They're Gonna Wash Away

"It's not easy taking my problems one at a time when they refuse to get in line" ...Ashleigh Brilliant

LOL!!! Ashleigh Brilliant has a good sense of humour!

O.K. I'm feeling rather jovial this Friday evening.  No I'm not having the "everyone's finally asleep" party yet, but I'm happy for another reason.  My mom's going home tomorrow!

I'm so happy I feel like singing.. "I got troubles oh but not today, they're gonna wash away, they're gonna wash away.."

No, that's not me!!  That's just the way I feel.  I feel happy, overjoyed, relieved, and hallelujah we made it!

I'll never forget last April 2nd.  My friend phoned to wish us a happy world Autism day (that was so thoughtful of her!) and I could barely speak.  I had just heard that my mom had a terrible fall and was being to taken to hospital.  They were virtually certain she had broken her hip.  About two hours later that was confirmed and she was immediately scheduled in for emergency hip replacement surgery.  She is 82 and strong yet frail.  I spent about four hours praying she would make it through the surgery okay and then more prayers to get through the critical first week of recovery.  I was anxious and fearful of the worst, mostly because of the memories of losing my father four days following surgery nine years ago.  Thankfully she made it through the first week and the following four weeks of hospital rehab pretty well considering her age.  But she wasn't quite ready to be home on her own.  She came back to stay at our house on May 10th.  My son's been keeping track of the days -  82 (same as her age!).  My mom joked yesterday, "good thing I'm not 100!"  Good one, mom.

I am so grateful she recovered as well as she did and she's able to go home and return to her normal routines.  I feel guilty a little for feeling so happy that she's going home because right now I'm just thinking about myself, I am happy for selfish reasons.  I've been exhausted for four months from the stress, travel and extra responsibilities.  And I'm just overjoyed that my family can get back to our normal routines..finally!

If I am able to leave you with a positive message from this experience it would be this: Even if you think you already have your fill of problems, you could still wake up to an unexpected really big new one in the morning.  If you stay strong and get through that challenge, when it's gone, you will feel like brand new.  And that "new you" may be able to handle those "old you" problems a whole lot better.

Now, the best part of today's blog, seriously I've been looking forward to watching this all day long.  My favourite song from Lost (again!), from Season 1 - Tabula Rasa, Wash Away.  Everyone's favourite happy Lost tune.  BTW, there is nothing wrong with the sound the first few seconds, it's Hurley listening to it on his mp3!

Tabula Rasa means "Blank Slate".  At the end of the episode, Jack tells Kate that they all should be able to start over and the people who were fighting with someone "made amends".   Well except John Locke - he just sat and looked really creepy!

Let's watch - Enjoy!

That was so happy it made me cry!  When Walt ran to his dog, Vincent and jumped with glee, and when Sayid tossed Sawyer the apple, those parts got to me.  Great show, great memories.

Have a great weekend!

Linda

It's Time To Listen

"The outcome of any serious research can only be to make two questions grow where only one grew before"...Thorstein Veblen

The small print at the bottom of the graph reads "recent research has indicated that changes in diagnostic practices may account for at least 25% of the increase in prevalence over time, however much of the increase is still unaccounted for and may be influenced by environmental factors." - full story at:   click here for more information from Autism Speaks

When you look at the rise in autism in a graph like this, a picture truly does speak a thousand words.  Parents have long believed this sharp rise in autism to be real, as well as educators, teachers, principals, child care workers, pediatricians, dentists, and anyone who works closely with young children.  In addition, the general population is believing the rise is real and mostly still unexplained, not because of what they hear in the news, but because they see our children in their extended families, in their friend's children, in their neighbourhood, and in the community we share.  And this is happening all over the world.  Pretty much everyone now knows someone with autism.

People naturally are worried and have questions.  If I was pregnant now as opposed to 1998, I would want to know the risks for my baby.  Ten to Fifteen years from now, my daughter, nieces and nephews will want to know their risks when planning a pregnancy.  People have a right to have complete, honest and unbiased communication and open discussion opportunities.  I hope this happens more regularly in the future.

