Last Day of School

Well you know that we are having a very very busy summer when I am only on the last-day-of-school blog photos! Whew...summer is nearly over and soon I will be upolading the first-day-of-school blog photos for Dylan.

Anyways...back to the blog. Dylan's class held a talent show on the last day of school. Almost all the children participated in creative ways. There was joke telling, poem recital, art demonstrations, Irish dancing, guitar playing, comic book demos etc..

For the outdoor talent, Dylan demonstrated soccer moves.

Later, he and the Dragon Club performed their "Mission Impossible" dance choreography. I don't have any photos of this as I was the audio technician for the performance (operated the Ipod and special effects). Overall it was a interesting experience to see the children performing comfortably in front of an audience.

Elise performing Irish Dance
Reed playing the electric bass

Upper Deck BBQ

Ryerson Alumni around the campfire

Several weeks ago we had a BBQ party on the upper deck which extended until the early morning. It consisted of Ryerson alumni and the next generation!

Ryerson Next Generation

It was a great evening with great weather and company.

Uncle Angelos's House

A few weeks ago we went for lunch at my Uncle Angelo's house (my father's brother). Once again, we went in expecting sandwiches....we walked out after 4-hours of eating many many courses. As my brother-in-law Don advised Andrew,
"There is no middle ground, you have to say a firm no as any other answer will put more food on your plate."

I must admit we had a great time. Andrew walked in saying to me, "I'm nervous about this...I don't know what I will say." And yet, by the time we were done, he said "I had such a great time! That was really fun." We sat at the table and talked with my two cousins and their spouses. Everyone had such a sense of humour and we laughed alot. And the food......my gosh the food was incredible. They must have been cooking for days!!! Overall it was a great time and I look forward to more encounters.

NHL Awards

Lately Andrew was been attending many snazzy parties as a Rogers Sportsnet Representative. Next week he will attend the CHAMP Car Gala dinner and as of late he has dined with the Prime Minister of Canada (Stephen Harper), NHL stars, Baseball stars, Movie stars etc. Andrew in a tuxedo with the Sportsnet Gang

I always have my cocktail dress on standby should an empty seat be made available...but so far no such luck!

Stephen Harper addressing the captive audience for NHL awards

The $10,000 Dog

Does this dog look like he is worth $10,000? Let me explain.

Jim and Murphy

Murphy (the dog) is three years old. Less than three years ago my very good friend Rose brought him home just before she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. She died one year and 3months ago. Since that time Murphy has needed cataract surgery, bowel surgery, etc. So far Jim has spent over $10,000. But, Murphy was Rose's dog and now he is all that Jim has as a living testament to their relationship. So, yes. Murphy is priceless!

Will I See You In September - Dragon Club is Over for Summer

Lucas S., Dylan, Riga and Lucas T. at the Beach for a Dragon Club date

Summer time and the living is easy..........Dragon Club has finished for the summer and we made a big "splash" by having the children (and parents) attend a movie night to see Fantastic Four - Rise of the Silver Surfer (yawn). Who knows what will happen next year as the Dragon Club boys are being split between two classes. Dylan is very fortunate to have the greatest teacher at Kew Beach: Ms. van Slyke. Not only is she Dutch, she is also volunteers with the Drama club and puts on these massive musical productions. Perfect match for Dylan.

Dylan Has a Date (over my dead body)

Dylan has been courted as of late. Just before the end of school I received a phonecall from one of his class mates (a girl!) who wanted to speak to Dylan. Andrew happened to take a snapshot of the moment as cool guy Dylan talks to Chloe about meeting up later that night on a website (WEBKINZ).

Poor Chloe. Little did she know that two days later, look who I caught in bed with Dylan ...Jillian!

Dylan and Jillian at our patio BBQ

I didn't think I'd be having this talk with Dylan so soon but I have laid down the law that he is not allowed to date until he is at least 14 years old (one year older than I was). He is quite happy with this arrangement as he is still of the opinion that girls are yucky (with the exception of mommy and grandma). That's my boy!

Greetings from Ottawa

Our friends, the Klassens, came from Ottawa for the weekend. They had high hopes to take advantage of Centre Island and the CN Tower and other outdoor activities. Unfortunately, the weather was not co-operative and this dinner on our upper deck was the extent of their outdoor adventures.


Family Klassen sitting on the upper deck

Dylan and William chowing down on corn on the cob

So, plan B was to visit the Science Centre with the children where they were able to learn about the cohesiveness of bubbles, centrifuge and many other fun scientific principles.

Dylan makes a "three" bubble bubble

Sarah and William at the water table learning about the mechanism of water wheels

Dylan and William fighting the laws of centrifugal forces



Andrew's face left quite an "impression" with me

The Mega Garage Sale

Every spring our neighbourhood hosts a Saturday garage sale. I have been planning for this all year by storing up my unwanted clutter. My sister joined us with some of her items and together, we presented a pretty attractive haul.

