The Mighty Ducks

On Friday I was looking on the library website for hockey books for the kids.  For the search criteria I put in 'hockey' and 'kids section' and out came this gem of a movie.

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What a perfect movie for my hockey obsessed kids, a movie about a kids hockey team and multiple hockey games.

So that night, we lined up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and watch the entire movie!

Notice Bunny joined us for the movie

In addition to Friday, the kids watched it again twice on Saturday and started Might Ducks 2 on Saturday night.  There was a lot of this happening at my house this weekend:

My instincts were definitely right on this one... the kids loved it.  And to tell you the truth, so did I.  Just as good as it was when I watched it over 20 years ago.

Don't be fooled into thinking all we did was watch TV this weekend, we also made a lot of these:

These are perler beads and something I also remember doing in my childhood.  You put the beads in a peg board, cover in wax paper and iron over top so they melt and stick together.  These are just the ones we did this weekend.  We have a whole pail of them in G's room. 

Each week Grady has show and tell based on a letter.  This week's letter is 'Y' so he is bringing the Yellow Boston Bruins one to school.  If you don't have a yoyo there aren't many things that start with a Y!

A few days of movies and crafting was perfect for a chilly spring (??) weekend!

Bunny and Blanket

There once was a little boy named James who carried around his stuffed dog named Scroungy every where. It was purchased for him by a family friend when he was just a wee lad. Believe it or not, Scroungy is still with us and resides in a container of James' childhood memories in the corner of our room.  Don't tell him I told you that.

Fast forward 30 years, and our youngest son Cooper has developed a similar relationship with a stuffed bunny one of the kids was gifted. I can't remember where this bunny came from or who gave it to him, but somewhere along the line he became Coopers best buddy.

Bunny, as we so affectionately call him, has been to Hawaii twice, kelowna, G&G, Saskatoon, Canmore, San Diego, Phoenix... essentially anywhere Cooper goes for a sleep over, bunny comes along. 

Cooper slept in a sleep sack until he was well over 2.  When we finally decided he was getting to big for it, we let him sleep with his sleep sack.  It is a blue and green sack with a pink interior in case our second was a girl, which he clearly was not.  From then on, Cooper must sleep with both bunny and blanket.

Each night we search around the house for bunny and blanket, we tuck bunny in, and blanket is placed on top of cooper.  Bunny is often used as a pillow, or sometimes, bunny uses Cooper as a pillow.

I secretly, or not so secretly, love that Cooper has a special stuffy (and blanket) blanket that he loves.  Grady never had that and I just think it is the cutest thing ever. 

When he wakes up each and every morning he brings them both down and snuggles with them on the couch while he drinks his milk.

On days that he is tired or gets hurt, he hikes back upstairs to find his comfort items and bring them back down to lay with. If Cooper starts laying on his blanket on the floor, it is a sure sign that the young lad is tired.

Just the other day I asked him if bunny was a boy or girl and he told me with the utmost certainty that bunny was a girl. Interesting since he often tells me he doesn't like girls.

I think I will be sad the day he decides that he doesn't need to bring bunny on sleepovers anymore or doesnt' need them to comfort him at night or when he is hurt. It will be a sign that my baby is growing up. And even though I see it every night when I sneak in his bedroom to kiss him goodnight and I wonder who that toddler sized boy is sleeping in Cooper's bed, I refuse to admit that he is a big boy. So I will continue to enjoy his love for bunny and blanket because it won't be long until the last traces of 'baby' are gone.

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame

The first Saturday of spring was snowy and cold in my neck of the woods so we spent the day indoor at Canada's Sports of Fame.  We had started talking about it during the Olympics as a place we should check out.  The kids showed a great deal of interest in the Olympics and the winter sports in general.  Grady even asked to take snowboarding lessons.  Yikes!

The Hall of Fame did not disappoint, from the time we arrived and walked down the hall with a movie playing the ramp, the kids were hooked! 

Might I add that that the place opened at 10am and we were there at 9:55am sharp.  I like to be there when they open so you can do every thing fast and not deal with lots of people around.  James was annoyed that we had to wait approximately 3 minutes in the van before going in.  I stand by the fact that being early is better!

Wouldn't you know it, we were the first ones there.  Actually, for the first 30 minutes it was just us and one other family with 2 boys younger than Cooper.  It was perfect.

The place was divided by season.  Winter sports on the left and summer sports on the right.  The guy at the front told us exactly where we would find the hockey section and we headed there first.  Of course.

