TO SING or NOT to SING

By now you know the residents of B.C. are extremely shop happy. They even sacrifice second Christmas Day and replaced it with "The Biggest Sale of the Year Event".  

Until yesterday I haven't really noticed they like to sing too. Given the opportunity, my new Canadian friends stand up tall and sing their National Anthem.

The end of June always marks the end of our school year and the beginning of eight weeks uninterrupted, blissful holidaying.
Our middle son had the honour to receive an Award for Most Improved Student and his mom was there to capture the moment.

Now, before our headmaster went on with his presentation, we got up and sang Oh Canada. (Which sounds lovely sung by 500 young children).
At moments like this I always face my inner, patriotic self: To sing or not to sing?
I am not Canadian, I will never become one-we might turn citizens, that doesn't mean we are Canadian.

Courtesy, manners and respect dictate to get up and be silent - no doubt about these rules.                But to sing? Assuming you know the words to sing along- , should we as non- Canadians?

During last year's Soccer Championship I made sure I  was on time to listen and watch the Live Feed of our National Team playing.
 I get all teary and wobbly in my knees when I listen to Deutschland Deutschland ueber Alles...   .And even with my own Anthem I don't sing! I don't cross my heart either.

I love our song- full stop. That's where the teary eyes come into. The wobbly knees? That might have something to do with men in shorts.

To sing or not to sing will be a question worth pondering during the next few days: On July 1 we  will celebrate Canada Day with all its glory and on July 4th we will hop across the border to find out how the other North Americans celebrate their day. During both occasions I bet their will be lots of flag raising and ....singing!

FROM SEXTET to QUINTET

Ten months ago a leap of faith granted me one of my early teenage wishes:
I became a mother of my fourth boy! The arrival of our new 'son' had more to do with an ad on our letter boxes than the careless, random act of natural desire! (After three boys we didn't want to push our luck anymore- and do I need to tell you, I am not getting any younger)!

Our fourth boy was delivered to us courtesy of the flourishing Korean Exchange Student Program.

This boy needed a roof over his head - and without much thought we jumped right into our newest adventure in our new country. We have the roof, the space plus three other boys who shared our enthusiasm!
What started off with excitement, ended up with a sigh of relief. At least on my part that is.
A few days ago we waved good- bye to our home stay, Joey; he is back into the arms of his real parents and our family is back to life as we know it.

Do I miss him? It would be a lie if I said yes. Do the boys miss him? I don't think so.
It is so nice to be in command of my own crew again after
 - 10 months of constant reminding (we don't eat in the men den),
-  asking (pick up your dirty towels),
- refilling our pantry (this boy loves to eat; especially sweets, cookies and KIMCHI noodles),
- yelling (due to his ear phones on full blast),
 - being angry (the computer is for all of you),
-  being pissed off (midnight showers, lasting for over 30 minutes),
- being worried (forgot to tell me he went out with his Korean friends for the day)
-  shop till I drop (sorry, I already told you,  this boy eats for three) and last not least, -  being really nonchalance about him (after I realised he prefers the company of his electronic devices more than ours).

Not to mention, our boys don't slurp during dinner time; nor do they eat with their mouths open - that must be a cultural thing from Korea.
There is also less pressure to cook something grand every night. Joey's parents paid us to feed their son and I took it as my challenge to create a varied menu for all of us. Cooking healthy is one thing, cooking varied is another.  I am no Masterchef;  cooking for me is a chore, not a pleasure!

Today on the other hand,  I can send my own boys to bed with a tummy full of baked beans on toast.
We went from quintet to sextet - only to get back to quintet again.
Yes, it is good to be our own family again!
.

WALKING down the AISLE...

...at the pharmacy department!

Welcome to my three day stunt as 'Welcome Hostess' to the pharmaceutical department of a massive supermarket chain!

This department has been currently refurbished; what once was the dental aisle is now the feminine hygiene section.
I thought it's quite clever from the management team to hire a hostess to help customers finding their way around.. No supermarket should send their customers on a wild goose chase to find nail clippers and finding arthritis cream instead. (If you want to know, the clippers can now be found on aisle 13, in the BEAUTY section).