So what are the risks of your child developing autism?  There is no doubt there is genetic influence, that has been known for a long time, but please do not think you are safe because you have never seen autism in your family (parents, grandparents and so on).  It used to be rare and that is why parents of children with autism born in recent years are shocked, confused and terrified when they realize what's happened.  We never expected this to happen.  What we are now learning through recent research is that the environment (womb environment plus environment one year following birth) may play a greater role in the risk than previous research suggested, and a greater role than genetics alone.  The results of a twin study was published online on July 4, 2011 in the Archives of General Psychiatry:  Genetic Heritability and Shared Environmental Factors Among Twin Pairs with Autism, the conclusion:  susceptibility to ASD has a moderate genetic heritability and a substantial twin environmental component.  click here to read Autism Speaks news release on this study .

I am personally delighted to hear of results that may shift the focus of future research (and of course the funding) from genetics only to a combined genetics/environmental approach.  This makes more sense, it has always looked to me and many other parents that genetics alone was not responsible for the sharp rise in autism - something else was triggering it and that's a scary thing.  Thank heavens we may finally be heading in the right direction in understanding what's really going on, and the more we know the more we may be able to prevent this from affecting so many children.

Now moving on to a lighter side.  Today is my father's birthday and he passed away 9 years ago.  He loved his two grandchildren, and was so happy we named our son after him.  They brought him the greatest joy in his last four years of life. 

My dad was most of the time a quiet proper Englishman, and was not all that amused by television.  I think he secretly liked watching tv with me though, and I do recall him really getting a kick out of this extremely funny and popular scene from "All in the Family", he talked about it often and really liked it.  It's about a sock and sock and a shoe and a shoe...it's really funny, Enjoy!

 

We miss you Dad.  But I really enjoyed this laugh with you today.  Got to love Archie Bunker!

Cheers to you,

Linda

Getting Along

"The capacity for getting along with our neighbor depends to a large extent on the capacity for getting along with ourselves.  The self-respecting individual will try to be as tolerant of his neighbor's shortcomings as he is of his own."...Eric Hoffer

Getting along.  Easier said than done?  Sometimes we feel like we're dealing with difficult people all the time, at work, school, neighbours, even our friends and family.  I'm not an expert, but I will say that I believe the ability to get along well with people is the most important life skill to learn ourselves and to teach to our children.  I think the key is understanding ourselves with honesty, thinking from different perspectives, learning from our experiences, and in general believing that all people are good and equal.  Personally, I also think we need to know that it is expected of us to get along with each other.  We all have to try.

I used to work with a person whom I felt disliked me.  I thought she went out of her way to put me down and belittle my accomplishments.  She used to make me feel sick.  Probably I made her feel sick in some way too.  But we had to get along because neither of us was planning to quit our job.  I started to gain some understanding of why her comments bothered me so much and why she may have made them.  But understanding was not enough to change the situation.  But someone suggested this to me, and it really worked:

Write out all the things about the person that irritated me on one piece of paper and then write out all the things I liked or respected about the person on another.  When finished, tear up the negative list, and only keep the positive.  Going forward only focus on the positive traits she possessed.

This person loved to garden and was very talented at it.  Her face used to light up every time she spoke of flowers.  I found something I could talk to her about that brought out her charm, her interests and her confidence.  I asked her about her garden often and tried to take an interest in her hobby.  Our relationship changed for the better after that, having found a neutral place we could connect as people and not just as co-workers.

I know I've talked about my favourite show, Lost, a few times and I think that show is a perfect example of how getting along it key to survival.  Right from the early beginnings you could see Jack emerging as the group leader, here he is in one of my favourite Jack scenes - his "live together die alone" speech:

I get goosebumps when I watch Jack and all the others listening to him in this scene.  I know he was talking about his father here (how his father died alone in part because they couldn't get along), and that made his message even more poignant.  He really believed that "if we can't live together, then we're gonna die alone", because that was the recent experience he was currently coping with.  Just a beautiful scene..hope you enjoyed it to.