They had a display of old hockey jerseys, medals, and other memorabilia.  The kids were a tad short to do the hands on stuff in this section but still enjoyed looking around just the same.

Next we hit up the interactive section where you could play 1 of 5 sports against a smart board.  Hockey, baseball, football, soccer, and basketball.  The kids loved this section, and because we were there bright and early, the kids got to have 2 20 minute sessions at the station before other people came around.  This station was great for the kids! 

The only downside to the smart board was sometimes the kids (Cooper in particular) didn't hit the puck hard enough for the shot to register.  He wasn't over bothered by it, but it meant James did a lot of puck chasing for Cooper to shoot again.

Speaking of James, I think he enjoyed this Hall of Fame as much, or more, than the little boys did.  He played the games and tried out all the exhibits that the kids may have been a touch short to do.  I got the odd shot in, but for the most part I was the picture taker.  Like usual.

All of us took a turn on the ski jump demonstration.  You lean against the bar while a movie clip shows you what you would see if you were actually doing a ski jump.  It was pretty neat if I do say so myself.

They even had a little theater where you could watch a short movie about various Olympic athletes.  I would have loved to sit down and watch but but older son insisted that there was too much to see.

We spent a solid 2 hours exploring the Hall of Fame and snapped a pic with Wayne Gretzky as we left.

The kids asked when we could go back as we were pulling out of the parking lot.  That is a good sign if you ask me!

I couldn't leave this post without sharing a video of James in action at the boxing station.  The password is boxing.  Watch the shadows, not James, it was really neat! 



Boxing from Christy R on Vimeo.

A great way for sports lovers (and their mom) to spend a morning. After all, if they are happy, I am happy! Ha!

Monday Morning Wants

I've been browsing the 'racks' at Goodnight Macaroon, the online boutique I got my furry vest from.  I got an email about the spring arrivals and I must admit that I am very tempted.

I love this shift dress and how I could transition it from spring to summer, then summer back to fall, and even winter with a pair of leggings.  My hesitation is the fit.  I'm not sure that the length and the boxy fit is a good one for me.

I loved this blue shirt the moment I laid eyes on it.  The color, the length, the style, I just love it.

I love the frills of this next blouse.  While I would find myself wearing it untucked, the model was wearing it tucked into a pencil skirt.  I am a sucker for a few girly details.

For a long time I shyed away from online shopping. I just wasn't getting the right fit. I started out by only ordering from stores that I could easily return to. If ind Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic all to have great service, speedy delivery, and most importantly, easy returns. However, recently I have been venturing out and ordering from places I can't necessarily return to without an added cost. So far, I've been really lucky with my purchases, but eventually I'll order a dud and it will eventually put an end to my online shopping. For the time being, I am enjoying the comforts of shopping on my couch in front of the TV while the kids sleep quietly upstairs. Dreamy....

Five on Friday

1. I am so happy to have a relatively open weekend.  Most of our weekend activities are over for the session and all we have is skating lessons scheduled.  What will we do with all that free time?
2. I love that Friday is latte and muffin day. It makes Friday my happy day.  That, and I get to wear jeans leather pants.
3. James took the kids to the hitmen game last night in the same front row seats we had for the flames.  The kids love and are so happy to go but tired from the game on Tuesday.  Cooper feel asleep on the way to the game.  They still had a great time and were wide awake when they got home ready to tell me about the game and show me their new hitmen flags.  Me on the other hand has a limit of one hockey game a week.  I instead went to a barre class and Uncle Dave went with them to the game.
4. Speaking of barre, I'm still loving it.  LOVING it.  I love that it doesn't feel like a workout.  I don't dread it, I actually look forward to it.  I sweat like crazy and drink a ton of water and leave feeling like a got a great workout and also looking forward to my next class.  I highly recommend you try one if you haven't already.
5. I have about 3 weeks left in my winter closet rotation before I've worn everything once.  Then I plan to start one for skirts and dresses as I haven't worn a dress to work since I started this rotation more than a month ago!  So today, because it is Friday and I can wear whatever I want, I chose to wear my furry vest that will hopefully be put away for the summer very soon.

Have a good weekend!

Go Flames Go!

Last night, we took the kids to their very first flames game and what a game it was!  James got the tickets last minute from work and they weren't just tickets, they were FRONT ROW.  Like against the boards. 

Cheese!

Cooper put up a stink at first saying he didn't want to go the game and that he wanted to see the hitmen.  Then he decided he wanted to wear his Pittsburgh jersey (which he wore underneath the flames one as a compromise).  Typical 3 year old behavior.

