The Year of Living with the C word.

COVID.  It has been over a year with this pandemic and I still go through my WTF moments.  

We all have our own personal stories - my story is no more or less than others and the pandemic has affected all of us in different ways.  Trips and major events have been canceled, weddings have been postponed,  large get-togethers are still a no-no and it's not business as usual.  But this IS a pandemic, and while vaccinations are underway, the virus isn't going away anytime soon.  It can get down right fucking depressing. 

The year has been tough. I live far from my parents and my siblings and it has been over a year since seeing any of them. I've got people all over, from Nova Scotia to California, and from Florida to Ontario and places in between.  This causes quite a bit of emotional turmoil and I am also going through menopause, oh good. Bring on the hot flashes and mood swings and for godsakes if you value your life you will turn down the fucking heat!!!!!  Top that all up with a  new dose of vertigo and hearing loss.....basically I am fucked.  

So is there anything good?  

Yes.  

Yes there is.  

Yes it sucks AND yes there are some good things that have come out of it. 

Here are my top 10 in no particular order.

Where we live  

We are lucky to live in a place where vaccinations are available for the public. I received my first Pfizer shot last week and remember thinking how grateful I am to live in this country.  As I sat for my 15 minutes after my shot, I thought how grateful I am for my family and friends; to all healthcare workers, whether on the frontlines or behind the scenes; for all administrative staff in hospitals; and grateful for Science and all those involved in the vaccination process from start to finish.  

Curbside pick-up

This feature should never go away!  I love the ability and choice to NOT have to go into a store, whether it is Home Depot, the local pharmacy for a medication pick up, or Walmart.  To go to the parking lot, have prime parking and text someone that you are "here!" is awesome!  You open your trunk, they load your junk, you drive home. Done. Nuff said!

Online shopping

This has been a thing long before the pandemic, but shopping has never been so easy and fun!  I have never loved mall shopping (still love cute little one-off shops especially in our lovely Inglewood). But to order online has been amazing. I love how local shops have this too (we love ordering from the Best of Calgary) and we don't always have to order from Amazon!  Returns are easy, shopping is not limited to work hours and it can be just fun.  I may have developed a slight addiction, but it ebbs and flows. And speaking of flow......Market Wines has free delivery within Calgary!  Yes!

https://bestofcalgaryfoods.com/

https://www.marketwines.ca/

Wash your hands and no spitting on my cake!

These both just make good sense!   Wash your hands...before cooking, after the bathroom, before and after anything, just wash your hands and carry hand sanitizer everywhere! Sing along to your 20 second song!  And regarding the cake thing....who ever liked eating the spit-glistening icing anyway?  Or did we just never think about it?  Well, it's out there now, so lets just give the birthday person their own cupcake and let them blow on that and I can just get my own, clean cupcake thanks! 

Virtual Health

I am amazed at how fast things went from all in-person to the ability to zoom with patients.  Working in healthcare, this has been huge!  I also love that physicians are making phone calls as this did not happen as often before. Having the option to do your appointment by phone or zoom is something that will be here to stay.  For sure virtual visits do not replace the value of an in-person visit, but for patients and their families it gives them flexibility to still proceed with the appointment if it is difficult for whatever reason to make the commute. A win-win for everyone!

Family Time

My two university kids were virtual for most of the year and it was even though it was tough, we did get a lot of family time.  We played games - tried Monopoly (still a no-go as fights can break out), but loved Code Names, Sushi Roll, King of Tokyo, Poker and Dealers Choice.  We had some awesome fireside chats outdoors with good wine and good laughs.  We had a few family activities like skating on Gap Lake, and driving with my husband to watch the sunrise at Moraine Lake which had more parking than usual as there are no tour busses.  Spending this time together was not always perfect, but it was excellent, and I will cherish these memories and hold them close to my heart. 

Netflix and Prime and Disney, Oh My!    

