Our Day Trip to Pictou (Aug 30-07): Robot Ferry Proof
Originally uploaded by Binky's Photos
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
Grade 1 So Far...
Day eight of Grade one and Action Girl seems to be enjoying her self everyday. Every night she lets slip a new French word or two and mentions with whom she played at recess. Lunch and milk tokens are no longer great mysteries and our morning routine runs smoothly. She especially enjoys, recess, gym, and music. Yes, both gym and music are in English. Last week was meet-the-teacher night. It went well and was quite informative. Home work starts next week.
This past Saturday we bought a Popomatic Trouble board game and have played a couple of games. Happily, Super Girl is just strong enough to press the bubble to “roll: the die.
Fun times,
B.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Summer's Bonus Level
A long time ago, back when video games had only two dimensions and very
obvious pixels, players of a certain skill (more than mine) could often
"earn" bonus levels between regular game levels, simply for fun and
extra points.
obvious pixels, players of a certain skill (more than mine) could often
"earn" bonus levels between regular game levels, simply for fun and
extra points.
Last weekend was the summer's bonus level for us- extra fun that we
weren't expecting. On Saturday we drove the extra half hour to spend
the afternoon on a south shore beach at low tide. You can say what you
want about muddy south shore beaches lacking the world class white-sandy
glamour of the north shore (where we live) but our daughters are still
talking about the fish, crabs, barnacles and snails that shared their
afternoon adventure. Not bad for September 8th... We had only planned
on making a sand castle, hanging out for a while and then leaving. It
was much more fun than that.
That night the adventures continued. The girls and I finally managed to
spend a night camping in our yard. We made several discoveries that
night. First, there's a surprising amount of traffic on our road after
10PM. Second, despite its many imperfections and weeds, our lawn makes
a reasonably comfortable mattress, at least through the tent bottom.
And third, adventurous fun can be had 20 feet from our house. Happily
both girls and I made it through the night safe and warm.
B.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Action Girl's First Day of Grade One
The page has turned. Action Girl had her first day of school today! The day really started the night before when Action Girl and her mom made her lunch. Action Girl was excited but managed to get to asleep without much fuss.
FIRST DAY OF GRADE ONE
06:30ish all family members accounted for, some even up.
07:00 Breakfast
07:25 Goodbyes and hugs for Mom
07:43 Leave house
07:43 Come back to house for camera
07:44 Come back to house for sneakers (crocs are dirty- in the end she wears them anyway.)
07:45 Leave!
07:55 Arrive at Daycare. Talk to teachers everyone wishes Action Girl well- hugs and goodbyes for/from Super Girl
08:00 Arrive at school
08:01 Wait
08:02 Wait
08:05 Visit after school club (Action Girl isn’t going in the mornings but we wanted her to see it first).
08:10 Waiting again. We decide to listen to a Bob Marley in the car for a while.
08:15 More Bob
08:20 Leave car for Action Girl to see a grade two friend in the parking lot.
08:25 More Bob and chatting in the car
08:40 Leave car, chat with other parents and kids. Worry. Action Girl gets quieter.
08:45 Go into school. World does not end. We find her classroom. No tears. Action Girl goes to school.
All kidding aside, Action Girl had a great attitude and seemed to get off to a great start. The school was very welcoming. No, I did not cry either. She can’t wait for tomorrow and neither can I.
FIRST DAY OF GRADE ONE
06:30ish all family members accounted for, some even up.
07:00 Breakfast
07:25 Goodbyes and hugs for Mom
07:43 Leave house
07:43 Come back to house for camera
07:44 Come back to house for sneakers (crocs are dirty- in the end she wears them anyway.)
07:45 Leave!
07:55 Arrive at Daycare. Talk to teachers everyone wishes Action Girl well- hugs and goodbyes for/from Super Girl
08:00 Arrive at school
08:01 Wait
08:02 Wait
08:05 Visit after school club (Action Girl isn’t going in the mornings but we wanted her to see it first).
08:10 Waiting again. We decide to listen to a Bob Marley in the car for a while.
08:15 More Bob
08:20 Leave car for Action Girl to see a grade two friend in the parking lot.
08:25 More Bob and chatting in the car
08:40 Leave car, chat with other parents and kids. Worry. Action Girl gets quieter.
08:45 Go into school. World does not end. We find her classroom. No tears. Action Girl goes to school.
All kidding aside, Action Girl had a great attitude and seemed to get off to a great start. The school was very welcoming. No, I did not cry either. She can’t wait for tomorrow and neither can I.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Our Day Trip to Pictou
DSC03199
On August 30th, my parents and I took the girls "across" on the ferry to Pictou, Nova Scotia. It was their first time on a boat/ship of any size. The above posts are some pictures from that great day.