Our tables of treasure (another man's junk)

My #1 salesman (Dylan) was out of commission this year as he and his cousin Sarah spent the majority of time browsing through other neighbour's treasure .

The Tripone/Cleghorn Sales Team

My father had come early to drop off several long tables for us to use. He had the good fortune to bump into my aunt Greta (my mother's youngest sister) and her daughter Anita with baby Nathan. It was an emotional moment for everyone and it went very well. Later, my sister Sandra also got to meet my Dutch side of the family.

Sandra and Baby Nathan

And the winner is......

It is Police Week in Toronto. Our local police precinct hosted a community picnic on Wednesday at the park beside our house. Dylan and I went to meet several of his friends.

They played a rousing game of chess....

......and jumped off some energy

......And ended up in some trouble (kidding).

However the highlight of the event was a raffle draw in support of the police. My $5 investment paid off when we won an adult mountain bike. Yippee!!!! Another bike to add to our growing collection in the garage. So, sing with me now (to the beat of The Clash, "I fought the law and I won, I fought the law and I won".

Happy Victoria Day!

This was a special Victoria Day holiday. Andrew was back from his business trip and we spent the early morning (yes EARLY since Andrew was still on European time) walking a nature walk in our neighbourhood.



Dylan and Livia watching fish

Dylan and a friend spent an hour catching frogs and trying to catch any remaining tadpoles. We watched ducks and red-winged back birds.

A green frog in the pond


Later that morning Andrew and Dylan went on a 2-hour recumbent bike ride around the lake.

A view of Toronto

However, the real celebration was at night time when the children came out on the street to begin the firework display. One of our neighbours hosted the fireworks/sparklers ceremony and we all contributed to his efforts. We started early in the evening so that the wee children could participate too. The children had so much fun and when our street fireworks were over they spent time playing hide-and-seek in the dark.

The lighting of the sparklers!

Oooh! That was a good one!

Later, the real firework celebration started at The Beach off Ashbridges Bay. We were fortunate to have a bird's eye view sitting on our porch at home! Afterwards we just rolled Dylan into bed and he was asleep in a minute. What a great day!
The view from our balcony of the fireworks over Ashbridge's Bay

Norway and Amsterdam

Andrew was away for one week on business in Norway and Amsterdam. He was fortunate to arrive in Norway on their national holiday. The majority of people were dressed in traditional costume as they spent their day watching torch parades and having family outings.

Traditional Norwegian Costume

Andrew stayed in a beautiful city on a harbour surrounded by hills.

He ate smoked whale and reindeer (don't tell Dylan) and went up a funicular to see the top of the city.

Later they were back in Amsterdam...where the bicycle rules!

A typical Dutch parking lot for bicycles

Andrew's disappointment with this trip was that he did not have time to return to his beloved recumbent bicycle shops (this trip was, after all, only for business).

A recumbent TAXI!

Houseboats along one of the many canals in Amsterdam

The Best Mother's Day Present

I must admit I was disappointed with Dylan's effort this Mother's Day. I was handed a plastic baggie with a string, macaroni and a bead. "What's this" I asked him. "Oh, we were supposed to make our mom a necklace at school but I ran out of time. So, here it is!" he replied. Needless to say I sat him down and made him finish my present. Along with the necklace he handed me a homemade card. "Finally something personal and from the heart," I thought. It was blank on the outside and I opened it up to reveal it was blank on the inside except for a flap. I opened the flap and....nothing. "What's this", I asked him. Oh, we were supposed to press a flower inside the card and write a Mother's Day message, but I ran out of time". I held my tongue but I was secretly hurt at the lack of effort put out by my child.

Exactly one week after Mother's Day I am in the kitchen trying to made a special family dinner by recreating my mother-in-law's wonderful recipe for creme brulee. It wasn't going to good. I had ran out of maple syrup during the process and I had bought almond extract instead of vanilla extract. Out of exasperation I flung up my hands and muttered to myself, "Why do I bother!" Dylan, who had been reading his book beside me, looked up and said point blank, "Because you are a kind person and you like to make other people happy" (end quote). I stared at him with my mouth open and thought, "It may be one week too late but this is the Best Mother's Day Present Ever!"

School on Saturday

What makes a little boy beg to go to school on Saturday? Well it is school Fair Day of course. For three hours there were all sorts of activities for the children such as cookie decorating, tug-of-war, treasure chest, fake tattoos etc.... Parents were asked to help out at various stations throughout the afternoon. I had originally signed up for the Freezie/Popsicle station but because the day was freezing I was not needed (however the Starbuck Coffee station was doing a booming business). The children (and parents) had a great time.