Cheers!

Linda 

Gratitude Rocks!

" I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."...G.K. Chesterton

I recently heard a funny story about myself.  Some in my family were recalling a period from a long time ago when they just seemed to be having one bit of bad luck after another.  On top of the difficulties, they were coping with the day-to-day struggles of raising a young family, including twins.  Feeling exhausted from it all, they invited my husband and I over one Sunday afternoon, possibly to cheer them up.  Well apparently I arrived tired from all the fun we had the night before, and was complaining about how I had slept in and didn't have time to read the Sunday newspaper!!  Needless to say, I don't think I cheered them!

Obviously back then I was taking some of life's simple pleasures (sleeping in) for granted and not feeling grateful for what I had.  What I wouldn't give now to sleep in..I'd be happy for just one "good night's sleep" once in a while!
   
About four years ago, I read a book (and watched the movie) called "The Secret".  Like many, I too became fascinated by some of the ideas introduced, such as the Law of Attraction.  I didn't completely believe everything I read though, such as getting things like a new house or a new car just by thinking the right way for them..seriously we all know there are only two ways to get stuff: debit or credit!  But what I feel has changed my life forever was really learning how to be grateful, and the Secret did show me how.

The basics are to have an awareness of the things in life that make us happy and are thankful for, and to spend time each day remembering them, and feeling grateful for them.  The first step to remembering is to write them down.  Get out a piece of paper and start writing!  It may be difficult at first, but once you get going, it's amazing how much comes out and you'll feel blessed after doing it.

The next step is easy.  Find a little rock which will become a symbol for everything you're grateful for and then begin to carry it with you throughout your day.  Each time you see it, think of something you are grateful for and give thanks.  The idea of this exercise is to shift your energy from focusing on what you don't have and complaining to what you do have and feel grateful.  The more often you stop for a second to remember and give thanks, the happier you will feel.  My experience is that it places me in a better mood and I seem to be more naturally optimistic. 

These are my gratitude rocks.  The little black stone was the one I carried with me for about a year.  They are held in the precious hands of my two kids; the left hand is my son's, the right is my daughter's.  I am grateful to share life with them (I am also grateful they cooperated and gave me a helping "hand" this morning for the picture!).  Thank you kiddos!

I still have my gratitude list I wrote four years ago and I read it today.  Not only am I still grateful for all that was written, I've got a whole lot more to add!  And I don't mean material possessions (they haven't changed much!), I just mean that I'm now able to be happy from a wider variety of things in life.

My video today is fittingly "What a wonderful world", it reminds me of two special things, my wedding, and dancing with my dad at my wedding.

Cheers and have a wonderful day!

Linda



Choices

"Another person's choice is nothing more than another alternative for you to consider."... Dr. Shad Helmstetter

Wouldn't it be nice if we didn't care what other people think?  Of course not!  We spend a great deal of our time discussing our conflicts, analysing our choices, and reporting our decisions with family, friends, colleagues and even casual acquaintances, and I don't think the reason is only because we enjoy talking about ourselves.  We do it for a little positive encouragement, feedback, and to gain other perspectives.  This helps us self evaluate and arrive at more informed decisions.  In the end, however, we only hope that others will respect that our choices are ultimately our own to make, and when we do they will be supportive, even if they disagree with them.

Aside from immediate family (who may be directly affected), no one else should be so concerned about the choices we make for ourselves.  We are the ones living with the consequences, nobody else, so why is there still an abundance of opinion, unsolicited advice, and negative judgement following us around?  Are we sending out the wrong vibes to people, do we encourage this to happen, even though we hate it?

I think one reason is that the big decisions women face often involve the career and family balance, and that topic is still very polarizing even in this day and age.  I think some women still feel that our individual choices have repercussions to "all women" in some way, both now and in the future, and those few women want us to follow what they perceive to be the "better side" in the debate.  I personally dislike that, because I don't think there is a 'better side".  To me it's not a black nor white issue, but rather a shade of grey.

I don't think I could articulate my sentiment in this particular topic better than the character Joan in the movie "Mona Lisa Smile".

