I haven’t blogged in so very long, it seems, and it isn’t for lack of love or interest or topics. Rather, my brain has gone to a lovely, shimmery, foggy land called Summertime. Every day we get up and toddle about in our PJs and lazily read magazines in the sunshine and wonder what lovely thing we should do today. I sometimes get it together to do a day trip or take the kids to the park, but mostly there’s a lot of surfing and reading and biking and video gaming and saying “yes” every time the kids ask for ice cream.
Ah, summer. Bliss.
So! I find myself in the situation where I’m so far behind on talking about everything that there’s no way I’ll ever catch up, and to tell the truth, even focusing long enough to put a single coherent sentence together is very, very hard, when I can HEAR the ice cream calling me from the kitchen. Instead, I think I’ll just toss out some quick updates and then drift slowly, barefoot, back to the patio with my reading. (The Emperor of Paris, if you want to know, alternating with this week’s copy of Entertainment Weekly.)
Summer of Awesome update: We are seeing a lot and doing a lot and going a lot of places. But I have, somewhere in the back of my brain, a weepy post about how the kids are aging and our summers are changing accordingly. With the Captain being 10 years old now, he’s just not as interested in things like parks and museums and simple trips to the beach. He wants to go to superhero movies and play video games and swim in the pool all by himself, now that he can pass the swim test. It’s been tough finding activities we call can enjoy and there’s a lot of, “You will suck this up for your sisters and there will be ice cream in it later for you.” He’s not too whiny about it, but I can see that the next few years are going to be tough, with the Little Miss still wanting to explore the city and him being too young to leave at home. Next year may be the Summer of Day Camp for us.
Dance Show update: Oh, so much to say here. Unfortunately we are going to be without internet access for most of August, due to events that I will talk about later on, which means my weekly Dance Show dissections that usually start at the top 10 mark will be intermittent, if not altogether absent. What say you readers – want some occasional and incomplete rants, or skip this season altogether?
Other TV updates: It seems I have become totally addicted to reality TV this summer, as in addition to Dance Show, I could write reams and reams about MasterChef and The Amazing Race Canada. Short versions – MasterChef makes me hungry and wish I were a better cook; also I just realized in writing this sentence that there’s no finalist in particular that I actually like or would want to buy the cookbook of. Hm. As for The Amazing Race Canada, I am totally on team Brett and Holly (I stand alone in Canada, I’m sure), and have written in my head a 1000-word manifesto defending them, which I may post someday. Also, Jet and Dave should have their own show, because I absolutely cannot hear the words “we grab a nug all the time” without snickering. Did you know that Jet’s full name is “Jet Black”? Crazy obnoxious and yet, SO FABULOUS. Would watch them eat cereal.
Travel updates: We hit up African Lion Safari and the Toronto Zoo last week. Let me know if you need any tips on that. We also went to my friend Lee Ann’s cottage and I did not get eaten by a bear, nor did any of the children drown in the lake, and I invented a new kind of dessert which is like a sandwich made of two brownies with a toasted marshmallow in between, so all in all, success.
Fashion updates: The Little Miss has a new sparkly purple cowboy had with a rainbow tiara attached that is the very definition of her. Gal Smiley has a new denim hat that is kind of like a fedora – it’s like a Perry the Platypus hat, but made of denim – that makes her look like the coolest secret agent in the world. Conclusion: I need a new hat.
And now, I’m off to eat ice cream, and read, and not wear shoes, and embrace the glittery mental fog of summertime.
TurtleHead 
“Would watch them eat cereal” – awesome! Milk almost came out of my nose when I read that. Did you invent that, or is that a meme that escaped my attention? Either way I love it.
It’s actually a quote from Dance Show – last week Anna Kendrick was a guest judge and she said it about one of the dancers. If you’re ever on Twitter at all, you should check out Anna Kendrick’s stream, she’s surprisingly hilarious.
As for Jet and Dave themselves, I doubt you have access to The Amazing Race Canada, so let me quote the full passage – they were asked to do a challenge where one of them is pushing a wheelbarrow blindfolded, while the other rides in the wheelbarrow and guides their partner to a series of gold-nugget-grabbing stations.
