It's Storytime

When I was in my teens, I made a promise to myself that I would read to my unborn child. It was my dream that my baby would be a bookworm like myself.

When I found out I was pregnant, I did a search for my childhood books. I still had my two favourite books – “Love You Forever” and “Mortimer” both by Robert Munsch. I also found “Clifford saves the circus” by Norman Bridwell.

I read those books daily to my Princess but soon got tired of them. I decided to start building her library by purchasing a book a month.  Here’s what I’ve bought so far:

I’m looking forward to reading to her once she arrives and spending endless hours at the library with her when she gets older.

“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child”

~Dr. Seuss~

What are some of your favourite childhood books?

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :) 

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

The 80’s was by far THE best decade to grow up in as a kid. We had the best fashion, music, toys and TV shows. That’s why I did an 80’s theme party for my birthday this past weekend.

My girlfriends and I dressed up in our 80's gear and headed to the nearest public school for a photo shoot. We re-enacted some of the activities we did as kids, such as playing Basketball, Hopscotch and Double Dutch.

We played a few games like “Name that 80’s TV theme song” and “Name as many 80’s toys and catchphrases in 1 minute”.

We laughed until our bellies hurt. We ate so much junk food to the point where many of us ended up with headaches. 

It was a night well spent as we reminisced about our childhood days. I ended the night by giving all my girlfriends loot bags full of…yes… candy!  

Here’s a list of things I loved the most about the 80’s:

TV Shows: There’s no show like the Cosby Show. I love it so much that I have all 8 seasons and know so many episodes word for word.

Movies: E.T.

Music: Whitney Houston’s, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” is my 80’s anthem. I definitely can’t forget Michael Jackson’s, “Thriller” video.

Candy: Skittles – the original kind.

Clothes: Leg warmers and slouch socks.

Outdoor Games: Hopscotch. When I was in Grade one, my girlfriends and I would rush outside to draw a Hopscotch grid and play until the recess bell rang.

Toys: Who remembers Pogo Balls and Skip-It? I couldn’t get enough of these two toys.

What did you love the most about the 80’s?

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The Great Escape

Washrooms are not just for brushing your teeth, washing your face or taking a bath. Washrooms are a great place for reading. They’re the last place people will look when trying to find you. Washrooms are what I call The Great Escape.

Being the oldest of five, my Mom was always on my case about watching my siblings.  The only time I would protest was when I was in the middle of reading a book.  I had a hard time putting down the latest Baby-Sitters Club book or Sweet Valley Twins book or anything written by Judy Blume. The more I had to watch my siblings, the more I longed to find a room in the house where I could escape with my book without my Mother or siblings finding me within seconds.

I must have been 9 or 10 when I started taking my book with me to the washroom. I would lock the door, do my business and sit on that toilet until my behind hurt. While all of this was going on, I could hear my Mother asking my siblings where I was.  No one knew. Forty-five minutes would pass before someone would try to open the washroom door.

 “I NEED TO USE THE WASHROOM!" one of my siblings would yell.

 “GO USE THE WASHROOM DOWNSTAIRS” I’d yell back. “I’M READING!”

I read a lot of great books and not so great books in that washroom.

Twenty-four years later, I still find myself heading to the washroom to read. There’s just something about sitting on the toilet with a book that I find comforting. The washroom will forever be my Great Escape.

Where do you escape for some peace and quiet?

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Childhood Memories

If I could go back to one period in my life, I'd choose my childhood. A time when I had no bills to pay. No snow to shovel. No decisions to make.

As I get older, I find myself taking more trips down memory lane. Here are a few of my favourite childhood memories: 

10) Waking up before my parents every Saturday morning to watch cartoons. Some of my  favourites were: Thunder Cats, JEM, Care Bears, Teddy Ruxpin and the Muppet Babies.

9) Being called a boy by my classmates for wearing a He-Man t-shirt. All that name calling didn't phase me one bit. That was my favourite t-shirt of all time. No one was going to stop me from wearing it!

8) I couldn't have been more than 3 years old when I grabbed a tub of Vaseline and smeared it all over my face, body and hair. My Mother was not impressed!