"Do you think I'll wake up one morning and regret not being a lawyer? ...not as much as I'd regret not having a family or being there to raise them.  I know exactly what I'm doing, and it doesn't make me any less smart.  This must seem terrible to you...you stand in class and tell us to look beyond the image, but you don't.  To you, a housewife is someone who sold her soul for a centre hall colonial.  She has no depth, no intellect, no interests.  You're the one who said I could do anything I wanted.  This is what I want."

I love Joan's speech here because for one, she stood up and pointed out her teacher's obvious prejudice point of view, and two, she communicated her own desires with honesty rather than feeling compelled to justify them or proclaim her choices as the best ones for all women.  She also tried to find a common ground for which we can all agree, we now have choices to do anything we so desire, and for that we are grateful.

When we are in that "shade of grey", we see and feel both the pros and cons of managing family and career and any choices will always hold some residual feelings of doubt, guilt or regret.  Our own personal feelings can affect our communications with others, in how we both give and receive advice or opinions, including the well-intentioned ones.  I think the majority of women feel ambivalent in this area one way or the other.  Perhaps we should just try to be more supportive and empathetic rather than continually speaking out based on our own personal perspectives.  We do what's best for us, given our desires and individual circumstances.  I think we all need to just help each other feel at peace with that.

If you do come across difficult characters who seem to not be able to mind their own business and are being harshly judgemental, I found a great quote: "some people choose to live by complaining and criticizing.  Other people choose to live".   

Cheers!
Linda

Best Things in Life Are Free!

"Just living is not enough.  One must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower." .... Hans Christian Anderson

My husband's favourite expression is "the best things in life are free."  I would have to at least this week completely agree with him.  We've had such beautiful weather here and I'm feeling so much more happy and energized!  Even our pet puppy's tail's been happily wagging in circles at a frequent rate, I guess anticipating her extra walks around the lake.  I'm not even checking the forecast anymore - I'm going to enjoy it as if it's our last, then perhaps be pleasantly surprised when I wake up tomorrow!

You know those days when you can't get a song out of your head and you're humming it to yourself all day?  Well, my tune has been around for about 4 days!  It began as I was planning out things we could do at a sleep over with my young niece and nephew.  Then I remembered one of my first sleep overs and watching The Muppet Show with my friends.  I had visions of all four of us bouncing around in our jammies and shouting out the theme lyrics we all knew by heart:

This is the tune that's stuck in my head!  Today I was in the kitchen making lunch, and when I pulled out the tray of french fries, I cheerfully sang "It's time to put on ketchup, it's time to salt them right..."!

Oh boy...perhaps I've been in the sun just a little too long!

I hope you all have a most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, muppetational weekend!

Cheers!
Linda

The Art of Advocacy

"Our job is not to take on the role of advocate.  Rather, our job is to provide the individuals or parents with the resources and support so that they have the skills, knowledge and strength to take on whatever issues are facing them.  Sometimes they just need someone to listen to them, but other times they need to know where to turn and what to do."...Ivor Weiner

Sometimes I forget how difficult it was for me around when my son was entering kindergarten.  I had a full time job, two young kids, a fairly recent diagnosis of autism and to say the least, I was overwhelmed.  I didn't have a clue how to advocate for my son's needs as I was still learning what they were myself.  I was content enough to have someone else write out his IEP and inform me how things were going to be carried out.  I also think the school was equally content with my nodding my nervous head in approval of everything "they" recommended.

As time went on, and I became more of an expert on his needs and more knowledgeable on how to best support him, I tried to have a bigger role in his education experience.  Unfortunately, I waited too long and when I was finally called in to attend a case conference, it was because his behaviour had reached a crisis level.  With my stress up and naturally everyone else's, let's say my first attempt at advocating was far from perfect.  When his behaviour became more and more let's say "complicated", I became more and more determined to help, but my communication style was way off, and I soon realized that if I was going to be of any help to him as he proceeded through school, I was going to have to learn how to advocate effectively.  I think one day I actually google searched exactly that "how to advocate effectively" "ontario" "education" "help".  I found a person who actually delivered training workshops (and if I'm not mistaken they were either free or of little expense) on how to write out effective "needs statements" and how to communicate with the school board.

