December has a weird series of unfortunate anniversaries in a row: the 6th is the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre (how do you explain that one to your kids?); the 7th is the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor (not as immediate for our generation, but an event very much on a scale with 9/11 for its time), and today, December 8, the anniversary of John Lennon’s murder. A week ago I was in New York City with my son and we happened across the Lennon memorial in Central Park.

This mandala is in Strawberry Fields, a part of Central Park dedicated to the memory of John Lennon.

It’s a beautiful spot with signs encouraging people to be quite and contemplative when they enter the area. And that is just one of the things we saw.

Every year at the end of November we drive down to New York State to celebrate American Thanksgiving with great family friends. They have a farm in the country so the trip usually involves some good, healthy outdoor work, a great way to metabolize the Thanksgiving Feast. Just to be clear: we feast and work on different days.

Beautiful Upstate New York

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I dropped my younger son off at his school on Friday and watched the parade of children in costume arriving. There were smiles all around. I watched a girl get out of a car in a very clever homemade cow costume. She was beaming! There were princesses (of course) and many ghoulish bloodied figures. The teachers were dressed up too, and the whole thing had a happy, festive atmosphere.

Dressing up is so much fun!

The "princess" in this photo is actually my older son. But that's what you get when you have three older sisters who like dressing you up!

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This was weekend was Thanksgiving. We drove to my eldest daughter’s new place in London and spent a lovely afternoon together yesterday. After the meal, we went around the circle and each person said something they were thankful for. I know it sounds corny, but it was lovely, and really interesting to hear what each person came up with.

We fit the whole crowd in, including the animals.

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My younger son just started playing in the local basketball house league. His first game was on the weekend, and what  a joy it was to see all those people there just for the kids. No try-outs, no pressure, just lots of encouragement and lots of fun. That’s what’s great about house league sports.

House leagues teach skills in an inclusive, supportive environment. I love it!

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Parenting is a complex, multi-layered job and I do a lot better at it when I have a tidy home. Unfortunately, being human and all, I don’t always manage to keep it that way. But when things are in their place, I find I can think better, react to my kids less, and it’s a whole lot easier for my kids to keep things tidy themselves. But when a part of my home becomes a little clutter-hell, I want to go into avoidance. Not useful.

Here’s how I have learned to deal with it …

This unretouched photo shows our den, in an actual de-cluttered state

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I was clearing out a drawer on the weekend and I found Alfie’s tag. Alfie was my daughter’s cat, but he had come to live with us because her apartment at the time was too small (she was in university). He was a very social and playful cat, and gave our own lively cat, Cheechoo a run for her money. Alfie was alway more daring than Cheechoo and wandered pretty far afield when he was outside. The kids and I long ago agreed that we would rather let our cats go outside and have a life, even if it meant there was a chance of something happening.

Cheechoo on the left. Alfie on the right.

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I found a great video someone made at the Battle of Black earlier this summer. Enjoy! (… and thanks for posting this kant88t!)

The Battle of Black Creek is an awesome thing to do for Fathers Day, so if you didn’t go this June, mark it in your calendar for next year!

Last Friday, my son’s drama camp at the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People concluded. His group performed a play with a crazy plot about a Crisis in Candyland. My son played a mafia boss. His groups (the 11 to 12-year-olds) was the senior group among three who presented the fruits of their labours. Their performance was charming, funny, and very well done. For me the best thing was to see the effect of this experience on my son.

Theatre is good for children. Read more…

This weekend, one of my favourite summer festivals is taking place in Toronto. The BuskerFest is a cornucopia of street performers, food, music, and just plain fun.

Street performers at the Toronto BuskerFest this weekend

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