So in a word.   Bridgerton.   But watched lots of great shows including Bridgerton. Did I mention Bridgerton?  Seriously though, we watched Mandalorian, Killing Eve, Schitts Creek, Wanda Vision and more. Plus don't forget to tune in for Season 4 of Handmaid's Tale starting up right around the corner!  I did not watch the Tiger King (I tried!) but loved having our Marvel Marathon, and rewatching the classic Star Wars Movies and a few Disney flicks too - Lilo and Stitch is a family favorite! So much fun to snuggle in with a bowl of popcorn, a loved one and a furry friend! A great way to help carry us through and spend time together. 

WFH

Whether you are Working From Home or Working-Out From Home, the same benefits apply.  Stumble out of bed, grab coffee, a quick shower and dress up from the waist up (sweats on!) and you can be at work in less than 30 minutes.  Same with workouts.  Stumble out of bed, grab my workout stuff, stumble to the basement and in less than 10 minutes I am ready with my yoga mat and water bottle. No commute in the morning is Bliss, especially on snow days! I know that the WFH may change, but hoping to have a balance of  GTFO (go-to-the-fucking-office)  and WFH. Zen.

Pet World! 

I love my dog. Not only has she embraced quarantine, she now knows the world revolves around her even more than it did before.  My people are here all the time!!!!!  That means they want to play fetch all the time!  Yay!!!  This does come with more whining (especially around meal times) and more sad looks when we can't play (WFH - see above), but when you factor in an extra dog walk at lunchtime, it is pretty great!

The Camera Loves You!  

Zoom Zoom!  I know that we all have zoom-fatigue but with my family living all over the globe, it has been my saviour.  I see my mom everyday, and I love it.  I have even seen my dad a few times on Zoom, which was amazing as he prides himself on not knowing how to email people.  For sure Zoom, or Facetime or Whatsapp video do not and will not ever replace the hugs, but having this ability with my family and my in-laws has been awesome.  We did a murder mystery with our friends at Christmas, and have done several zoom birthday parties, and while I can't wait for the big gathering to celebrate everything we missed, I am grateful that we have remained together and connected during this time apart. 

Gratitude is powerful.  

Feel the bad and sad, always embrace the good and joy.  

Gratitude is powerful. 

 

   

If You Cook it, They will Come (begrudgingly).

I am a huge advocate for the family meal. I owe this to the way I was raised. When dinner was ready, everyone gathered and everyone ate together.  Both my husband and I had families with working parents and our moms put dinner on the table daily.  I have no idea to this day how my mom did it, but she did.   In our house we would sit, listen to music, eat and talk about our day.   It wasn't perfect.  There would be fighting over who set and cleared the table and one of my siblings (who shall remain nameless) would conveniently go to the bathroom during clean up.  But it was excellent.  Most of the time we sat around our dining room table - we did have a view of the ocean, which was pretty cool.   There were special occasions where we would we eat in our basement in front of the TV.  We did this for the 1980 Winter Olympics, and to this day I remember the meal - whole barbecued chicken and my mom's homemade macaroni pie - and we  ate as we watched he United States win gold.  I have such fond memories of our dinners growing up and cherish these times with my parents and my siblings.

Fast forward.  From early on my husband and I set the precedent for mealtimes.   No TV at dinner was our main rule (unless it was Olympic hockey or Game 7 of the Stanley Cup).   Once we had cell phones and as our children got older, we had to reinvent some of the rules:  no cell phones or screens of any kind at the table for anyone (including us), no checking texts and no answering calls.  This last rule was amended to no answering phones unless it was a grandparent, only because all the grandparents live far away.  Setting an example for our kids at dinner has been one of the best things we have done.  I am certainly not saying it was perfect, as there were many MANY times where we had to remind  our children to stop checking their phone, or to put their phone down (which did not go over well, but whatever...PUT DOWN THE PHONE).  There are 1440 minutes in the day, and I am asking for 20 minutes.  Less than 2 % of everyone's time.  Sounds reasonable to me.

The kids are older now and it can be amazing what happens at dinner.   Our older one is away at university so the dynamics have changed as it is just the three of us.  Our daughter, though lovely, is seventeen and she misses her brother.  Getting her to come down for dinner on time has been challenging but we still try to do family meals when we can. Today we made a delicious meal, and she came downstairs, begrudgingly, and was not in a very chatty mood.

