Sleepover Fun

For the little girl who has everything, we decided that a spa sleepover would be a great birthday present. Her parents were able to find time in her calendar, and last night (one month past her birthday) was deemed THE SLEEPOVER NIGHT!

We dropped her back home a bit before noon today, and her mom reports that she hasn't stopped talking about her time with her cousins.  

I hope she remembered to tell her mom and dad about our nice pasta dinner; 

making cookies;

 

splashing in the hot tub ("mommy said don't be in for a long time");

getting a tattoo;

and manicure;

watching Ev's manicure;

 getting a pedicure;

sleeping with Leah (after reading a book, cuddling her dolly, a sorrowful half hour of crying "I want mommy and daddy" while being cuddled by Leah and Auntie Valerie, following Auntie Valerie downstairs, cuddling with Ev and Leah on the couch, and following Leah upstairs and back into bed);

waking up early;

learning about JB through the wonders of play doh;

 

then spending an hour in the McDonalds playroom (she did finish her milk).


We think she will want to do this every year!

 We can't wait!

They danced, they screamed, they smiled as Justin put on a great show!

Special thanks to this mom who gave me a pair of earplugs.

Sweet Dream are Made of This

The girl with the posters on her wall

And ceiling

Has her laid out her outfit

And is fast asleep (finally)

Dreaming of the day she has been anticipating for months

Mom has the sharpies

(Purple is his favourite colour you know)

And the bookjacket cover

Now tucked away in her purse

Just in case cousin Brian finds a way to get us in for a

MEET AND GREET with Justin!

Just in case...

(Shhh, we don't want to get her hopes up.)

Birthday Brunch

The real (i.e. friends) birthday party has yet to take place, but Leah was a gracious guest of honour at her family birthday party last weekend.

I was glad to finally reveal the special present that we had been teasing Leah about.

Et voila! Our very own - no more rentals - Chocolate Fountain!

See that guy on the far right?

We had to drag him away from the chocolate every 5 minutes.

I wonder where this little one gets her sweet tooth from?

Eventually everyone helped themselves to brunch and gathered around the table.

Leah was spoiled - as usual. Her cousin was a big help opening gifts. The Justin Bieber sillybands were a hit with both girls.

While the birthday girl enjoyed her gifts, Grandma and Grandpa helped finish off the gooey chocolate mess at the bottom of the fountain.

I am pleased to report that the fountain washes up beautifully. Now that it has been tested and given two "fondue forks up", it will begin its Christmas party rounds.

Well that backfired...

Someone didn't do her homework last weekend and had to face the consequences. According to her status on her MSN account, she was (barely) able to survive the punishment:

"im grounded this week so im up in my room eatin halloween candy doing homework (love being grounded!)"

Autumn Garden

It is a beautiful crisp sunny day. Perfect for hanging out laundry.

I hadn't been in the backyard for a few weeks, and was pleasantly surprised by the colours, textures, and yes, flowers in this little yard. I just had to grab the camera.

It's a Slow News Day

I headed in a bit later than usual this morning so I grabbed the camera and recorded my commute.

8:10 Car parked. Trek to train station -oops, not gonna make that train (that green and white thing way in the background)

8:20 Down the stairs, up the stairs to the platform

9:03  Whizzing past the traffic on the Gardiner

9:15 Following the throngs through Union Station

9:24 Checking out the new Trump Tower on Bay Street

9:27 Almost there

9:30 The view from my corner cubicle - looking South

Looking North West - that's Nathan Philips Square in the middle

Of course, the boss (of my boss's boss) has the best view

And so began the third part of my day.

Paradigm Shift

A radical change in personal beliefs, complex systems or organizations, replacing the former way of thinking or organizing with a radically different way of thinking or organizing.

Paradigm Shift was a buzzword that came into favour in the world of business management in the mid 1990's. I remember the first time my boss used it to describe how the OPS (Ontario Public Service) was changing and how managers were going to have to be prepared for the fallout.

Not surprisingly, it is a phrase that incessantly buzzes in my head these past few months.  My world, and the world of so many others has shifted.  Some would say shattered.  

Thomas Kuhn, the man who developed this theory believed that "Successive transition from one paradigm to another is the usual developmental pattern of maturity.".

While we pick up the pieces and learn radically different ways of thinking and organizing ourselves, this transition marks a new beginning. There are so many good quotes on new beginnings. These will be our buzzwords in the months to come:

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.” - Seneca

''Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.'' - Carl Bard

''Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.'' - Henry Ford

''I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning to sail my ship.'' - Louisa May Alcott

''The darkest night is often the bridge to the brightest tomorrow.'' - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

End, start, failure, sail, tomorrow. And so it begins.

Halloween

She had been anticipating this day for months. She knew what she wanted to be, but over the past few weeks, some of her costume ideas didn't pan out. Thankfully her sister found time to collaborate the night before and these two creative girls found a way to realize Leah's vision.

Ahh, a cute bunny

A cute bunny doesn't win "Most Original Costume".  No, our sweet child welcomed Halloween as Road Kill. Here she is with Zombie and Vampire Fairy:

Gore and gruesome carried over to my world as my colleagues and I carved this revolting pumpkin at a charity event on Friday:

We were awarded 3rd place.

Next year we will contract Evann and Leah to design costumes for us. My kids aren't going to be the only ones winning top prizes.