Facebook spam pictures

Is anyone else getting sick, and tired of the picture memes circulating Facebook pages? They are as bad as those chain emails we used to receive 10 years ago telling you to forward to all your friends to get great luck, otherwise, certain doom will come your way. These pictures, however, ask you to "like" if you think the picture is heart warming, or if you think the baby is cute.

Most of these images are probably manipulated, or taken out of context. Who started them, and how do we know the story is real? If I do not "like" the picture does this make me a miserable person? I am leary to "like" something if I do not know the source. My friends may have "liked" the image, but it is unlikely that they created it.

I do not really see the point to these images. Are they a part of a fundraising campaign? If so, I do not know how the money is being raised. Are they increasing awareness of something? Usually no names are mentioned. Is the point to see how many likes they can get on their picture? A friend of mine "liked" the facebook page "R.I.P. Morgan Freeman". The man is still alive. In fact, the page even said he is alive, but most people probably didn't go beyound the initial view of the newsfeed.

Please, stop randomly liking all of these images. It makes visiting Facebook visually painful. I need to scroll through all this junk mail before I find out what my friends are actually up to. I realize we are not the clients of Facebook, but the products. Are these images a clever advertizing scheme? Is this why they are so prevalent? Maybe they have paid Facebook premium ad money to show up everywhere. Now, to figure out what they are selling?

"like" if you agree with this post.

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Nostalgic for my 80's toys

When I was at my parents' house this summer, I decided to take out some of my old Strawberry Shortcake figurines for my kids to play with. The actual dolls had been given away long ago, but somehow I managed to hold on to these.

They still had their scents. Huckleberry Finn, Strawberry Shortcake, and Apple Blossom. I have the turtle pet for my Apple Blossom doll as well, but no more dolls. My daughter recognized them, even though her figurines are quite different looking.

My Strawberry Shortcake figurines are the frumpy, country cousins, whereas hers are the hip, cute, city girls. I included a picture of a recent Smurf figurine because it does not seem to have changed much.

I have no idea who the orange one is. I might have gotten it in France. Another toy I got in France was a Monchichi, but since I bought it in France it was called a Kiki. My son thinks the orange Smurf is a Santa Smurf. Actually, he calls it Père Noël Citronphe because he cannot pronounce schtroumpfs (the French word for Smurfs).

I also found some Muppet Baby figurines.

I assume Gonzo had some sort of vehicle, but I could not find it. I remember waking up early on a Saturday morning to sneak downstairs, and watch Saturday morning cartoons. Muppet Babies was one of the shows I watched, as well as The Snorks (Smurfs underwater). I did not like the actual Smurfs, for some reason.

Now, kids can watch cartoons, and kids shows any time of the day with channels devoted solely to these genres. We can even relive our childhood with retro cartoon channels. No more anticipation for the weekend. We definitely live in a society of immediate gratification.

What are your childhood toy, and tv memories? What things are you nostalgic for?

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People behaving badly.

Why is life so complicated and political? I ask this question from a place of privilege, and comfort. If I were poor, and homeless, I might be asking where my next meal is coming from, or where am I going to sleep tonight? I am not poor, so I ask the question I have the luxury to ask, considering my current circumstances. Even in this relatively civilized world of The West, in 2012, people are still power hungry. People still bash others for being different. People are still in it for themselves. 

The Partie Québecois won a minority government yesterday, and someone went on a shooting rampage in revenge of English speaking people, allegedly. There is talk of Separatism, again, in Canada. I love French. I love languages. I love experiencing different cultures. This is what makes the world fantastic. People have managed to evolve, and adapt to so many different environments on this planet, and we have all done it very differently. I understand how people want to perserve certain cultural heritages, and protect language rights. My family, and I struggle with this everyday. I do not understand why it requires violence, or even political pressures, and threats of leaving our country.

There is violence in the name of religion, race, culture, language, money, land, food... The list goes on. You can say it is in our nature to fight. Survival of the fittest, right? We are the most intelligent living organisms on the planet. Humans have a conscience. We should have a sense of morality and ethics. Yet, we continue to hurt each other on a large scale, and on a small scale. What for? Sometimes it is just for the smallest of things. Why can't we all just get along?

I suppose life would be boring, if there were no conflict. Adversity leads to innovations, and improvements. Dissention brings change. I wish the change could come about peacefully. We can all agree to disagree; don't take it so personally. It should not be the end of the world if someone does not like the same things as you.

