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Shopping, letter grades and a shameless plea, fun and games and a little road trip for the Carr’s in the week that was – Week 30

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Vote for me (please!)
When I started my blog, my intent was never notoriety. Don’t get me wrong; I could use my 15 minutes just as much as the next guy, but the idea was more of an electronic breadcrumb trail of my family life in the form of a weekly recap. Sometimes funny, sometimes not, sometimes late and sometimes not but always an easy, quick read and fun look into what happened with the Carr’s for any given week. Mostly designed for the enjoyment of family and friends, but never held back from the general public I case someone finds it interesting. I have been checking out a bunch of other blogs and found several “best of” awards and found a nomination form for “Canadian Blog Awards – 2009” and thought why not.

I am nominated in the family section with 32 other very cool blogs, with literally thousands of readers each, so I am not holding out much hope for a top place finish, but maybe top 10 would be nice, so please help me out and cast your vote if you can!. On December 12, they will release the top nominations in each category so I will keep you posted!

A, B, C, and a D
This is the time of the school year where we stop and look back and discuss a little thing called progress. The hope is that you are at the least a little a head of where you where the last time you did the look back, in an academic improvement kind of way. You get to put all your efforts and work into 1 of 5 or 6 categories and I am very happy to report the girls have done very well on their report cards, landing in the top 2 or 3 categories. A’s, B’s and C’s for both girls, and one little D. It would seem that one of the girls is not enjoying reading as much as we would like her to and for her effort (or in this case lack of!) she was given a little carrot dangling incentive in the form of an almost failing mark. Perhaps, she needs to start reading my blog.

Road Trip
Well as Nathalie’s Facebook status “love that after 20 years we can still be totally spontaneous!” states, we are still able to make last minute decisions, and fill the car and point it wherever and just go. We had already planned a shopping trip to the US for Saturday, so I guess it was not that “spontaneous” but grabbing enough clothes and leaving a day earlier and now staying a day longer, oh and driving a couple hours further, makes it unplanned in my books. So we end up in Detroit, Michigan instead of Buffalo, New York, for our little Carr family Christmas Shopping road trip.

There is nothing like a trip to a mall on a busy pre-Christmas shopping excursion to give you a little perspective. First, I am so happy that my kids have never been the ones to pull the middle of the mall temper tantrum, after finding out that they are not getting the latest whatever and I am also very happy that I am married to the best shopper in the world. Not only does she know product pricing, and if it is a good deal or not, but she has some kind of fancy magnets in her pockets that attract “the crazy math discount on discount deals”. There is know one that can get as much stuff, for as little money and in the end, have the sales clerk laughing to the point that they want to give an extra 5% off the whole thing.

In closing
I love my iPhone and so do the girls but not because they Google street map their friends house, but because it has a video recorded, and they love making these mini movies. I must have 20 or 30 of these little 15 – 30 second files on my phone, and they are so funny but so far my favourite one is a little song. I thought I would close, by sharing it with you!

Have an awesome week, thanks for reading, and please don’t forget to vote!
Jim

Talk, talk, talk, Kiss-n-Ride and a guilty pleasure with no fear of judgment, the Carr blog is up for the Week that was number 29.

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The talk
It happened, and we are not all that happy about it. We just felt that we would have more time to prepare. More time to plan an approach or come up with a unified strategy. Time to come up with the answer to the “going to happen” question about the magic of Christmas. This week it happened in the car, with not only our kids, but the little Shea people as well and that is what made it very difficult. These are four smart kids, and having the questions hanging in the air like a bad scent, only caused a ripple effect of more questions. “How does he…” and “How can that be…” and “What does it…” This cannot end well, the belief and power of this festive season and the mystical properties of the man himself all in question and nothing to divert attention or change the course of questioning. Nathalie and I just look at each other horrified and threw in an “of course we are not the ones who…” but that is all we said. How do you follow that? Leaving it and letting it blow over, turned out to be the best approach, but it was close, far too close and that only means one thing. It will come up again.