How was your day? Fine.  
How was your chem test? Fine.  
How was your Spanish presentation? Fine.   

Not a typical family meal!
Christmas Eve at my moms this year

Okay....?  

So we carried on with some quiet small talk. Finally after she ate, out came the animated chatter about her day, her life, her friends.  It is amazing how many times this has happened at our meals and how much we learn sitting around the table.    Meals are more than just about sustenance.  They are social times to be together and can be a safe place to share stories and talk about your day.

Creating mealtime structure is something that we can do and make time for. I know more than anyone that life is busy as our kids play team sports and have social lives with friends.  My best advice is whenever possible, on a regular basis, have family meals.  Eat together, share, laugh and listen.  You will never get a better education than around the dinner table, sharing food (and wine sometimes) with family and friends.

love you edtti...xo

Tomorrow will be three years.  Three years of life on earth without him.  How is that even possible?  I still ask myself if it is real. But it is.  And maybe it feels worse because I am no longer in denial, or am I?   I still talk to him, write to him, but sometimes I want to hear him..what would he say to me?  What advice would he give?  

I searched my email today and typed in "Zaim" and scrolled through hundreds of emails.  It gave me comfort seeing our emails to each other about everything from organizing closets and desks to our jobs and our families.   I wanted to see his words.  Feel the words he wrote to me.  

His love for his job....

Hi Sherene I got the job in the private practice office just like you! only narda and I know so keep it on the qt till I tell you and know the details.
I love you everyday that there is
Fav uncle

OM(F!)G!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so proud of u! And so happy for u! I had my private practice job today and just LOVE it!!!!!!

Love u everyday that there is!!!!!!

~s..xo

Thanks for your vote of confidence and love.

So glad I have you to confide in..I thank Allah that you love your job it is one non fattening ingredient in a recipe for a great life. 

Fav unc

Love for his family....

I love you everyday that there is.kiss all for me.

Merry Christmas. My Christmas is so happy Emir slept here with all of us . Allah be praised.
Fav uncle

His funny sayings that were soooooo him....

Gee thanks...love the microphone pics ..love them did I mention I love them 

Fav uncle

His love for my kids.....

Sooooooo cute beyond words ..love you everyday that there is....kamea asked me what is there is

Fav uncle

My number one fan...

So proud of u

Fav unc

Saw you in the news paper...wow wow wow
Fav uncle

Wow I am sooooooo happy for you.

Fav uncle whose niece is in the papers

So what advice would he give me about my job, my children, my family?  I already know this answer.    He was proud of me.  He loved me.  He is with me.  

I just need to read between the lines.  

Love you uncle Zaim, everyday that there is...xo

Suddenly September...

September.

First, on Sunday, it was 25 degrees...did my perennial planting,
Got some great sun, had the neighbours over....good times....

While I love the fall, falling back into September pretty much sucks.  Gone are the whimsical days of summer, and we are forced back into a rigid routine, ditching our flip flops for proper shoe-ware, and telling ourselves that we need to cut back on all the wine and cheese we feasted on over the summer (nothing good can come of this!).  

...then...this happened the
NEXT day! Its still summer!!!!

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great things about September...the fall is beautiful (well, not today in Calgary), the kids are back in school, and while they don't realize it, they DO thrive on structure. 

But, before I become to bitter and numb to the pain of September, it would be good to reflect on the wonderful summer we had, from east to west!    We did two weeks in Ontario for my cousins wedding,  with a side trip to Montreal (yes, got bagels AND 4 lb of smoked meat!).   What a great wedding (with a fab and sexy MC...me!), and just some much needed connection with my entire family.  Then we did two weeks out west and drove to Victoria, stayed with my hubby's bro and his wonderful family. On our way back we stopped for our annual week at Mara Lake, which was fantastic, as usual!

Summer recap!

Went out for Ben and Sandy's wedding....what a great
picture of my hubby and I!  Brown Goddess indeed!

And more brown!!!!  Love this pic of my sis and some cousins!

Got to see my dad and two sisters!!!  
Wish we did not live so far apart!!!!

Wedding time.....check out the MC and her
main squeeze!