The most important tip I got from the training was that we all need to know not what the "school will do" or what "we want" them to do, but what is "required" of the board regarding supporting our children.  This is where it's important that we know a little bit of the education act (laws), and no matter where you live in the world - I'm sure it's in writing somewhere in a public document.  The more you know, the stronger you (and I) become in our advocating. Knowledge is power!

When it comes to communicating with the school, know what is most important to you for your child (for me it was supporting positive behavior), and advocate strongest in that area first.  Put things in writing, and if they say they can't deliver something that you feel they ought to be able - ask them to state their reasons - in writing!  Allow for some give and take, be confident, friendly and respectful and expect you and your child to be treated the same.

Throughout this summer, I will try my best to provide more information in this area and link it into my blog.  I have always found it helpful to visit the principal a week or two before school starts to touch base and set up an early September meeting to develop the IEP collaboratively.  Visiting in August will help set a friendly tone to the new year and will help your child be met with more success come September.

My video for today - this is pure nostalgia - theme from everyone's favorite classroom (from 1970) - room 222.  Oh that's really getting old - I barely remember this popular show, but I've never forgotten the song - it's a very sweet, relaxing little tune!!  Enjoy!

Cheers!
Linda

The Words of Penny Widmore

"Please don't give up, Des.  Because all we really need to survive is one person who truly loves us.  And you have her."...Penny Widmore, in a letter to Desmond Hume, Lost).

Though Lost was a fictional tv show, and the best one ever made in my opinion, I don't think more truer words could ever be spoken.

When my son was diagnosed with autism, it seemed that quotes of high divorce rates in "autism families" were all around us.  I felt at times like we were given a double whammy, "your son has autism, and by the way, your marriage is doomed too!".  I never understood the reasons behind the statistics, other than a higher level of stress in the household.  But, what does that have to do with the love that two people share?  I always grew up with the idea that "love conquers all". 

Last year, studies came out debunking the claims that autism families have high divorce rates.  Some statistics frequently quoted were as high as 80%, can you believe it?  Now studies show virtually no difference in divorce rates when compared with families without children with autism.  The level of stress is still high relative to non autism families, but it appears to not lead to marital breakdown as was often being reported.

All families have stress and it's impossible to avoid it.  But how we choose to "respond" to stress can make the most difference in maintaining a supportive and happy marital relationship.  I don't think unhappiness should ever be blamed on a change in circumstance, whatever it may be, including finding out that one of your kids has autism.  "We have the power to change most things that are bringing us down, and the few that we cannot, then we can change the way we think about them."...author unknown.

But I do tend agree with Penny Widmore, when you have a marriage that's between two people who truly love each other, it's all you need to survive!  Yes, I may be a bit of a romantic! Here is my very favourite scene from lost, season 4 "The Constant", when Desmond and Penny were finally able to connect by telephone"....pass the tissue!

I love Desmond's words to Sayid at the end when asked "Are you okay now?"  Des replies "aye..I'm perfect."  Love that whole scene, just beautiful!

Have a wonderful day!

Linda

Perfect Strangers

"Never lose sight of the fact that the most important yardstick of your success will be how you treat other people - your family, friends, co-workers and even strangers you meet along the way."... Barbara Bush

I am always particularly touched by the kind acts of strangers.  Even the smallest, simplest gestures like a little nod of hello or holding the door for us never go unnoticed by me.  I have found since having a child with autism, the small things are actually really big and make all the difference.

Last weekend, my son and I went water-sliding together at Ontario Place.  We had to climb several staircases to get to the top of the biggest and most exciting slide and it involved a lot of waiting for our turn.  My son was very good about the wait, but of course was getting rather excited as the time passed.  As our turn came up, a lady with her young daughter asked the attendant if her daughter could ride in the raft with someone as she wasn't able to ride with her.  He asked if it was ok that the girl ride with us, and I just wasn't comfortable with the sudden change in my son's plans..so I very discreetly began to explain, "well my son has autism and..." the mother then stopped me and very kindly said "I totally understand, he needs to keep his routines." and then she wished us a good ride!  This may sound small, but oh how I appreciate people who not only understand, but are kind in their understanding.

