I am as stressed about school as I have ever been. Well, not school so much as worrying about my kid’s stress. I don’t always pay attention and I missed some of the cues that would have let me understand that my older son was fretting about what to expect during the first couple of [...]
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Kingston, Ontario is a great place to live
Really? Well…Yes. I actually targeted Kingston years ago as one of the better spots to live in Canada for a number of reasons: It’s not too big. Easy to navigate, little traffic and low crime. It is not too small. All the services are here and Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa are not that far away. [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Getting in shape for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
The first two classes after being off for a month left me bruised and sore. I gassed quickly and then got sloppy as I tired. Such is life. I also feel rejuvenated and keen to train which is an improvement for sure. I did ok in open mat of Friday. My concentration at the moment is [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge / AMEX Platinum Aeroplan
In order to get my last required Aeroplan points for our trip to Europe, I got an American Express Platinum Aeroplan credit card. Among the benefits was access to the Maple Leaf Lounge at the airports. Traveling on Aeroplan points is cool except you can get stuck with some pretty sketchy routing. That meant 8 [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Roma, Rome for the Canadian traveler with teens
Tips, tricks and notes: If you have never traveled with a single carry on bag then you are missing out big time. It is easy, saves money, saves the wear and tear of baggage handling, makes carrying easier and does not leave you wanting for items you would have packed in a bigger bag. We [...]
Read the rest of this entry »John McKay’s avulsion fracture of the proximal fifth metatarsal
UPDATE! I broke my foot on June 23rd when I was thrown onto the edge of a low platform during a warm up for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. One of those stupid avoidable injuries. At first, I thought it was just bruised and I was able to finish the class and drive home, walk the dogs [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Back to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at Martial Arts Planet
I have been off for a month. Parenting issues and our vacation to Europe. I feel fat and out of shape. Last night I put my Gi in my bag and slipped through the doors of Martial Arts Planet in time for the competitive class. It was fun. Some things change and some things remain [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Something we couldn’t have thought up ourselves
Liam, Aidan, Annette and I just got back from a 16 day trip to Roma, Pompeii, Paris and Venezia. Annette did a side trip to visit her family in Poland. The experience was more than worth the cost. So much of what we saw was unexpected. From the dominance of Smart cara in Roma to [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Putting down roots
We have moved around…A LOT. But we have now been here in Kingston for longer than anywhere else and we like this town. The river is just down the path behind our house. There’s a place where the dogs can swim. The city is just across the bay. We can see the Canada day fireworks [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Grace
“Grace” has numerous theological definitions. My definition is of a more secular nature. “Grace is an unearned gift of momentary happiness that we experience with our family or friends” This was a pretty rough weekend. There were times though, where it occurred to me that I am very, very blessed to have Liam, Aidan and [...]
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