Mommy and daughter...love it!

Nanee and Noah!

Fun times with my mom and aunt, my cousin and daughter!

BC ferries!  Off to Victoria!

Love this pic of my son and I!

Tea at the Empress with my
sister-in-law and daughter....and she loved EVERY minute!

Simply delicious!

Me driving a boat at Mara Lake!   Who woulda thought???

Ahhhh...back to school....Grade 7 and 9!  Wha???????

Katy!!!!!!  We love Katy!!!!!!!  What a great show!

Here's to summer!    Bring on the fall (I guess).   I did get a great gift from my sister-in-law which I have now decided (after writing this blog post),  I will use to survive September...."Fifty Excuses for Wine"...here is one of my faves....

Love this......it's the only way to survive September....
how many days til Thanksgiving???

HMD 2014!

Some pictures from today!  Happy Mother's Day!

My Traditional Mother's Day Brunch
with my favourite things!

What a wonderful Mother's Day!   It is so great to have traditions...no matter what they are.  Our tradition for quite a long time has been for the kids and my husband to make me a delicious brunch, followed by "Whatever-Mommy-Wants-To-Do" today.  Brunch was as usual, a brilliant collection of my favourite things...smoked salmon with caper berries, a selection of fine cheeses and bread, fresh berries, chocolate croissant, sausage, scrambled eggs served with coffee and orange juice.  It was magnificent!  Later on, we walked through Nosehill park, relaxed at home, went to Without Papers for dinner (totally yummy and trendy pizza) followed by a family movie.


As for gifts,  I asked for no complaining no matter how many pictures I took today...and I took A LOT of pictures! Though I also got the perfect tea mug from David's Tea (thank you!!!) and a homemade collage from my daughter, complete with coupons for hugs and kisses.

And there were no complaints for the 40 pictures that I took!

Ahhhh....Nova Scotia
Smoked Salmon....

Thank you for a fabulous day!

Calgary Herald....How to get your teens and tweens to contribute to healthy meals

I'm in the paper today!!!!

Woo hoo!!!

Follow this link and check it out!

http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/your+tweens+teens+contribute+healthy+meals/9767882/story.html

New Mommy

Clearly, I am pregnant
here, just days before
becoming a new mommy!
June 2000

So there have been three times in my life where someone has asked me if I was pregnant, and I was NOT.  I remember each experience vividly, right down to what I was wearing and what I was doing.  The first time, we were at a family gathering on my hubby's side, and someone-who-shall-not-be-named innocently said that they did not I was expecting again.  Now...on this occasion, I was wearing a very long and baggy sweater (i.e., had no fashion sense), and I was a bit....shall we say....larger than I am now.   The second time it was again on my hubby's side of the family and another "someone-who-shall-not-be-named" asked me when I was due.  We were at a Christmas gathering AND I was drinking a goblet of wine.  I know, right?   I responded that I was not pregnant, and the person then had the gall to ask me if I was serious (twice!)  SERIOUSLY?  (A) I was clearly drinking wine, and (B) Don't ask that question unless you are 1000000% sure!

Today....it happened again!   This time, at work, and the hardest part is that I have been working out at bootcamp, eating okay, and I think I look okay (despite the fact that I am still carrying a bit of summer weight).

.....but perhaps it was the style of shirt I was wearing.  They just looked at me in a friendly way and asked if I was going to be a "new mommy".  I politely responded that I was already a mommy and that I was indeed not preg-o.

Oh well.   Had to vent that out.  Now if you will excuse me, I have an odd craving for pickles and ice cream.  And no...I am not pregnant!

Back to School, Back to Reality

Ah September.  The end of summer vaycay; the end of camping and trips to the lake, but the beginning of a new school year (hurrah!).  Time to get back to school lunches and healthy-ER eating (compared to the summer, which for me was full of mouth-watering appies, drinks in the afternoon, sunset Caesar's, followed by wine, dinner, port....the list goes on!).  But before we move forward, full speed ahead...it is important to reflect on what we did this summer...

Rafting....my first time!

Whhoooo-hooo!

Mara Lake 2013

A bit of water-skiing! 