Some strangers can genuinely make you feel good about yourself as well.  I still remember years ago having to take my son for an assessment out of our city.  My husband drove us there, and my son was expecting him to drive us home afterward.  When he saw the taxi drive up to take us home - he had a meltdown and refused to get in!  It took well over 20 minutes for him to finally go inside and I honestly was surprised the driver even waited for us.  When I apologized for the wait, the driver was not even the slightest bit angry or frustrated, he said to me "you are so patient with your son, god bless you!".  Wow!!  There are times when we lose faith in people and think they are going to kick us when we're already down and make us feel worse, then the opposite happens!  I'll never forget that experience.

All too often we hear of only negative news stories.  Here is a good one that may melt your heart.  Recently a young boy with autism in the Chicago area had his therapy puppy stolen from his yard.  The boy was so distraught from losing his pet that he refused to eat.  A stranger, having heard about this on the news and knowing how supportive service dogs are (him being nearly blind), bought the boy a new dog.  This man was not wealthy, he held a garage sale to help pay for the new dog!!  United Airlines then paid to have the dog shipped to the boy, and then Petland gave the family $1,500 gift certificate including a year's supply of pet food, free shots for 5 years and a chip to help locate him in case the puppy ever went missing.  What a touching story!  Here is a link to the story if you'd like to read more:   http://www.autismkey.com/stranger-replaces-stolen-autism-therapy-dog/

I think we can say from this story that kindness is also contagious.

If we take the time to look, we'd notice that there are really nice people all around us.  If we are not finding that to be the case on a particular day - how about being the first one to start the chain?  One small act of kindness can lead to one more!

My video today is not exactly with today's theme, but the title of the show is "perfect strangers" - and having a laugh is always a good thing!

Cheers!
Linda

Laughter Is The Best Medicine Ever!!

"We don't laugh because we are happy, we are happy because we laugh."....William James

We all know that having a good laugh makes you feel good.  It relieves stress.  It can relieve pain.  It can bring you closer to people as the saying goes "laughter is the shortest distance between two people"...Victor Borge.

Laughter is also very infectious.  Is it not 10 times more enjoyable to watch a funny show with someone, or in the movie theatre than on your own?  Don't we laugh way more in the company of others?  It's funny knowing other's think the same things are funny!

A couple of summers ago, my family gathered together for a mini vacation to Montreal.  All the grown ups were sitting around the living room, trying to think of a game that could be played.  My brother-in-law suggested a game where each of us had to create a unique laugh and then the funniest laugh would be the winner.  Imagine the laughter!  We were laughing, and everyone was laughing at our laughing!!  I think everyone's belly was tired by the end from all the laughter, and I'm positive we all felt better when the game was over.  It was the most fun we'd all had in a long time!

I love to hear the sound of laughter.  It's music to my ears!!  Here is a video from my favourite tv game show of the 70's "Family Feud", that made me laugh last evening, I hope it does you too:

Oh Richard Dawson was the best host of Family Feud!  It always cracked me up when a constestant would give such a ridiculous answer that he'd have to walk away to let out the laughter! He was so funny!!  I totally lost it here when he said "cuckoo"!  Loved it!

I hope that this blog today made you feel better if you were down, or happier if you were already in a happy mood.  Try to laugh every day.  It really is the best medicine you can take - and the least expensive!!

Cheers!
Linda

Thank You For Being A Friend!

"Friendship cheers like a sunbeam; charms like a good story; inspires like a brave leader; binds like a golden chain; guides like a heavenly vision."..Newell D. Hillis

A long time ago, I was going through a very difficult time.  I was losing hope of having something that I wanted more than anything in the world.  One day, my friend phoned me at work just to say hello, and I unloaded my grief and despair into her attentive ear.  She didn't know exactly what to say back to help, but just listening to me was the help that was appreciated most.  I was able to get through the rest of my work day, thanks to her.

