Wrong Diagnosis

I had a feeling that the splurging at the Fire Station breakfast before a baseball practice would not be such good idea. Ethan and his friend Jack took charge of the whip cream, treating themselves to a generous amount on the pancakes and on the hot chocolate. To top it all off, Ethan still managed to woof down half of a chocolate muffin on the way to the fields. It came as no surprise that he got sick after half an hour of exercise. I blamed myself for not putting more restrains on the food choices and went through the usual mother's guilt blame. Since he reported feeling better, I allowed Christian to take him to the annual fishing derby. The derby is an annual tradition, as well as the lack of any big catches; even so, they had fun and all seemed well. Not even the long afternoon nap made me suspicious of any illness, since I took in consideration the late bed time, the excitement of a friend having slept over, and the early rise time. Of course he was exhausted and needed a siesta. What made me finally realize that he was indeed suffering from the effect of a viral bug was the true & tried " mom's touch to the forehead" method. The thermometer did confirm my findings. I can no longer blame it on whipped cream!

Girls Getaway

A weekend to talk, bond, share, walk, browse, shop and give our routines a rest.

Seattle was our destiny and we enjoyed all the city had to offer;

Beautiful flowers, fresh produce, creative crafts,

street side entertainment, delicious cuisine

beautiful views (see Mt Rainer peeking in the background) and even some sun.

A girls getaway would not be complete without a makeover.

Here goes Ann, brave enough to get a new hairdo.

and she walked out with a stylish new haircut that compliments her beautiful face.

We ended our weekend by attending a great service at Mars Hill Church. I returned home refreshed and ready to hug my loving family. Today as we were savoring a delicious leftover smoked salmon soup that Shawn had prepared over the weekend, Nolan tells me: "No offense mom, but this soup tastes even better that when you make it." How could I take offense when I have a husband that not only is a great husband, father but also a wonderful cook.

Spring Break Alternative

My idea, or dream, for a spring break day is a visit to the beach under somewhat clear skies with mild temperatures. I'm not talking about a hot blue bird day with kids wading in the water. Just a pleasant day, where you can leave you rain coat home, wear your fleece, have the sun occasionally peek out and warm your back while you explore the tide pools. The reality is that it has been chilly and raining so much that they even canceled the soccer games for this coming Saturday, you know it's wet when that happens; regular amounts of rain do not scare the soccer enthusiasts away. The obvious choice then is to hit higher elevations to where the rain drops turn into snow. All the rain down here was forgotten when the boys saw it meant 10 new inches on the mountain. The problem is that I would much rather drive in any crazy South American big city rush hour traffic,

then on a winding snow covered road with only a imaginary guard rail separating me from a abyss.

It is a fear that I have vowed to overcome. I'm happy to report that I got a carload full of boys up & down the mountain safely, but I'm still dreaming with that visit to the beach!

The Art of Playing in the Rain

Saturdays in Whatcom County

Every boy's dream, stampeding through the mud, sliding into puddles, getting dirt in the face while their parents watch and cheer.

Carte Blanche for playing in the mud! Now I will put those laundry detergent claims to the test.

No Joke

When we came home from our date and I told the boys that their dad had eaten a raw octopus leg, tentacles and all, they thought for sure it was an April's fool joke. The truth is that we had a delectable experience at a sushi restaurant in Vancouver. The place came highly recommended by our neighbours and it did not disappoint. As for the octopus leg, you will need to ask Shawn, I drew the line at the squid.

When a trip down to Seattle's Children , when a long wait in a room with outdated magazines and a needle stick to your arm are all unavoidable, one just has to take a detour to a Galaxy Far, far away . . .