My LA trip...Rodeo Drive

We made it!!!!

First day of Grade 8 and Grade 6

Now the first week of school come and gone, and we are in fine-fall-form!  The kids (so far) like their teachers, they are happy to see their school friends AND their hockey/ringette friends, and they are happy to be back to the routine of it all!

And even though it is sad to see the summer go (winter is coming), there are fun things to look forward to on the home-front...bootcamp (6 am!), finger food fridays (wings and ribs!), hockey and ringette tournaments (!!), home reno's (we'll see how that goes), painting walls and cleaning out closets (fun winter projects) and last, but not least, let's not forget that in a few weeks, I'll be eating turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie!

Here come's the fall!  Bring it on!

It's the Do, not the Give...

Gourmet cheeses, chocolate
croissant, smoked NS salmon,
mimosa, coffee.....ahhhh....

Mother's Day was everything I wanted this year:  Thoughtful words in a beautiful card, a delicious brunch with my favourite foods (I know, how do they choose? There are so many!), a family hike followed by a nice picnic, and dinner out.  I had told everyone not to buy gifts, and to just make a card and be creative.  When my son read me the card, and his short and sweet poem, he then said..."Mom, you really just wanted the do this year, and not the give ".   How profound.  The do. Not the give.   The effort that went into my morning coffee (which was brought to me in bed), the beautiful brunch, the fantastic picnic (complete with snackies!), and the dinner out warmed my heart.  

That family joyfulness sometimes gets lost in all the activities and busyness...it was nice to have one day to find it again.  

Had to take a pic of just the cheese!

It was a beautiful day...

...for a family hike and picnic!

Smile!

Happy Mother's Day!!

A Grand Day Out

The weekend has come and gone, and even though the weather felt more like winter than spring (we had a blizzard here yesterday), we made the best of it.

It is always a bit surreal when hockey and ringette are over.  It felt weird in the car yesterday when the four of us were driving, with no arena to go to and no smelly gear in the car.  With it being such a grey day, we decided to go downtown for an indoor adventure!  Our first stop?  The Devonian Gardens.....lush green palm trees, beautiful flowers and tranquil ponds with tropical fish....indoors, but still!  Nice to see green on grey day!

Next...we stopped and bought 4 baby cupcakes at a trendy bakery....chocolate for the girls, and then the boys had vanilla with pink strawberry icing.....delicious!  Then....time to walk around....go into a few little shops....just enough of a walk to get those tummies grumbling!  

We did a late lunch yesterday (which worked out great, as we did not have to cook dinner!).  We decided on Earls....decent food, and a little something for everyone....

Fish and chips and a Guinness for me!
No regrets! Every calorie was worth it!

Hubby got the Earls signature curry dish...

It was such a good feeling to sit and eat together in a restaurant with no arena-schedule.  No places to go or people to see...just us.  We talked  and laughed, and it filled us up...the grey and dreary weather no longer mattered.  Kids were laughing, hubby and I were smiling...I just sat back and drank my Guinness, ate my fish (batter and all) and felt happy.  What a grand day out indeed!

Happy Hallowe'en!

Katniss Everdeen!

I have never LOVED Hallowe'en.  I like it, but I don't love it.  Growing up in Nova Scotia, it was always cold and damp, and any costume you wore had to be modified with some sort of raincoat and rubber boots, or a winter jacket and mitts.   Calgary is no different, though the last 5 years here have been so mild that tonight's "freezing" weather threw me for a loop.  But...it's all about the kids, and they had a blast tonight.  

Welcome to Zombie-land!

For the first time since we have been taking them Trick or Treating, tonight was the first night that they went on their own, with friends.   At first, I thought I would be sad (no, I didn't!).   I came home after dropping my daughter at her friends and it was just my husband and I.  A strange feeling at first on  Hallowe'en, but then, we opened some wine, made a fancy cheese and olive plate, and I was no longer feeling nostalgic...but feeling proud that my kids had friends to be with, and proud that they were out on their own, having fun.  

All in all, it was a Happy Hallwe'en for everyone...kids AND parents!

Tricks and Treats for us too!!!  Yum!