Friday, March 18, 2011

March Break!

It's March Break and I've got the week off with the kids!

Verrrry fierce! Friday night at the ROM - March 2011
Yes - my daughter is wearing PJs - her class had a pyjama day at school today
Friday - Cheering and big grins when the school bell rang at the end of the day. Took the kids downtown to the Royal Ontario Museum after school, and stayed until they closed about 4 hours later. We brushed up on our history, checked out a special exhibit on Water, and generally wandered through the galleries. Our favourites of the night: a clutch of 150-million year-old dinosaur eggs, 1,200 year-old Viking swords, 3,500 year-old mummies, two of Chopin's pianos, 450-million year-old fossils of aquatic life from this area back when it was under water, 2,000 year-old busts of the Olympian gods, and the hands-on exhibits in the children's galleries. I also love being at the ROM after dark - the lighting is fabulous.

Saturday - I went to Curves in the morning while my husband took the kids down to the community centre. He and our son ran/walked about 4K on the track (way to go!!!) while our daughter had her gymnastics class. Lazy day after that.

GPOY: Post 5K edition

Sunday - St. Pat's 5K! Nice cool, dry day, fairly flat course. Great swag bag, chili and beer! Did this one with Lynda, Kat and Emma. Something remarkable happened - this is the first 5K I've done that (a) didn't suck, and (b) I finished STRONG - I signed up as a walker, but ran the first 100 or so metres (burst of adreneline),  ran the last 100 or so metres, and crossed the finish line with a smile! OK, OK, I know that's bad race etiquette...but I've never been fit enough to run any distance, anywhere - let alone at the END of a 5K and so I'm super impressed with myself. In the past I've had trembling hands after crossing the finish line. My Blackberry has chips out of it from me dropping it when trying to turn off my timer at past 5Ks. Not today! Was it the lucky green tech shirt? Or have I just been working hard enough that I'm fitter than I was in January?!?! Emailed the race coordinators for the next 5Ks that I'm signed up for and changed my category to 'runner'...just to give myself the option to jog here and there if I'm up for it.

Mamma gorilla storming off after breaking up a fight: Honestly you two - I've had enough.
Yep, I know how she feels :-)
Monday - Beautiful sunny day! Took the kids to the zoo for the day.  Kids had a great time, but this is tough for me - I know zoos do good work, and ours does absolutely the best they can, but some of the enclosures seem...cramped. Sigh. Highlight: watching a gorilla break up a fight between her son and his little sister. Just like being at home!

Tuesday - Cleaned the house for FOUR hours (long overdue...), then played outside while waiting for my SIL and nephews to arrive. Beautiful sunny afternoon - kids spent their time scootering, biking and drawing with sidewalk chalk. Bonus: my husband signed my SIL up for the 10K that he's doing this spring, and we booked our summer camping trip!


Wednesday started off rainy...

Wednesday - SIL and I took the kids bowling in the morning before heading to the park for a few hours. They headed home after dinner and I went to Zumba.

...and then brightened up!
This was really cool - feeding chickadees and nuthatches by hand
Thursday - Went to Collingwood to visit my cousin and her family. Kids played, grownups relaxed, and we took the kids swimming.

At Sunset Point, Collingwood - March 2011
Friday - Took the kids & cousins hiking down by the Collingwood waterfront. Highlight of the day: watching their dog (a boxer) endlessly chase his tail while wearing striped kneesocks that the kids had put on him. Truly the funniest thing I've seen so far this year.

What I'm reading this week - It's all over the map! Superdad: A Memoir of Rebellion, Drugs and Fatherhood by Christopher Shulgan, Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs, The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich.

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