Evening dog walks are a great time for wisdom….
Harmony and Balance
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Category Archives: Programs and Activities
It’s called growing up…
Ahhhh September with your cooler air, fall colours and incessant-punch-to-the-face scheduling nightmare.
What I said and what I wanted to say…
Two weeks ago we dropped our kids off at camp, three provinces away, for a month long stay. Today I received a letter from our son and it instantly reminded me of the feelings I had when we said our final goodbyes before leaving him with his cabin mates. Like many boys, he finds being away from home challenging, especially in the evenings. He’s honest and open with his emotions in the lead-up to camp and at the actual drop off (when extra hugs are never ending). I tried to provide a sense of strength and positivity by acknowledging his fears and reminding him of the good times ahead but deep inside, I’m a super softie.
Your answer to: “What should I have to eat?”
If your kids are anything like mine, they come home from school famished. Ravenous. The default is to go for the easy stuff – packaged crap that is high in sugar and tastes delicious. Well, with the help of the Canadian Sport Institute and our Canmore Nordic Ski Club, (we had a nutritionist speak to us about healthy food choices for student athletes), I’ve whittled down an excellent list into some options I believe are easy for my kids to help themselves to, are better for them and also taste delicious. My hope is that this eliminates the question that invariably follows the dumping of their knapsack and plodding over to wherever I happen to be when they come home which is, “What should I have to eat?”
“Feast your eyes on the fridge door!” I shall reply in a jolly tone. “And choose whatever tickles your taste buds!” The rest, is up to them.
Print off a copy, slap it on your fridge and let me know if your day becomes “What should I have to eat” free!
Best mail from camp. Ever.
We are continually wondering if there is anything in the mail for us from the kids.
As they are 3.241.3km away, and we live in a mountain town where mail can take a while to get through the snowy pass and past ornery big horn sheep, there have been more days of nothing than something. Last week however we received the following (I’d misplaced it and just found again today), which is quite simply the best piece of mail I’ve ever received.
On the back was written:
Today I almost died. The day, August 4th, I was on a cook out and the horse got stung by a bee and freaked out and I fell off and got stood on my knee and got dragged and I thought I was going to die. I really really thought I was going to die. – Love Ben
I absolutely love the drawing. The placement of the bee, the motion of the fast running horse, the position of my son. I do wonder however, why he’s drawn himself in what looks suspiciously like a prison jump suit…
Reality TV would really help sometimes.
I sometimes wish we were a full-time reality tv family. That way I could go back in time to the recording where an agreement was made and replay it for the person who swears up and down that events did not transpire as they did…
Fall-ing into spring
There has got to be a better way….
It’s been one month since I tore ligaments in my thumb and have been unable to draw. Nice to get back at it with an ode to a very Toronto based frustration with kids programming!
Spring is here…. time to think about the Fall!
Proud papa
The Art of Dad 