Going home that evening, I thought to myself, "I must stop being a downer, perhaps my friend called because she needed me, maybe she had a problem, or maybe she had some good news she was hoping to share...I'm a terrible friend!"  Suddenly, I started feeling bad about myself all over again!

When I got home, within minutes the doorbell rang.  It was a delivery for me, from my friend.  Here is a picture of what she sent to me, and the card inside simply read "a gift to cheer you!"

Of course I started to cry all over again.  How did I ever get so lucky to have a true friend like her?  She knew exactly what I needed, not once but twice!  That's the most beautiful quality of a friendship...to understand and be understood.  I called her up and told her just that.  Her gift to me brought me so much joy, that I think it had almost magical effects...

That was 14 years ago, and I'm happy to say that my problem was soon after resolved and our friendship continues to grow and change with the changing times.  I am very grateful for my friendship with her, and today just seems to be the perfect day to let her know that.

On your birthday, I wish you nothing but the best, now and in the future..and many many happy returns!

And of course, "Thank you for being a friend":

Cheers!
Linda

Uncle Buddy

"Everything is nicer when shared with an Uncle...be it a funny story, a piece of cake, a game of cards, a proud moment, a car ride, a special dinner, or a big hug." 



Growing up, I unfortunately barely knew any of my uncles.  But, I had in my mind an image of what I believed the perfect Uncle would be like:

A little kooky like "Uncle Fester"

As funny as "Uncle Arthur":

As caring as "Uncle Phil":

As imperfect as "Uncle Buck" :

As sweet as "Uncle Jesse":

And as proud of me as "Uncle Leo":

Now I would say that the perfect uncle would be someone who is exactly as he is, but tells his nieces and nephews to call him "Buddy", and wants to be their buddy throughout their childhood and well into adulthood.  I think everybody growing up should have a special "Uncle Buddy" in their lives!!

Today, we'd like to wish ours a very Happy Birthday!

Of course, it would also be nice if he could play pool like Uncle Phil !

Keep Practicing!

Best wishes,

Linda

Happy 4th of July!

"Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of good conscience, good health, occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits."...Thomas Jefferson





I would like to wish all my readers from the United States a very joyful and Happy 4th of July!!

What a beautiful voice she has...I still miss seeing her perform each week on "America's Got Talent".

Cheers!
Linda

Happy Canada Day!

"I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country.  This freedom of heritage I plan to uphold for myself and all mankind."...  John Diefenbaker, from the Canadian Bill of Rights, July 1, 1960.

HAPPY CANADA DAY 2011!

Here is our National Anthem, O Canada, along with some great photographs of our "our cherished land":

Today is the unofficial start of summer vacation! I hope all my readers from Canada and around the world have a wonderful and safe summer.  I hope you all create some long lasting memories of good times with your family.  Enjoy it!

I'm sure that all parents of school aged kids are breathing a collective sigh of relief that another year has ended and we can take some time now to relax!  This week was exhausting for me and bitter/sweet.  If the graduation on Wednesday was not enough to get me crying like a baby that my kids are growing up way too fast, yesterday I heard the final school bell ring and we took our last walk through the school yard, well I began crying all over again!!  I no longer have children in junior elementary.  They're growing up and I'm...getting old!!  O.K. I have to stop that right now!  Of course I'm still young - it's Canada Day, and I'm going to ride all the roller coasters etc. at Canada's Wonderland as is our tradition, and I'm really looking forward to that - so I guess I'm still a little bit young, at heart!

Today is also very exciting as my blog is officially one month old!!  Hurray!  I think that deserves a song - here's my favourite Happy Anniversary song of all time...probably yours too:

Oh that video is sooo cute!!  I just want to say that I love writing my blog!  Please email me (visit my profile for address!) with any comments or suggestions you may have, I'd love to hear about what I'm doing wrong....and right!

Cheers!
Linda