makes me sigh. But the little one really wanted to go, we invited KD and little Mac and Cheese to come along as they had never been. Thankfully my mom had given me free passes (surprised?) She had six passes and we used 5 and gave one away. Thank goodness we did as it would of cost us $89.00 to get in. $89.00!!!!!!!!! is anyone else as outraged as me. If you go to any museum in NYC they are FREE!!!!!, same with Washington. When we went to Ottawa though there was an admission price it was nothing like this. Also my biggest complaint with the museum is what we are seeing under glass with security everywhere is not even the real thing! They show us copies of the real thing, also they have things that I don't understand why it is in a museum. Someone out there please educate me how a piece of fabric that is 2 inches by 2 inches really is what is left from a 1500 year old kimono?

The girls seemed to have fun in the ancient Greece exhibit. They spent there time giggling, pointing and taking pictures of the male Greek statues. It was really hard not to just laugh along with them as Cheese would point to the male statues body parts and the little one would snap pictures.

Near the beginning of our day we had a mean security guard come up to me and tell me I had to hand in my backpack at the coat check (free of charge) as back packs were not allowed. I explained that it had the little one medication in it. But he didn't seem to care. Also he never told us where the coat check was. Now keep in mind we went through admission and security check points as they call them and no one said anything to us. So of course I figured once we found the coat check I would hand it in and see what they would do about the meds. Well this guy followed us around and harassed us constantly. Now I have my back up and I am not going to give him the satisfaction, we moved to another floor then at one point well looking at a picture of some ancient thing (the real thing not being there of course). We had 5 security guards start walking around us and they were talking in their mics attached to there coat sleeves. KD, me and the kids made a quick right and we where able to give them the slip.

Finally after lunch we find the coat check they gave me a reusable bag to put the meds and my wallet in. None of us were wearing coats just sweaters so I told the kids that they could put their sweaters in the now empty backpack. Which the checker then told me that backpacks were free to check in but if we put a coat in one then we have to pay $8.00 ($2.00 of each sweater). Lets just say by the time I was done, the backpack was checked with the sweaters inside and nothing but a number tag exchanged hands. We continued on our way with security watching us every where we went. Security would tell the girls they were too loud, they walked to quickly, they weren't allowed to touch etc, etc, etc. By this time I was pissed and would normally never let them run around or bother anyone but not today. Girls thought they had hit pay dirt as we let them touch, jump, dance till their little hearts were content.

Now I am normally a rule abiding person, but what got my backpack in a tissie was was that there where others with backpacks, diaper bags, massive purses and they said nothing to them. And what it the issue with a backpack, how much of a threat can there be at the museum. Specially one that doesn't even show the real thing, just replicas. Also since when are two ponytail wearing moms with three girls a huge threat!

We were talking about going to the Science Centre on Saturday (I have free passes of course) but not sure if my picture is now been sent to all tourist venues.

Security we have a code red: MIDDLE AGED PONYTAILED, BACKPACK CARRYING MOM HAS ENTERED THE PREMISES.

Perhaps I should of just stayed At The Park today.

Thursdays on the Bench

(Cathy)Hi all, I was just sitting here remembering some of the kooky things we ladies did years ago. I remember one summer, it must have been a 'Ladies night' where we got together for an evening without kids or husbands and just talked, ate and laughed. This one particular night I think Sunshine didn't attend, or maybe she left early. Well, for reasons lost to me now, Carolin, Louise and I at about 1 or 2 am were outside of Sunshine's bedroom window throwing stones against the window to get her attention! It worked and downstairs she came and opened her door for us. We all stood in her front entrance, we clothed and Sunshine in her nightgown and we had the wackiest conversation ever! Let's just say that it was probably that night and that conversation which sealed our friendship. It was 'extremely' personal! Let's just say we spoke about climbing mountains and leave it at that. I remember laughing so hard and we must have stood there, crowded in the front entrance for another hour or so. (Sunshine) I do remember that night and all of you crazy women. I left at about 12:30am and wanted to get home because Mr. Sunshine was going out of town for two weeks. Thank goodness he doesn't have to do that extended leave much these days (knock on wood). You crazy girls woke me up and were talking about all sorts of things. Well readers, they were talking about our first times and how to get an orgasm and all of that fun stuff. They had already revealed their dirty little secrets to each other and now they were after mine. We laughed and probably shed many tears of laughter and let's just say that that particular evening changed Cathy's life forever. She really was intent on climbing her very own mountain after that. Since then Cathy has become an expert mountain climber. OMG!!! Way too much information!!! I cannot stop blushing! (Carolin) Hello??? you brought up the subject Cathy. What I want to know is does anyone see the irony of this blog? Just a few days ago Cathy is talking about not being able to remember and now she is on a memory moment. She probably remembers this night so well cause it was all about SEX!!!!! Also I can assure you all that Cathy is now one of the best and most frequent mountain climbers I have and will ever know! She has a particular penchant for the Andes mountain range.