We arrived at the game super early since to see the warm up since we knew that we would have to leave after the second period since it was a night game.

When the players came out to practice, the kids were mesmerized. Especially Grady.  They just started.  No smiles, no words, just stares.  It is pretty crazy when you are so close you can see the sweat on their faces!  Now that is the way to see your first game!

We even got a souvenir puck that flew over the glass and hit me in the foot.  Let's just be thankful that the puck didn't hit Cooper on the head as he was sitting on my lap.

The kids couldn't see over the boards from their seats, so we each had one on our laps, which made it a challenge to eat our supper to say the least, but I did enjoy lots of snuggles!

It wouldn't be a game without food either!

Like their mom, the hockey game is largely about food.  I used to love me a hot dog before the game, now I prefer a piece of pizza.  The kids now have the hot dogs.  And popcorn.

We made it until the end of the 2nd and I was so happy with how well the kids behaved.  They watched the game and enjoyed cheering and waving their flags.

In the end, we left when the game was 1-1 and the flames came back to win it 3-1.  We caught the second goal on the radio on the way home.

This was by far my favorite flames game ever.  I loved the excitement and energy that the kids had for watching and cheering.  Seeing their eyes get big as we walked to our seats and the realized just how close we were sitting.  I loved seeing them watch Harvey the Hound (the mascot) and enjoying the kids game during intermission.  I may not be the biggest fan of hockey games, but I am a huge fan of watching my kids buzz with happiness. 

Face Painting

We recently went to a birthday party where 'Miss Loosie' the clown provided hours of entertainment.  She was fantastic!  It was a smaller party of 7 kids and she provided a magic show, face painting AND balloon animals.  I can't say enough good things about her.

She decided to face paint in order of ages and Cooper ended up third.   I was drinking wine in the living room (yes, this kids party served wine - awesome!) when pirate Cooper ran out.

Ahoy Matey!

Apparently the kid second in line peed her pants and Cooper got to go early.  He told her he wanted to be a pirate and then sat still for her to paint his face.  Pretty darn cute pirate if I do say so myself.

No surprise to anyone... Grady got a Calgary Flame emblem on his face, as did his buddy Alex.

Go Flames Go!

I was really proud of him as it wasn't long ago that Grady wouldn't have his face painted at all.  He's come along way....

Miss Loosie had a whole book of face paintings the kids could choose from and she did a great job on each of them!

I had a short talk to her and she told me about how she goes to the Children's hospital to do therapy with the kids.  She is the first clown in Alberta registered to do that.  She really was an amazing lady.  I found an article about her that I found interesting.  If you are in the market for a clown, I'd definitely check her out!

Spin

Wednesday, Victoria and I attended our first spin class at The Sweat Lab, the same place where I have been doing barre.  While I am loving barre class, I am not sure I can say the same for spin.

It was not what I expected.  It was way harder.

Thankfully, we were not the only first-timers.  I would say there were about 5 new people out of about 15, and only a hand full of guys.

The instructor was great at getting our bikes set up and getting us clipped in with our special shoes.  Once the class started, it was 45 minutes full of biking.  Sit down biking.  Stand up biking.  Flat biking. Uphill biking.

It was hard.

From about the first 5 minutes in I decided I hated the class and I just needed to get through it.  I would not be coming back.  I wanted to go back to my barre classes where I felt like a ballerina instead of a big ball of yucky stinky sweat.

It became about survival.  I couldn't give up after all, I had to finish the class.

I made it.  Barely.

As we were cooling down, I didn't hate it as much.  I felt exhausted and sweaty.  I felt that there was no doubt I got a good workout.  As we stretched I slowly started to feel better and actually laughed at the thoughts I had during the class about how much I hated it.  The feelings were fading quickly.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't love it, but I will go back.  Not tomorrow, not next week, but I will go back because it was probably the hardest workout of my life and I am up for the challenge.

Finally

Yesterday morning, my brother and Chantelle welcomed their first son, and my first nephew to the world,  Kiptyn James.

I just want to pinch those little cheeks!

My brother has already given me 3 beautiful nieces and I love them to pieces and love buying them girly things.  But I know boys.  I am thrilled for my brother who has waited for this son for as I long as I can remember.  I am thrilled for my boys who will have a boy cousin to roughhouse with and play hockey with.  

I am just thrilled.