I make it my responsibility to educate my children about their culture. I try to expose them to as much French as possible. There will come a point in their lives when they will probably decide it is easier to express themselves in English. With the base I have provided them, I hope they will feel comfortable communicating with other Francophones in French. It is up to individuals to maintain a culture, and it can be done peacefully, and quietly. We need to teach the value of our culture. You can be proud without having to impose your beliefs on everyone else. Be polite, be courteous. Yes, you can have a difference of opinion, but in the end, that is all it should be. A difference of opinion. It should not be an excuse to behave badly.

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Day one down

Our bus arrived on time this morning. Unfortunately, because of a major early morning accident, some buses were delayed over half an hour. I assume my daughter arrived a little late for school because the accident happened in between our house and her school. We didn't know which side of the road to stand on to wait for the bus because we didn't know where it was coming from. Another family was also waiting at our corner for a different bus. They waited on the opposite side of the road. Turns out we were both wrong. Now we know for tomorrow.

I felt bad for my tiny daughter because I sent her off with her backpack overloaded with supplies, plus an extra bag for her change of clothes, paint smock, and whatever didn't fit in her backpack. She was tipping over when she had it on. Poor wee thing. Also, we are dealing with those warm late summer days that start off cool. We had to go back to the house for a jacket I knew she would not wear the rest of the day. Thank goodness for observant seatmates realizing she left it behind.

My daughter is still of the age when I send her to school with a task, I never know if it will be accomplished. We managed to get most of our thank you notes for her birthday party delivered. At least, I assume they were delivered since they did not come home with her. Now that she has her agenda, communication between the school/teacher and ourselves should be fairly easy. We also have to get used to a new teacher. It is not just my daughter who has an adjustment period to deal with.

Ah, the lunch. I sent her to school with cheese curds, breads sticks, and raspberries for the first nutrition break. She had a wrap with hummus, and shredded cheese, plus pineapple chunks and red peppers for the second break. Today she was lucky, and got a juice box. Normally, she has a thermos of water to drink. It appears all she ate at school was the wrap, and the cheese curds. Sometimes, the school provides additional food for the kids, but I never know when, or what. Often, I am left thinking she has barely eaten all day. Fortunately, she'll usually finish off her food when she gets home, or for supper (which is what happened today).

I made yellow zucchini loaves today. We shall see if she like them. My homemade muffins, and pretzels usually go over well, but this requires baking up a batch once a week or so. Sometimes I make enough to freeze, and they will last a couple of weeks. I am not overly confident about the loaves, but if they are buttered...everything is better with butter :).

 

Any inspiring ideas for school lunches?

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End of summer

What a wonderful way to end our summer. We spent it pretty much the same way we started it, with a visit to Bell Park. As predicted, the Labour Day Family Fun Fest was quite busy. We arrived from the lakeside, having parked by the canoe club. I think we timed it fairly well. I had hoped to arrive a little earlier, but we left home at 10am.

The line ups for the bouncers were not too long for my kids, and they were able to jump in the castle as long as they pleased, or until someone landed on them, and they left crying. We got two new firefighter hats, to replace the broken one at home. We went for food at the perfect time. It was close to noon, so the kds were ready to eat, and the line hadn't gotten too long yet. On our way back to get cotton candy, it had doubled in length.

As added bonus, while waiting for cotton candy, they handed out free ice cream sundae cups. Messy, but yummy. Lots of sugar for the kids, but we were heading back to the van with a stop at the play structure by the main beach. The kids burnt off the sugar, and played just long enough to wear them out slightly. When I suggested it was time to head home, there were few arguments. The kids were hot, and in need of a rest.

Tomorrow is the first day of school. I have to make sure my daughter has everything from her list in her school bag. And, I have to start thinking about the dreaded lunches. Just a few more hours of summer, please.

 

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September

I always have bittersweet feelings about September. For most of my years, September means the start of school. I can think of only three or four years when I was not returning to school in some capacity. I would often have nervous sleeps before the start of school. Anxiety at starting something new. Getting back into the swing of things, the routine of waking up and preparing for class.

September also brings back joyful things. Seeing your friends again, and spending all your time with them. Many of the extracurricular activities would begin anew. Plus, learning wasn't such a bad thing. I became a better student as the years went on. Listening to the undergraduate, and graduate opportunities out there right now, I often wish I could go back to university. Ah, if I had lots of money, it would be spent on travel, and learning.

I sit here writing, listening to the geese fly by, a sure sign of fall coming, but I am still in denial. This was such a great summer. I really had a fun time with my family, and was able to visit with friends I had not seen in some time. I met my twin nephews again, after well over a year, and they've grown so much. My kids are getting older, and it is certainly more fun hanging out with them. The past two months have been great for our family, and I will miss the freedom of summer. Really, school is only a day away? The weather is not helping to convince me.