I also remember another night when we went for a walk on the path and Carolin was looking for a tree branch that she wanted to give to her husband to make into a banister. Well, we searched high and low and finally found a branch (it was already off the tree, don't worry we did not cut it down). It was a huge branch and we walked all the way home with it. We passed a lot of people who were laughing at us and if memory served me right, we were also singing along the way. All of our husbands thought that we were crazy. I think that when Carolin moved she took the tree branch with her. Did you ever make it into a banister? Yes the branch (almost a log!) was used a a banister for the basement. And when we moved yes I made the movers move it as well. I remember the movers asking my husband "do I take this too?" and his reply was "yes , I know it is a piece of wood but to save me some pain from my wife just move the stupid thing"! To be honest with you I am not sure where the branch is now but it is a good feeling to know regardless of what crazy scheme I hatch you guys will be there to help me execute it.

It's a nice memory! Enjoy your memories while you can ladies. We should all get back into being more of those free spirited young girls. All we seem to do now is work, work, work. We didn't have to schedule fun in those days, it just came naturally.

Thursdays on the Bench

Wow Cathy, this is a really good start how shall I contribute to this fascinating topic? Ha, Ha,Ha when I got the email saying Cathy had set up, "Thursdays on the Bench," I to went to have a look and see what she wrote so I would get a feel where we were going this week. I opened up the blog and like you Sunshine, saw a blank screen. So I did what any friend would do I closed the blog and decided to wait till another day.Alright, alright.... I've been sick in bed all week and only had enough energy to get it started. My head is mush and there's not a thought in it! (I guess I just left myself open here!)
Just kidding. Cathy, I really hope that you feel better soon and join the land of the living. You can't continue to make a living lying on your back forever,(hey!)remember, our post on Monday, you are getting older by the minute. I am just being silly. I am tired and things are just flying out of my mind. Sometimes, I wish that this could be like an open chat link on facebook and we could chat back and forth together. Sometimes typing here by myself feels kind of lonely. Just erase this when you are done reading it. No, I will not erase it. I happen to agree with you. I'm still glad we have this way of keeping in touch!
(Sunshine)
I would like to talk about a very serious subject today. In the past week or so there have been three suicides that I have been made aware of. The one that I am sure that everyone has heard of is the one that occurred in Vancouver. The second is a boy from one of the local high schools and the third is a person who works with my sister. My prayers go out to the individuals and their family and friends. (Carolin)Suicide is a very angry and sad situation for everyone. Just last week two ladies from my Wednesday bible study were discussing the funeral they were going to the next day for a 18 year old boy who had committed suicide. I can remember times when I was younger and thinking it might be better if I had never been born. Or in moments of deep despair thinking I'll get even with everyone and just kill myself. But to be truly honest with myself I knew I would never go through with it. I wish I could understand what makes these people feel so alone that death would be better than living. It is sad, very sad for everyone involved.
What happens to someone to make them feel that taking their own life is better than being here on earth. How is it that they feel so alone and so unloved when there are really people out there that care about them? How can we as a society help? There are places and phone numbers people can call who are in dire emotional straits. There's the http://www.kidshelpphone.ca/,
1-800-668-6868. It must be an incredibly hard call to make. I too have had the same thought when I was a teenager. I guess with all of the rapid growth a teen goes through, the lack of a good support system makes it all seem too much to handle.
I am sad and frustrated every time I hear the word suicide. It is such a scary word and the individuals minds must be in such a scary place.
I know that it is a gloomy topic but I can't stop thinking of it after hearing it day after day in the last week. They say that suicide rates increase during the winter months. I have also heard that more often than not there are no warning signs. I think that our schools and TV networks should start to run campaigns on helping those individuals who are feeling so down that this seems to be their only answer. We have got to address this topic as aggressively as we address drinking and driving, alcoholism and bullying to name a few.
I have heard that our young generation is already suffering from mental health. It was even mentioned in church a few weeks ago. The priest talked about how our children complain of boredom at such a young age and how this is an expression of a boredom that they feel in their lives. He talked about how this boredom leads to depression and how our children are depressed about their lives. He talked about how we have given our children so much so early on in their lives that there is little for them to get excited about and look forward to and work towards achieving because everything that they desire is at their finger tips because we can and do provide it all. Wow, have we really got it all wrong. Cell phones, lap top computers, I pods, TVs and cars to name just a few. I am scared for our children and for their children's children. But we do need to move forward don't we? I agree with your Priest, we have raised a generation of very privileged people. I have a cousin who is in his third year of university and recently was laid off from his job. He was subsequently offered a job as a waiter in a restaurant and turned it down cause he felt it was beneath him! He would rather have no job and have to take out student loans for school than work as a waiter. To be truly honest with myself I don't think I could have worked as the 'lunch lady' at the little ones school if the teenager was still there. I was never (and neither was she) comfortable around them. And the few students that are still at the school from the teenagers class are just as I remember them. A bunch of spoiled snobs and thankfully I rarely see them. Sunshine, I too agree with you about our kids generation. Why is it that we as parents feel the need to give 'all' to our kids without them earning it? I am speaking in a general term. Is it out of guilt? There are so many kids being raised by someone other than a parent. We ladies made the decision to stay home and raise our kids. We probably sacrificed lots, however, we do not feel like we did. I don't feel our kids feel like they missed out on anything, either. Time will tell.