B.
Grade One: One More Sleep!
Twelve hours from now, Action Girl will be on first real school-girl
recess. She will be in grade one! How is this possible?
recess. She will be in grade one! How is this possible?
The good:
She is very keen, even psyched!
She is well-prepared academically.
She knows a number of kids in her class/grade.
Her teacher has a really good reputation.
She has the coolest backpack in the universe.
The not-so-good:
The world is scary.
Our daughter is young.
We have no control once she's there.
This, like the world, is scary!
News, reviews, and pics to follow!
B.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Your Reply Needed
This is possibly the best spam e-mail I have ever recieved. Its arrival in my inbox today brightened my afternoon. If only things were this easy:
________________________________________
________________________________________
Greetings,
I am a Civil Staff working under United States Marine Corps
operating with the Engineering military Dept unit in Baghdad, Iraq, we
discover about $65 Million US dollars that we want to move out but we
need a good partner we can trust. This fund is oil money and legal.
Click on the link bellow for more information
http://news.bbc.co.
uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm
We will be moving these funds out of
Iraq through the assistance of UN diplomatic officer. But the question
is can we trust you when the funds get to you? You will take your 30%
for the assistance and keep the remaining for us in a safe custody.
Your role is to find a safe place for the funds while our own part is
sending it to you.
Your Reply Needed
Michael Joseph
________________________________________
I am a Civil Staff working under United States Marine Corps
operating with the Engineering military Dept unit in Baghdad, Iraq, we
discover about $65 Million US dollars that we want to move out but we
need a good partner we can trust. This fund is oil money and legal.
Click on the link bellow for more information
http://news.bbc.co.
uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm
We will be moving these funds out of
Iraq through the assistance of UN diplomatic officer. But the question
is can we trust you when the funds get to you? You will take your 30%
for the assistance and keep the remaining for us in a safe custody.
Your role is to find a safe place for the funds while our own part is
sending it to you.
Your Reply Needed
Michael Joseph
________________________________________
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Ontario Trip Pictures Part 1
Giraffes Toronto Zoo DSC02359
I've added some pictures from our trip to my Flickr account.
You can find it at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/binkygetsby/sets/72157601464360992/
B.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Ontario Trip Re-Cap
A week ago today we returned from seven days spent in Toronto and Niagara Falls. We had a great time and were glad to come home for a rest. In Toronto, we spent some of our time visiting with my Aunt L. and seeing the sights. She lives in an amazing condo high-rise in Etobicoke. In Niagara Falls, we had a visit with my cousin in their beautiful home in the residential part of the city. Yes, there is one- you just have to know where to find it.
Here are some more highlights.
Toronto:
- Ontario Place. It was 35 degrees but after a while you don't notice the heat that much as there's so much to do, especially for kids.
- The Toronto Zoo. Tigers, giraffes, and elephants, Oh My! The water park is really cool as well.
- The Ontario Science Centre. It holds up. I wasn't much older than Action Girl (age 6.5) when I first went there.
- The CN Tower. A much bigger hit with the kids than I'd expected.
- The Eaton Centre. When you have really well-behaved kids, shopping is not too much of a problem.
- Hanging out around the lake on really great walking trails.
- Pool time.
- More authentic Chinese food that we get at home. Mmmmm... General Tao is better for chicken than Col. Saunders (that's whey he out-ranks him, too).
Niagara Falls:
- The new ferris wheel close to the falls. My cousin, B. took us- very cool and kid-friendly.
- Outlet Mall time. I am beginning to realize that the 3-to-1 gender imbalance in our family will contribute to this being a regular feature of future vacations.
- Marine Land. Ethical issues about marine mammal domestification aside, what a great place. Definitely the best kids' rides we have ever seen/enjoyed.
Some Challenges:
- We're used to it, but traveling with small kids can be a challenge. You need to slow down and be more flexible. We're used to it but still working on it.
- I am so far unable to plan properly to get to the airport, any airport at the time we should be there. I have yet to cause my family to miss a flight, though. I need to work on this.
A good time was had by all.
Pictures to follow!
B.
(Please excuse the disclaimer tag on the bottom of the message- I am writing this on my break at work.)
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Happy Anniversary to Us
Before I start a post about our trip to
It’s been quite a journey and promises to go a whole lot further. We even managed to pick up a couple of passengers along the way. Thank you, my love, for such a great life together!
B.
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