How can you not be when a new baby enters the family?  Now to wait until I finally get my hands on little Kip and can give his baby head a good long smell.  That is my thing.

Congrats James and Chantelle!

Bruise

I got home from work one day last week and immediately noticed a bruise on Grady's head.  I asked him what happened and he said he didn't know.

I asked Jasmin what happened to his head, she didn't know either. I didn't think much of it, kids bump their heads and get bruises all the time.  She was obviously bothered by it and wanted to know what happened.

Did you cry at school today?  No.

Did you hit your head on something?  No.

Did you fall?  No.

Just as we were about to leave the conversation and leave it as a mystery never to be solved, Grady piped up.

I did walk into a door at Alex's.

Apparently it was not a memorable moment, nor did it hurt that much as it faded from his memory as quickly as it happened.  It left a bruise behind that is just starting to turn yellow and fade away.  It wasn't the first, and it certainly won't be the last!

Closet Rotation

For the past few weeks I have been doing a closet rotation to decide what I wear each day.  I was inspired by my BFF who did this last winter.  One day I just looked in my closet and realized I had so much clothes that I wasn't wearing anymore. Instead, I was just rotating my favorites and neglecting a good portion of my perfectly wearable wardrobe. Enter the wardrobe rotation.

The rules:

1.  Must wear the shirt on the left hand side of the closet, no matter what it is.
2.  If you refuse to wear it, it gets donated.
3.  You can choose the remainder of the outfit.
4.  After you wear it it goes on the far right of the closet to wait for its next rotation.
5.  Closet rotation does not apply to non work days.

I figured that by doing all the shirts I would get through the majority of my pants and skirts.  My dresses are being neglected for the time being, but with the weather being so cold I didn't want to venture into that part of my closet anyway.  The dresses will have more than enough wear come summer.  Summer is going to come right??

The number one question that I've had asked is did I rearrange my closet before starting. The answer is NO.  I just decided one day and started the next, rearranging was not an option.

Although I will admit that there were some days that a short sleeved shirt would come up and I skipped it because it has been so darn cold.  I was told it was the coldest February in 20 years. So I did not dispose of those skipped shirts and I wore it on a nicer day or opted to cover it up with a cardi or blazer.

Have I mentioned this blazer hating girl is over the hatred.  I turn to blazers over cardigans 75% of the time now.   I would wear them more if I had more but I am still building that part of my wardrobe.  I  have come to the conclusion that finding the right blazer for you is key.  My preference is one that is less structured and made to wear open, and preferable collarless.  Luckily for me, these seem to easy to find these days.  I'd love a deep purple one, that I have yet to see in the stores, or a cobalt blue one that I have been seeing everywhere.

Back to the post....

This outfit is a prime example of a shirt that got skipped because it was short sleeved.

The first time this shirt came up I skipped it.  I like the shirt but it was so cold that day I just couldn't do it.  When the weather still hadn't warmed up a few days later I decided to look for an extra layer to put over it so I added my new cream blazer.  I love it for spring/summer neutral option. I am still getting used to it as a winter option.  White in winter?  Is that allowed?

I would have preferred to wear it with my navy pants but they were dirty.  So I wore with black.  While I think the outfit looks nice from the front, I am not sure I like the white on  black you see from the back.  Reminds me of a waitress.

This next outfit has a story to....

The shirt that came up in the rotation this day was a fuchsia fancy tshirt that I got from smart set years ago.  I just couldn't bring myself to wear it so it was the first and only shirt to go to the donate bin so far.  I always wore that pink shirt with this skirt so I decided to wear the skirt in lieu of the pink shirt since I hadn't worn it in ages.  I bend the rules occasionally.  But to my defence the whole purpose is to wear all of your closet and this skirt was definitely not getting enough wear.

I got no less than 5 compliments on this outfit, the skirt in particular.  I felt great in this outfit.  Changing out the shirt and adding in the coordinating jewelry made a huge difference in how much I liked the skirt.  I know that this skirt will be better used in the future!  Score!

For the record, if you look closely you'll notice i am wearing my booties.  They have really grown on me.  I wear them often with skinny pants and more often with tights and a skirt.  A great alternative to high boots and to heels when the weather is less than desirable.  Not to mention I have a thing against tights and heels.  Not sure why but I will only wear nude tights/nylons with heels.  Weird, I know.

So far, I am loving the closet rotation. I am wearing many things that I haven't work in ages and some of the outfits I actually really like.  It is pushing me to get a little creative with my outfit choices and takes the stress out of choosing an outfit each morning.  I highly suggest that you give it a try.  You may enjoy it more than you expect!