Finger painting station- Goose hand

Tennis Anyone?

We have a lovely tennis club within walking distance beside the beach. So, in the spirit of family fitness, I signed us all up for tennis lessons. Dylan takes lessons with children on one court and Andrew and I take lessons on the adult side.

I went to tennis camp when I was slightly older than Dylan so confidently I dusted off my old wooden BILLIE JEAN KING racquet (complete with wooden screw frame). Our instructor laughed his head off when he say my "antique" racquet (his words) and loaned me a more modern version. It was suggested that I auction it off on Ebay. I guess it is the equivalent of me showing up for ski lessons wearing wooden skiis with the leather bindings.

Oh well, now I have a Canadian Tire special. Tennis anyone!

Ryan's Well

Dylan's school has been raising money to buy a well for an Ugandan village. They were inspired by the story of "Ryan's Well" which is about an 8-year old boy from Kempville ON who began a fundraising campaign to bring a well to a children's school in Uganda. Ryan is now 15 years old and has raised over 1.5 million dollars. His family adopted his penpal from the village school and his story has been made into a book (featured on Oprah).

As part of the fundraising campaign the children created various crafts which were available for sale. I purchased an $8 macaroni necklace made by my son.

Dylan wore his pyjamas to school for "Pyjama Day" when, for a twoonie you could roll out of bed in the morning and come to school without having to worry about your usual morning chores (like getting dressed).

But the highlight of the campaign was a dance-a-thon in the school gym with strobe lights and black lights. Overall, the school raised a total of $9060. Well done Kew Beach Public School!

HAMMY the hamster escapes!

For his birthday, we had decided to allow Dylan to have a pet hamster. To his credit he read several books on hamster care and carefully researched the appropriate cages and equipment needed to house the animal. When the time came to choose a hamster we visited 4 different stores and spent two days sleeping over our decision.

Finally, we decided on a short-haired Syerian hamster, such as the one who starred in the very old show, Hammy the Hamster. Of course I am dating myself and perhaps some of you will remember the adorable children's show about real hamsters living in a little village especially built for them. They drove remote cars and carried out occupations such as the mailman, etc...

Hammy exploring the great outdoor in his pen
Anyhow, after just 3 days in our care, Hammy escaped from his elaborate cage and hid in our unfinished basement. Hammy's extensive cage

For one week we would lay out food and water at night time and by morning it would be gone without any trace of Hammy. First, Hammy was living in our fiberglass insulation in the walls. Then one night, Andrew could hear him scurrying over the bathroom ceiling on the second floor. Finally, he heard Hammy scurrying overhead and then a big drop as he fell one floor. There was that moment of sickening silence and then the hopeful sound of movement again. I slept in the basement one night with a carrot right beside my face only to awaken and discovered it was gone. We rented a squirrel cage from a rent-all company for two nights to no avail. I called several rodent removal companies and humane societies for ideas until someone suggested buying a mouse trap from Canadian Tire. And, voila! We had Hammy back.

Hammy is a little stressed and we are approaching him with kid gloves (literally we wear gloves when handling him in case he bites us from fear). But, we are glad to have him back.

And as the old classic Mastercard commercial says:
Buying a hamster: $8.00
Travel cage: $9.99
Habitat cage: $39.99
Extra tubing: $29.99
Bedding/Food: $19.99
Squirrel Trap rental: $22.15
Mouse Trap: $16.99
Finally catching your hamster after one week of unsuccessful attempts....PRICELESS!

Saturday Sleepover at the Science Centre

On Saturday night my sister, niece, Dylan and I slept over at the Ontario Science Centre. What a blast! After the Science Centre closes to the public, we all arrive with our sleeping bags and overnight cases. There were approximately 300 children and adults participating in this event and the excitement was palpable. The evening begins with a 2-hour demonstration of various science experiments in a fun format. Then, we have the run of the museum. Wow! No crowds, no worries about children running away. You can just explore. At 2200h we were treated to an IMAX film on bugs.
Dylan and Sarah making smoke signals
After further exploration we were then assigned to an exhibit hall for our campsite. We set up our sleeping bags near the "make your own shoes exhibit". Lights-out occurred at midnight after the distribution of glow sticks to help us find our way to the bathroom, if needed.
Setting up Camp
In the morning, after a 0645h wake up call we were treated to breakfast and then we had the run of the museum again until 0900h. We had explored for hours and yet we had only seen 1/10 of what was available. We had the option of staying the entire day again but by then us mommies had had enough and we left. Overall it was a great experience. I have already email the centre asking when the next sleepover will be available and it is not until February 2008.
Exploring the Rainforest Exhibit
Making a new friend. No...we can't keep him