Here is a highlight of 3x 7 blissful hours spent among shop happy, pill popping, vitamin crazy Canadians:

On day one, still unfamiliar with the exact product placements, I offered a cheerful "Do you need any help Sir", (bright smile included) to an Asian gentleman looking at yellow boxes. Only to discover he was looking at condoms! (My husband still wants to know WHAT kind of advice I can give HIM?)

I learnt about the different ways to lighten the load if you are clocked up ( i.e. constipated). To keep a straight face was the hardest thing  when I guided various ladies and gentlemen to their laxatives, suppositories or fibre drinks.

A fellow country man, Mario, found himself lost in the aisle, looking for dis solvable vitamin C tablets. We started talking - and  bitch'n about the price  ($ 4.99 vs 0.98 cents in good ol' Germany for double the size. Nothing like a good chat in German in the vitamin aisle in Canada.

Since when are there so many different kinds of adult diapers on the market? Not that I was ever really concerned about this product - it is very comforting to know they exist . And who knows, we all might end up on aisle 8!

The couple I sent to the First Aid aisle; they re - appeared after 25 minutes (I kid you not) Guess what they were looking for? Band aids! Plain simple, waterproof and - tight band aids. Needless to say, this prompted another fun filled conversation about finding the right product for the right price.

And so far the best must have been the 72 year old lady who asked me if she should buy long or short PJ bottoms (?). I told her to get the short ones. Then she started telling  about her impending divorce to her husband of 53 years. Now I know about it- her husband, the poor soul, doesn't - yet!

The pharmacy department -
 being the hostess beats watching TV anytime. Thank God, I can go back next week!

LADIES WHO LUNCH Part I

One glance at the glossy invite and my gut feeling told me, I shouldn't show up in Lower Mainland's most favourite attire - yoga pants and flip-flops! As always, the gut was right!

Yes, even here in Vancouver, the world's most relaxed, most beautiful, most unfashionable city of all, glamorous ladies are out and about; you just need to know where to find them!

Last week, after 1,5 years of living in Canada, I discovered a crowd which speaks fluid fashion:
I had the honour and privilege to be invited - and speak - at the inauguration event of                   Ladies Who Lunch

 at the Arbutus Club in Vancouver!

Here is the first of two parts,   THE PREP

Surely,  I was able to sprinkle some inspirational Christina Dust over the listening crowd . It was all about "Women living their Dreams, How can you inspire others to do the same?" The ladies were laughing and stopped eating, - that's always a good sign, isn't it??

Like most women I have a secret, and like most of us I like to share one of them with you here,
It took me less time to prepare and rehearse the speech than deciding on what NOT to wear, putting the colour into my hair and onto my body, buying earrings and the forever question of which shoes to slip on.

HAIR:
 Take a close look at my hair and you will see it's curly and grey!! Isn't grey the most persistent colour ever? Becoming older is fun, getting wrinkles is part of my (happy) life - getting grey hair? Give me four words to express myself, It p... me off!
Thank God there is a company out there who promises us to become Natural Browns again 'because we are worth it." What I want to know is, why is my favourite hair dye always playing hard to get whenever I need it most?

SKIN:
When it comes to skin tone, I tend to pale in with the Nicole Kidman's of this world. Being too pale is a big No-No, especially if you want to wear a knee length dress. Help is at hand: With the help of squeeze bottles we can squirt the perfect amount of mayo, chocolate paste, mustard, salmon pate or self tanning lotion onto our crackers,  pieces of bread or bodies!

For this particular get together I opted to involve a tanning specialist, Spray Tan anybody? Strip down, spread your legs, open your arms wide and let the fun begin!

SHOES:
 Carrie Bradshaw will faint if she opens my shoe closet. First of all, I don't have one and secondly, all she will find are runners, boots, sneakers, and flip-flops! High Heels? In your dreams Carrie.  Here is another secret I want to share, I can't walk on heels! I prefer to walk it flat and safe than sky-high with the risk of looking stupid! My choices were clogs(!) or sandals. Again, the gut decided on my behalf. A pair of sandals had the honour to lead me ....behind the podium!