Tomorrow we spend one last day together for the summer of 2012. If the world is supposed to end this year, at least we had a wonderful summer to finish it off! On Tuesday, the dreaded lunch making begins again. I must say, this is my new anxiety at the start of school. What will my daughter eat all day? I won a cookbook all about portable lunches, so I am going to try some recipes, and we shall see how it goes. I am also trying to get her to sleep sooner, instead of reading books until late, in an effort to make mornings easier. My kids were often up at 6am this summer, but once school starts, they just want to sleep in.

Have a happy Labour Day. We will see you at school on Tuesday.

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Wonderland, Centreville, and Santa's Village, oh my!

Okay, so I have been extremely neglectful in writing every day, but August ended up being very busy, and when you are spending entire days entertaining your children, niece and nephew, there is not much time for anything else. My week in Manitoba was mostly spent without internet, so I hardly ever turned on my iPad. Upon our return to Oakville, we were host to my 10 year-old niece and 14 year-old nephew. Trying to find things to please them, plus my own children, aged three and five, proved to be quite a challenge.

My nephew has been visiting my parents in Oakville, without his parents, since he was three. His sister started coming along when she turned three. I usually planned my visits to my parents around the same time. Over the years, we have been taking my niece and nephew to various attractions around the GTA. Oddly, since my children were born, there are a few places we have not seen in a while, including the Lion African Safari near Guelph, and Marineland in Niagara Falls. For some reason, we have ended up at Ontario Place a few years in a row. Last year we hit the Toronto Zoo.

This year we went to Wonderland with the four kids. The following review is entirely my opinion, and if you have had different experiences with Wonderland, or any of the places described, feel free to tell me about it. I had not been to Wonderland since 2004, before my kids were born. My friends and I arrived when the gates opened, and in about eight or ten hours, we hit 8 rides. These were the big thrill rides. Usually we were in line for an hour. This was before smart phones. Tip: bring your smart phone, or some portable game to entertain your children, and yourself during long line waits.

This time, we arrived as the gates opened, and headed for the back of the park. I did The Rage with my daughter (big rocking boat). Somehow, we ended up in line for the Boo Blaster early on (you shoot "scary" things for points), but there was still quite a line. It ended up being a little disappointing. My kids can't shoot. Unfortunately, my five year old fell in the 44 to 40 inch category, and my three year old could only do stuff in Planet Snoopy, and a lot of that, not on his own.

My daughter was bored with the Planet Snoopy rides, and my son had to be accompanied on most rides. My nephew was too tall, and considered an adult. He would often not be allowed on a ride by himself. We should have given him one of our kids, he could have passed for 16. He is not adventurous when it comes to rides, so we could not just send him, and his sister, off to the bigger rides on their own. The only roller coaster my daughter could go on was the Ghoster Coaster. It was quite fun, and the lines were good. She was disappointed that there were no ghosts, though.

Splash Works was fun. The water was very cold. It didn't help it was a cooler, windier day. My kids loved the kiddy area. They were able to do the kiddy slides on their own, and there were many lifeguards helping them down the slide, and catching the kids at the bottom. The double tube was fun, and parents can go with their shorter children. My daughter and I went down the Plunge. Three people fit in one tube, and it is just a tall, straight slide. I ended up facing backward, and was too concerned my daughter would fly out to enjoy the ride. She loved it, and wanted to go again. She also wanted to try the Riptide Racers, but despite just being tall enough, I was worried because I could only be beside her on a crazy carpet. I did not trust her to not panic, although she probably would have been fine. There were life jackets everywhere in the park, for free. There was also a crazy number of lifeguards (much more than at Calypso). I liked that I didn't have to escort my kids to the top of the slide, and then rush down to catch them. If it had been warmer, we would have stayed longer. We lasted about two hours at the water park.

The rest of the day was spent in Kidsville, and Planet Snoopy. The kids loved the playground area, but I lost sight of them often. We were there while my husband and nephew waited 45 minutes to ride Silver Streak. It is a "family" ride, but my daughter was too short. Maybe next year. She was very disappointed she could not go on the bigger roller coasters. Even my three year old son still says, "When I can go on the tall roller coasters, I will be tall like my cousin." You get his meaning. The only roller coaster he could do was called Taxi Run, I think. It was whiplash crazy. Not enjoyable for adults, but you have to go with your smaller kids.