Dave: We don’t have a *lot* of experience with blindfolded wheelbarrow pushing…
Jet: But we *do* have a lot with nugget grabbing.
Dave: Oh yeah, we grab a nug all the time. Nug here, nug there.
HILARIOUS.
sounds like a good summer. miss your dance show commentary though.
Well, that is all the encouragement I need! I just watched last night’s top 12 show so commentary is forthcoming :).
Hi Lynn
This year I it the two kids in a summer day camp for one week to give me time to pack the house kid free. They loved it! There are so many different options for camps to choose from. I was impress with the counsellors too. They were competent youngsters between 17 and 22 years old.
As for the Amazing Race, I too love Brett and Holly. I have from the beginnin – so you are not alone! 🙂
Sounds like you guys are having a terrific summer! Would love tips for the Toronto Zoo, we’re headed there on Wednesday. B.G. spent a week at Trampoline and Circus Camp (Spring Action) this summer and loved it. I think we may have to do it again next year.
We went on a Thursday and it wasn’t too crowded, so it’s great you’re doing a weekday, too. We’d heard stories about 2 hour lineups to see the Pandas, so we went there first, but it wasn’t too crowded. The pandas themselves are pretty low-key animals so the kids tired of them quickly – luckily there was lots of other good stuff.
I can’t remember how old your kids are – younger than mine, I think. The zoo is a BIG place, the Africa area in particular is kind of way out there. Our 6-year-old did fine, but I’d recommend a stroller or stroller rental for kids younger than that.
There are tons of picnic benches all around, so I’d recommend bringing your lunch to avoid mega-costly food (especially if you have a stroller to cart it around for you). Also, there’s a really good splash pad there, perfect for a late afternoon stop, so bring bathing suits and towels.
Near the Gorillas there’s a massive climbing structure that our kids loved. You clip into a harness then climb up to three stories high. Our 7-and-a-half year old nephew did just fine, but our six-year-old was too scared (and now that I think about it, likely too short anyway). If you have older kids, though, highly recommended.
As for the animals, a lot of them are sleepy during the day so if you can arrive early, that’s best. There’s a feeding/zookeeper presentation schedule you can get at the front and the more of these you can squeeze in, the better, as you’ll see the animals being more active. Our favourites included the penguins, the orangutans, and the polar bears.
I had heard that the train ride is good too – it takes you all around the park and through some of the enclosures – but we didn’t end up having time for that. One warning about the train is that there are only a couple of assigned stops, so once you’re on, you’re on – if your kid sees an animal they like, you’ll have to wait for a stop then hike back.
Lastly, it’s pretty exposed there so make sure you have hats and sunscreen and lots of water.
Hope you have fun!
We are kindred spirits Lynne (sorry but just back from PEI and it I have Green Gables brain). our fave 2 shows of the summer are Masterchef and Amazing Race Canada. But Brett and Holly are not my fave team… he drives me crazy always “Hol”, “Hol”..”Hol”… enough! and yes, I have a nickname for the other 2 you like that I cannot share in this comment box but I do find them amusing for sure.
as for your blog topics, I will read anything your share with us!
Hee – one of my favourite things about Brett and Holly is the “Hol…Hol…Hol…” The kids and I have taken to saying it to each other all the time around the house when the other one is getting crazy. I’m sure I’m driving my husband bananas. Who is your favourite team? I have to say, I do kind of love everyone – the very presence of Hal and Joanne makes me squeal, the girly girls are from Ottawa so I have to support them, and Tim and Tim are really growing on me with their persistence. Go teams!
ha! did you see I wrote Lynn with an “e” a la Anne of Green Gables……. but in total error 🙂
to be honest, I was very disapointed in the teams they picked. And they didn’t really have anybody from the Maritimes (correct me if i’m wrong) or North which I thought was too bad. not sure I have a favorite team. Hal & J are doing well, and play smart. and I like the Tims. the brothers are inspiring. the girly girls from Ottawa are ok.. really disliked them at first, but they have grown on me.
That said, I love the show……. great to see the place they visit 🙂