Guilty Pleasure
What is your guilty pleasure? What is it that you like or crave, or need in your life that if your friends ever found out may result in unspeakable judgment to the point that you are voted off the island? Nothing illegal here, but right now, my audio guilty pleasure is a song by Owl City, called Fireflies. When I hear it on the radio, I turn it up loud and sing along and I don’t care! It is what I might call a slightly corny attempt at a pop song with odd but memorable lyrics, and although it is doing (or has done) well on the charts, most I simply mention it’s name too, scoff in disapproval of this melodic little ditty. So for now, I will keep my fondness of the song one of my guilty pleasures and I will do so, with no fear of judgment, unless of course it ever gets out that I like it.

Talking dog
Bentley the super dog is 13, and for the last 7 years or so, he has stayed at home by himself during the day while we go to work and school. Before that, he would go to doggy daycare but that is a story for another blog, some other day. For now I would like to share a typical conversation we have with him as we arrive at home to find him waiting for us, or at least what I think it would sound like if he talked in words we could understand.

“Ohhhh you’re home, you’ll never guess what I did all day, ohh I am so happy to see you, today I heard a sound and I barked at it and scared it away, (lick, lick, lick) I heard the mail man and I told him to go away, then I ran upstairs and I looked for my toy and played for a bit, then I ran downstairs because I thought I heard you coming home, and then I slept and I barked and ohh I am so glad to see you, can you fill my water dish, I am thirsty, did you bring me anything, oh I missed you, sorry about the accident I left downstairs, ohh I am tired, how was your day (pant pant pant)?”

Kiss-n-Ride
A smile. Boundless energy and an excitement to arrive at school and sometimes even a kiss goodbye. I see it every morning while I open the doors of the cars, dropping the kids off at the St. Richard, Kiss-n-ride. That great energy and spirit of youth, seemingly thankful for education and for the most part excited about getting it started by first getting out of their parents car. For my help with a backpack, or a “have a great day” wish, I get rewarded with a smile and a little voice “Thank You” and it makes my day. You can’t have a bad day after volunteering and that’s why I do it. If you get a chance to somehow “give back” do it, and do it with force because it makes you a better person from the inside out.

In closing
This week, after having a conversation with a couple of my 3rd semester students about the need for a personal verbal filter, I was reminded of a conversation I had with Nathalie on the same topic. It is amazing that kids just say what they think or feel and never are concerned how the people around them will react, so they can get away with no filter. It is one of the things that is so enjoyable about having children. The other side of not caring what they say, is sometimes they say things that make you react, but not for the way that they might think. Julia said this week “I love living in the closet”. Ok, yes she is talking about the front hall closet and the fact that she enjoys hiding in there to scare anyone who makes the mistake of walking by, but still no filter, no worries, and not a care in the world and still funnier then most, even if she doesn’t mean to be.

Thanks for reading, please feel free to comment and have a great week!
Jim

Shotgun, Reconciliation, Remembering and leaving with more then you start with, the filling but enjoyable foray into the life and times of the Carr family for week 28.

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Reconciliation
We are not an overly religious family. Yes, good “Christian” values, like truth, kindness and a “do onto others” approach is part of our everyday way of thinking, but we don’t need to go to church every week to learn that these are good values to have in ones’ life. The girls go to a Catholic school and get a good dose of the “word of the Lord” each day so we think we pretty much have most of the bases covered. This last couple of weeks, we have been working a little extra hard with Julia because early in grade 2 they get ready for their first communion by first learning and understanding their first reconciliation (or first confession).