It's all about the presentation - and when it comes to Ladies Who Lunch, it was all there>
Glamour, sparkle, a Good Cause and some serious fashion.

Stay tuned for Part II, the PHOTOS!

WHAT'S WRONG WITH HAVING A SOB STORY?

In general, nothing!
To me a sob story becomes a bummer if you use it to play with people's emotions!
A tear jerker is the lowest form of emotional blackmail! Especially if you use it to sell your book!
My solution?

Tell your sobbi sob tale as a matter of fact story!- If, 10 years later you still need to tell the same story, doesn't that mean you are still not over it?
You clever sober you: you use the audience to feel sorry for you, the audience becomes your substitute for therapy, your shrink!
And, it sells your book!
Why is that?
Why do we feel compelled to weep with the sobber rather than celebrate with the doer?
Just asking?

A FUTURE ENTREPRENEUR?

I often wonder, which genes did our boys get from me, which ones did they get from their father?
Without any reservation, hesitation or false modesty I raise my hand to Good LOOKS AND CHARM. Let me keep my belief that throwing tantrums, being moody, smart and entrepreneurial comes from their father's side.

This last characteristic makes me so proud that I needed post about it!
Today was the annual Entrepreneurial Show at our Elementary School.
The students had to design, research, develop, create and sell a product of their choice!
[caption id="attachment_851" align="alignnone" width="225"] The Business plan [/caption]
Our son, without leaving his minecraft screen, or taking a break from youtube, hit the nail right on its head.
This 10 year old encompasses the Zeitgeist of his generation. Guess what he made?
What is every 10 year old boy crazy about at this moment?
Right, MINECRAFT!
[caption id="attachment_852" align="alignnone" width="225"] Here he is, THE GENIUS...[/caption]

In the early hours of the evening he cut, painted and glued 30 of these characters (don't ask me their names though-).

This young boy gave us seasoned sales folks a lesson.
He showed us what sales manuals, marketing strategy courses or business courses don't teach.
His lesson to us: SELL WHAT PEOPLE WANT TO BUY!
It is that simple - really!
This morning, within one hour, he was sold out!

PREDICAMENT of a MOTHER

Just a skip, hop and roll down from our rock you find yourself in a beautiful park. Playground, spray fountains, picnic tables, grass field, public washrooms- everything you need for a perfect, relaxed play time. Even a river runs through it!

Everything is fine in Happy Land - until this guy shows up!

He parks his truck in the middle of the parking lot and sounds his horn to make sure everybody knows the ice-cream van has arrived!
Pardon, he doesn't sound his horn, he plays a wonderful, melodious, innocent children's tune. Like the ones you can listen to at Disney.


Oh you evil ice cream seller! You put us mothers in an awful predicament: On the one hand, we love our children and want to spoil and protect them. On the other hand, we love our children and want to spoil them BUT don't want to spend $5.00 on an ordinary ice lolly!
Do you see my dilemma here? On which grounds do I refuse to buy an ice lolly for my son(s)?

What do you think of these ones?
I forgot my money - That's always a handy one
Next time, it's nearly dinner time - Try it, not bad if the child is smaller
We have the same ones at home - This is quite logical for us grown - ups. Definitely not for your child if he is hot, bothers and craves an ice lolly now!
Look over there, do you see the beautiful birds? Nice try, Whom are you fooling though?
They are too expensive! The truth is, this answer makes us look cheap in the eyes of our kids. They might even think "Mom doesn't love me, she doesn't buy me ice cream."

Last year I made the big mistake of purchasing five ice creams from him at a grand total of $25.00! I even had to borrow cash from my neighbour in order to pay him! Good grief!
I did it once, I will never do it again!

Whenever we see or hear him today, I all of a sudden become blind and deaf. Thanks to the greedy ice cream man I turned into one cold - hearted, tight assed mother!

To this day I am still complaining about this ridiculous rip-off. My boys have smartened up since then. Is their anything more annoying than listening to your whining mother? I don't think so! Nowadays my boys know better, they eat ice cream from our home freezer!