7) Moving from our condo (5 Vicora Linkway, Suite 506 - yes I remember!) during my second last week of Grade 1.

6) Watching Mary Poppins for the first time. To this day, that is still my favourite Disney movie.

5) Meeting Jodie (Nerene Virgin) from “Today’s Special”.

4) Receiving my first Cabbage Patch doll from my favourite Uncle.

3) Getting Rainbow Brite and Starlite for Christmas. My parents must have gone to a dozen stores before finding Rainbow Brite. I almost had to settle for Twink.

2) Saying the F word at my Dad’s work party. My parents were furious. As soon as we got home, my parents made me wash my mouth with brown soap. I never said the F word again.

1) My first day of Kindergarten. It was raining that morning and our Cordoba was being towed to the mechanic for repairs. Instead of taking the bus or a cab, my Dad and I ran all the way to Gateway Boulevard Public School in the rain.  

What are some of your favourite childhood memories?

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Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy aren't real?

Why do parents think it’s ok to lie to their children about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy? They teach them that lying is wrong but they do it themselves. That’s kind of hypocritical, don’t you think?

There’s nothing wrong with telling them about these fictional characters. There’s nothing wrong with taking them to the Santa Claus parade or the Easter parade. Just as long as they walk away knowing that the man in the red suit and the person wearing those big floppy ears aren’t real.

I was 10 when I found out that Santa Claus wasn’t real. One of my classmates and I argued back and forth until they started laughing at me. I went home that afternoon and confronted my Mom about it. That’s when she finally told me the truth. Santa Claus didn’t climb down the chimney on Christmas Eve to deliver presents to me or my siblings. All those presents that were marked “From Santa” were really from my Mom and Dad. I was crushed. For 10 years, my Mom thought it was ok to lie to me.

I never believed in the Easter Bunny. The thought of Easter bunnies laying chocolate eggs seemed ridiculous.

I don’t remember when I stopped believing in the Tooth Fairy. It was definitely before I was ten. Back in the 80’s, we only received 25 cents for losing a tooth. Today, some of my students tell me they receive $5, $10 or even $20!

After the Santa Claus incident, I vowed to never lie to my children about these fictional characters. So what if I’m taking the fun out of their childhood? The last thing I want is to see that look of disappointment on their faces when I tell them that Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny aren’t real. I don’t want to see them cry and call me a liar.

If you teach your children not to lie, I suggest you start practicing what you preach. Telling them the truth about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy could save you a lot of heartache in the long run.

Did your parents lead you to believe that Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy were real?

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Imaginary Friends

“Memoirs of an imaginary friend” by Matthew Dicks is one of my new favourite books. It’s narrated by Max Delaney’s imaginary friend, Budo.

The farther I got into the book, the more I started to think of Budo as a real person.  He could talk and walk. He had feelings. He knew the difference between right and wrong. He had friends who were also imaginary.

After finishing the book,  I got jealous because I don’t recall having an imaginary friend while growing up. 

I do remember setting up my stuffed animals and playing “school” every afternoon after watching Sesame Street when I was either 4 and/or 5 years old.

I also remember being scared of the “imaginary ghost” that hid under my bed at night. I was afraid to use the washroom at night because I feared that he would capture me and hurt me. I must have told my parents because they eventually got me a night light to help calm my fears. It did and the “imaginary ghost” disappeared.

I decided to do some research on this topic and here’s what I found:

1 - Children who create imaginary friends are better communicators.  They are very creative and have excellent social skills.

2 - Children who have imaginary friends are either firstborns or an only child.

3 - Children tend to create their imaginary friends between the ages of 3 and 5. They will usually disappear once a child starts school.

4 - Imaginary friends tend to be stuffed animals, an invisible person/object or a
      fantasy creature.

5 - Imaginary friends can be a great comfort to a child when going through a traumatic experience (i.e. divorce, death, a move or birth of a sibling).

Kudos to Matthew Dicks for touching on a subject that many of us wouldn't think twice about. My views on imaginary friends will never be the same. 

"Every imaginary friend can touch the world of human persons."

Did you have an imaginary friend growing up?

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Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)