My parents came to this country with very little in their pockets. They had to work hard to be able to live in and eventually after a very long time, own their very own home. There was only one car in our home and I never remember my parents giving me pocket money to spend if I needed to buy something. I always brought a lunch from home and I played with the same toys day in and day out. Most of the time it was with five rocks and a jumpsee made of elastic bands and, oh yes, I remember the tennis ball that we would put in an old pair of my moms nylons and play with against the wall. I played the same games as a kid. I was darn good at five rocks bloody knuckles and all. (We should have a game someday) The kids don't seem to play these games anymore. Neither of my kids learned how to skip (I never could double dutch). (I could, I loved skipping and playing with the two balls against the brick wall with all of the songs!)I two loved playing ball on the wall.I have tried to play five rocks with them but they think I am just dumb. I was trying trying to teach the girls how to play five rocks just last week only it was with candy at the keg on the table. I was describing how we would go and pick out our rocks in the street and I would keep them for each game that we played. I remember that there was one flat rock that was my favourite. It was small but easy to pick up. I told them that once the weather gets better we will go and each of us can pick out our own rocks and we could play on the front porch.
I was very happy and I don't think that I ever wished for much more then what we had. I wonder when that all changed? Now it seems that I want and want all the time. This house for instance. It is already a great house but we will probably be renovating it for forever because there is so much to do. I once heard someone say that 50 years ago or so they use to spend money on clothes and things when now we spend the money on the bling bling for our homes instead of ourselves. I remember the funky wall paper and funny paint colours in our home. We had an unfinished basement and a small three bedroom semi with four girls and my father and only one bathroom. I also remember loving that home so much. I have tried to raise my kids to appreciate what they have, but it is very hard. I am not one to go buy them stuff for the sake of stuff. The little one is wearing her sister's old uniform for school and the only thing I have had to buy is socks and a cardigan. I do know once she starts junior highschool I will have to invest in a new uniform and her sister and her are very different body types and the hand-me-down will not fit. Also, most of the little one's clothes are hand-me-downs from her sister or her cousin. In the past two years I have only bought her a pair of jeans, two tops, bathing suit and a Christmas dress. She doesn't seem to care.
Something I noticed about myself a few years ago was, I found I would get upset, depressed, feel sorry for myself after I watched home decorating shows or read home decorating magazines. I found they didn't usually inspire me they just made me feel like what ever I had or did was not good enough. Also, I found I would look at my home and then feel discontent instead of thankful that I have a nice home. So I stopped watching the shows and canceled my subscriptions to the magazines and now I really don't care what the latest new decorating trends are. I would like new stuff but I am content to wait. And my home might not be magazine ready but it is comfortable, clean (don't look under or in anything!) and I hope all feel welcome when they are here. And that's good enough for me.
I hope all of the children of the world can be happy where ever they are. My home was filled with love and I hope that I provide the same love and security to my children. Keep in mind Sunshine that there was suicide then, and pain, and not everyone home was a happy one. We were kids and many of life's stuff did not enter our radar at the time. Nor was stuff openly talked about like it is now. I think it is important that my children know when things are good in our home and when things are not. But it can be hard at times to walk the fine line of what they can handle. I didn't experience my first death or funeral till I was 19 years old. And now with my kids the minute I say I need to talk to them they think something terrible has happened and someone has died. It is so hard to see them touched by such tragedies so early in life. My sister and I discuss this topic so often. We had been to funerals but our very own personal tragedies did not start until we were both in our thirties and we seemed to have so much difficulty in dealing with them. My dad, seemed to be able to get through things in a much more emotionally stable way. We wondered if that was because he had always known personal tragedy from when he was a little boy. He grew up in a different time. He had two younger siblings (twins) who died at a very early age, he lived through the war and he travelled to this country at age 14 with his older 16 year old brother. The two of them were alone and came across on a boat that took two weeks to get to Halifax. They had a piece of paper with a Montreal address on it. They had to find their way from Halifax to Montreal to meet up with their dad where they worked on the railroad and sent money back home for his mother and five other siblings. Amongst all of that was so much hardship and disappointment. He had no choice but the learn to deal with tragedy and sadness and still find peace and happiness in his heart. He is my inspiration every day of my life and I have begun to think that these survival skills cannot be taught but rather they are something that we learn to help us cope with life.