Some of the rides in the kids area were so slow, or very short. In comparison to similar rides at Santa's Village and Centreville, the Wonderland versions were a bit of a rip off.

Compare Blast Off at Wonderland

to Jumping Stars at Santa's Village

and Froghopper? (Centreville). I think a few more thrilling rides for the littler customers might make Wonderland more fun. It is an amusement park. You are going there with the intention of scaring yourself, just a little. Maybe my kids are short for their age, and the kiddy rides are catering to a younger clientele. Maybe my kids are just daredevils, for now.
We all had fun, but it is a pretty steep price to pay for one visit. We got discounted tickets for $39.99 plus tax (purchase three days in advance). My children had junior passes for $34.99 plus tax. I probably could have gotten away without paying for either, my son had just turned three days before. But, we had just listened to a radio show talking about why people cheat, and I did not feel like encouraging dishonesty in my children. It cost us around $300, and that did not include food.

We ate our cooler lunch outside the park because the only thing you are allowed to bring in is bottled water. My husband smuggled some granola bars in his shorts late afternoon. I guess we pick, and choose when we want to be honest, but the no food policy is so they can gouge us with outrageous prices in the park. This is where they make their money. We bought a pizza for supper and a small chocolate milk for $30. It fed six people, but my kids barely had a piece each. There is a coupon on the map for $2 off, but it is only good at the International alley Pizza Pizza.

If you are planning on visiting Wonderland more than once, it is in your best interest to buy a season's pass. When we went, there was a deal if you bought season's passes for next year, you get one free day this season. You just have to go one more time to make it worth your while.

We had thought Centreville was expensive, initially. The last time I had been there was with my nephew when he was four, and he refused to try any of the rides, except the swans. My dad recommended we buy 50 tickets, and see how it goes. My kids have no such fears. However, many of the rides require the parents come along, and we needed to give up tickets too. 50 tickets does not last long when you have to dispense 6 tickets for each person. The tickets cost just under $1. In hindsight, it would have cost us about the same if we had bought the kids all day play passes, and we got extra tickets for us for the bigger rides. Even the family play pass seems a deal, after Wonderland, at $96. So many of the rides were the same, or similar, and lasted longer. For now, I think I would be more likely to go back to Centreville with my kids than Wonderland. Plus, we took the train, and a ferry to get there.

A couple of rides the kids do solo.

 The bells on the boat were so loud.

Pony rides!

Best deal ever! Only two tickets, parents ride free, and it goes for 10 minutes. Even adults can sit on an animal. This is a massive caroussel.







This year was our third trip to Santa's Village. I find this place expensive too, but when we went before, we had a friend with season's passes, and she would have discount coupons. We usually got in for a good price, and the kids were younger (i.e. free). This year, the park was paired with our camping trip, and we decided to go on a Friday, when the price was two for one.


Last year, I was quite disappointed with Santa's Village because we had recently visited a superior park in Québec called Le Pays des Merveilles. I found Santa's Village small, and felt it did not have as many rides. However, this year, I liked it again. Maybe it was the variety, with the boat ride, and train, as well as the kids rides. Maybe it was because we had been there for a few days already, so we did not feel rushed, or pressured to do as much as possible. We went on the roller coaster quite a few times, and my son could join us. It was a great visit. The splash pad was a hit with my daughter.


As I mentioned, many of the things at Wonderland are the same at the other two parks. Elf's Island is five times the size of the playground in Wonderland. The plane rides were almost identical. Even the baby carrousels are the same. But, my son could do a bigger roller coaster at Santa's Village.

Elf's Island, Santa's Village









Santa's Village

Wonderland

In conclusion, Wonderland is fun, but you should get a season's pass and go more than once for best value. Also, it is better for taller, and possibly older kids, even with the Planet Snoopy, and Kidzville areas. I think next time, we will try to hit some of the bigger rides first thing too, because by the time we left, at 7:30pm, there were still super long wait times for the thrill rides. The kid's area was clearing out though.

We will probably do Santa's Village again, with a camping trip, again. The kids still seem to enjoy it, and it is much more relaxing than doing a day trip to Bracebridge. Three hours from Sudbury, two and a half from Toronto. I think I would do Centreville again too. Some people claim the rides are dated, but I did not think they were any worse than Wonderland. Quite a few of them were more thrilling. Keep in mind, my kids are three and five this year, and little peanuts. You might have completely different experiences with your own children.

Maybe next year we'll check out the African Lion Safari. I haven't been there since I was pregnant with my daughter.

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