The problem is, that having gone through all the same work a couple of years ago with Jordyn, and having dealt then with the same “you must go to church every week” kind of people from church who run the program we are dealing with now, our attitude is filled with just a little frustration. That’s why Julia’s comments at the dinner table, after being asked for the hundredth time “do you know what it is you are going to say to the priest?” made us chuckle just a little too much for church speak! After repeating the required statement “bless me father, I have sinned. This is my first reconciliation”, Julia pointed out to us, that the word “silly” is in reconciliation… “That’s how I remember how to say it Mommy!” She says with a giant I am so smart smile.

Buddy
Friday, we finally had a chance to take Branden out for a birthday dinner, and I am happy to report that we had a great time! Great food, good company and a whole bunch of laughs! We had a good time reminiscing about him as a baby, growing up in front of our eyes, and making us proud everyday. Thanks for the company Buddy!

Shotgun
During the 80’s there was no voice in Toronto radio more popular with more people then that of Tom Rivers. Big in the eyes of all fellow broadcasters, not only because of the audience numbers he commanded, but also his shear size. However, what many are not aware of is that inside that imposing 6’ 8” frame was a huge heart with an enormously creatively mind to boot. Oh and also crammed in there was someone, who loved to teach and was very good at it.

The story of Tom teaching at Seneca was almost never to happen, truth be told. When he had called me out of the blue one day, to see if there were any openings for part time teachers, I had none. I loved the idea of bringing him in, but because we had no openings and because I was worried about what his attitude would be towards the future of radio, given the fact that he had been one of the most traveled jocks in North American radio, I was on the fence and leaning towards no. Surly someone with as many hiring’s and firings and as many different stations and jobs on his resume could never be as positive as you need to be to teach future broadcasters.

Boy was I wrong! In what was only going to be a quick chat with one of my radio idols, I learned of a man’s incredible passion for broadcasting and of a love he had for all that his storied career had given him. A short interview that turned into a couple of hours and a history lesson, I left with a need to find a course for Tom to teach but already having a full roster of teachers, the only solution was to create a brand new course for him, and that I did.

Tom taught at Seneca for only 2 years, but his contributions where countless and the difference he made every moment in the building where many, not only to his students but to also to the staff, faculty and especially to me. I learned more then ever the importance and respect for “loving what you do”, the power of “theater of the mind” and the need to always remember to laugh. Tom was the second of three important people in my life that had passed away in an 11-month stretch starting in March of 2004 and if the others were the Father and the Son, Tom was most certainly the Holy Ghost. Someone who I would call a friend, and could always count on if I ever needed something but someone who had not been in my life for that long. 5 years ago this week, radio lost a great one and I lost my friend Tom. Rock on Mother!

Last Weekend
Last post I did say that I would have a full recap of the goings on in Niagara Falls on our little mini vacation trip. We had a great time even if we did not make it to the US, due to a misplaced passport, but we DID make it to the casino, and left with more then we went in with and when all is said and done, is that not all we should ever hope for?

Memories
How powerful is that a simple sound, word or scent can bring back a memory as vivid and almost real as the day it happened? A first step, a first dance or a first whatever need only a quick trigger and you are right there in the middle of it. The great thing about memories are that they are ours and ours alone. Yes, the people that where with you back then, have similar memories but the ones in your minds eye are only yours. I also think that the memory of the house you grew up in, or what it was like sitting in your first car or even how you felt the first time you rode on two wheels will only get stronger if you share it with someone, so go ahead and re-tell the story from your past and that memory will be etched into the forever place in your mind.

In closing
This week we had a need for food and fast, so it was a quick lunch at Harvey’s. It amazes me, the things that are taught without teaching and in a quick conversation with Julia, we learned something new that the little one picked up. It was all about ketchup distribution, and Julia’s need to have ketchup, both all over her fries and in a pile beside the fries. “Why do you want so much ketchup Julia”? “See Daddy”, pulling a fry with no ketchup from the pile, and calmly dipping in the large dollop, “for instance, when I need more ketchup I have it right here”. For instance! Really? Where did she get that from?

They learn in the strangest ways…

Thanks for reading and have a safe week,
Jim