Five on Friday

1.  I really wanted to do a post on my 'Closet Rotation' that I have been doing for the past few weeks today.  Time got away from me and it will have to wait until Monday :(

2.  We are planning on going to Costco tonight for the first time in months.  I'm guessing 6.  It is just so busy on the weekend and I never feel like going at night.  So tonight is the night!  I am secretly hoping that they have my favorite red wine. Conundrum.  So yummy.  A bit more pricey but if you can find it at Costco it is not quite as bad.

3.  The weather is finally taking a turn for the better this weekend.  I can't wait to spend a little time outside.  Something tells me that skating could be in our weekend plans.....

4.  My nephew could arrive any day.  I am so excited for my brother to finally get that boy he has wanted.  I am also very excited for my boys who are looking forward to adding a boy cousin to their current girl cousin bunch.  They love the girls but want another little buddy to play hockey with :)

5.  We have an engagement party this weekend.  I've never been to one. I have been pondering my wardrobe debating what to wear.  I keep coming back to my leather pants.  Now to decide on the shirt.....  The couple is getting married in San Diego this fall and James and I are very excited to be attending without the kids! 

Smells

As a mother of boys, there is a certain smell that lingers in my bathroom.... I hope I am not alone in admitting this.  It never fails that within 24 hours of cleaning the bathroom, a certain odor slowly creeps back in and stays until it is cleaned again.  That odor, my friends, is the smell of pee.

It is not uncommon for me to find a puddle of fluid around the toilet.  I never have to wonder what it is.  It is always pee.

Recently when I found the puddle the kids and I were in their bathroom brushing their teeth.  I asked the boys who peed the on the floor and Grady put up his hand and said it was him.  It is usually Cooper so I was curious to know why my almost 6 year old peed on the floor.  He tells me that when he got up this morning that he didn't turn the light on before he peed so he couldn't see the toilet.  I politely told him that in the future he should really turn the lights on before peeing.

Just last night as I was getting the kids PJs out and ready and I hear Cooper in the bathroom yelling 'Sorry Mom'.  I just knew he peed on the floor.  I go in to the bathroom to find Cooper pant less with yet another big puddle around the toilet.  At least he said sorry.

At this point i am thinking I should be buying shares in Lysol as I am going through their wipes mighty quickly!

Skate Skate Hockey Skate Hockey

Our winter thus far has been filled with lots of time at the rink. Both kids ask to go to the rink each and every weekend. They prefer to go to the outdoor rink where they can bring their sticks and shoot the puck around, but the weather has been quite cold this winter so we often opt to go indoors where the sticks aren't allowed.

The kids just can't get enough of the ice and their skates.  I love to see them enjoying something so much and it helps that they BOTH want to do the same thing.  Sometimes I think that Cooper is into just as much or more than Grady.  Their enthusiasm is contagious.

This past week was supposed to be Grady's last week of hockey so I dragged the the good camera to the rink to snap a few photos.

How did he get so big?

The green laces have actually been really handy given all the kids have the same jersey with no number.  Some parents taped a shape or an 'X' on the back of the jersey as a distinguisher.  We have bright green laces.

He seriously skates off the ice with this giant smile. Every. Single. Time.  It makes all the hassle of the sport worthwhile.

Notice the green laces.

The bonus to the outdoor hockey is that Cooper gets to skate to.  There is a skating rink around the entire hockey rink which is handy.  Cooper brings his stick and a puck and plays with another 3 year old brother that is watching his brother.  Over the weeks, Cooper has gotten to be quite the little skater.

Password: skate

Cooper skates from Christy R on Vimeo.
skate

What really amazes me is that Grady had never been on skates at Coopers age and Cooper is already essentially skating.  The second kid sure does things faster in our house!    Cooper has cried every time we left the rink because he wants to stay.  Even on the coldest of days, he wants to stay on the ice and play.   I'm so proud of Cooper and the great little skater he has become.  While James said we will never do outdoor hockey again, there is a good chance that Cooper will play next year.

I've really enjoyed the season of watching hockey.  Considering I hated watching my brother play hockey grow up, I am really enjoying watching Grady.  Must be the difference between a son and a brother, sorry James.

While we thought it was Grady's last game, we got an email over the weekend that they have extended the program for 2 more weeks.  I was surprisingly happy to hear this, not only for Grady, but for the rest of the family as it has become a family outing that I have enjoyed more than I ever expected!