Father's Day celebrations

Yes, yes, I know.  Father's Day was on Sunday June 17th, and it is now June 21st...I am days behind........Here's where I start making excuses for why I didn't post this one on time.   First excuse.....You see, I have been filling in this week for the Talk Show on our radio station and that has consumed much of my time....Hmmmm, well that's not really all of it....Excuse number two..The kids have consumed the majority of my time....Well, that is partially true, they have been keeping me busy..Excuse number three...Just physically exhausted at night...Well, yes, that is true...SO, combine the three excuses, and then on top add that I just didn't make the time to update my blog, and there's your answer...

Late or not, Father's day around our household was a lot of fun this year.....Daddy got to sleep in til 9am(the kids decided on that)...I made the coffee, with my daughter's help....I poured the cereal, cut the fruit, and put it all out on the table....and the kids woke up Daddy by jumping on him and tickling his feet....

This is the giant Father's Day card that my daughter picked out at Walmart.....It was pretty funny...

My daughter did a father's day card at school as well.....It was much like a tool box, with paper tools included.  Each tool had a task written on it, that she plans to help her dad with, including mow the lawn(which she has already asked several times to help with!  Get 'er trained young I say!), also breakfast in bed, and a couple others.....

And finally my son's gift to his Daddy.  They make the coolest gifts at his preschool!

He also got a couple of t-shirts....Both most appropriate.....And two pairs of smurf boxer shorts(I forgot to take pictures of those)

To wrap up our Father's Day, we decided on a family board game, one that we had been promising to play for a week now......

We teamed up, boys versus girls!  The girls whooped the boys butts!   They were bankrupt!  My daughter was a little concerned at first because I was spending all of the money buying properties(it was her first time playing)....but she put her full trust in me when we WON!  Disney Monopoly champions!   The boys are out for revenge though....and they'll play that much harder next time.(Daddy doesn't like losing very much..Heehee)

As for my dad, if you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know all about him....He got his very own posting for his birthday......We were over to see my mom and dad in PEI in May, over the Mother's Day weekend, and I brought him his gifts....But you'll have to wait until I go on vacation to see them.  He has them set up beside his pond now, and I'm sure they look FABULOUS!  Solar light bulrushes.....The frogs will be rushing to live in his pond....I also picked him up a solar bug light, but he already has one...so I returned it for something else, which I'll be giving him when we head to the Island in a few weeks.....and one other thing, which I will have him model and I'll take photos for later.....It has to do with the show "Storage Wars."  "Yeepppppppp!"   (I'm addicted to that show!)

He's a pretty special guy, even though my kids drive him crazy now....(and I'm sure that I drive him crazy too)  Can't blame him though...My father has a wife, and lived in a household with three daughters.....That's four women under the same roof...Holy cow, I can't remember if we all shared the same cycle, but if we did, he managed to make it through somehow!!!!!

This is a pic of my dad(he's the one bent down putting wood on the fire), and his buddy Roger from the house next door(AKA the strawberry thief!  Ha Ha)

I borrowed the pic from my mom's facebook page...

As for my Father-in Law, well,  Ed's looking down on us from Heaven....Probably sitting in a big ole chair watching The Three Stooges or old Westerns or something....(the Hubby is getting teary eyed right now reading this I'm sure..) 

Anyway, belated or not, a big Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there!(that's includes those single moms too who act in the role of mom and dad)   A dad's job is just as important as the mom's(even though we carried, and delivered the kids, and won't EVER let you forget it!!!!)

Doing the pigeon...(and the goose and duck)

Remember the song that Bert always sang on Sesame Street? 

Believe it or not, that video is from 1973!  Man, I feel old!!!!

Anyway...the whole relevance is,  that every time I see a pigeon, it reminds me of that song!

We occasionally see pigeons in our backyard, and there were a couple resting on the power lines behind my house tonight..

On Friday, we went to Centennial Park ....and the ducks and Canadian Geese were gathered at the shore area, where they were endulging in a full feast with the number of people feeding them.  These birds have grown so accustomed to getting fed, that you can actually go up and touch the birds...

The kids played on the teeter-totters....remember these?  You don't see them around very often anymore....

Circus, Afro, Polka Dot, Polka Dot

It's even worse than the song that never ends...The song from the movie Madagascar 3:  Europe's Most Wanted.....It sticks it your head!  Can't get it out! (My husband has now added it to his phone, as his official ringtone!  He's just trying to be a cool dad, you know... )
Just kidding honey!  :)

But it was a fabulous movie!  We decided to take the kids on Sunday, and the theatre was packed....It appears that everyone else had the same idea as we did for a Sunday afternoon!

Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Ben Stiller and Jada Pinkett Smith, once again do a fantastic job voicing their characters....Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo, and Melman the Giraffe..They're joined by Gia, Vitaly, and Stefano, and are being chased by Dubois and her crew...I give this one a 9 out of 10....Not only because it features some of the funniest characters(which just happen to be animals...and I LOVE animals!), but also because they managed to include the song "Firework" by Katy Perry...

The 3D effects were great!  This is definitely one I recommend that you pay the extra and see in 3D...

Aren't 3D glasses the coolest things!  Now that almost every movie is in 3D, I can imagine the next step is to start offering these glasses in all the latest stylish colours.......RayBan could make a fortune! 

Maybe they'll start selling them with prescription lenses as well? 

Vacation road trip memories

Because most of my family was born in Prince Edward Island(with the exception of me, who was born, bred and raised in Ontario...My parents moved before they had me), we spent two weeks of our summer each year on the Island....In July or August, depending on when my parents booked their vacation, we packed up the car the night before, and got up around 4am, and hit the road.....In the beginning, it was roughly about 20 hours from Brampton....that was before new highways and shortcuts......We used to stop the night, and then we were on the Island by around 3 the next day....taking into account the time change.....For those of you who don't know, Ontario and PEI are in different time zones, so there is an hour difference...

When I first moved to Moncton, I realised that I really knew nothing about the Hub City....The most familiar sites I saw when travelling past on the Trans Canada are still there including these...They have changed since the many years ago when I first saw them..They can be found on Magnetic Hill.....just take that exit  and you're right there....

I don't know how long the McDonald's and gas station have been there, but it's long enough that I remember when I used to beg my parents to stop for something to eat on our travels....And when we passed that mark on the highway, I always knew we weren't too far from our destination.....Prince Edward Island was ultimately where we wanted to go, but it was the Northumberland Ferry I was shooting for......I sometimes miss the boat....The Confederation Bridge is exciting...but only for the first few times.....whereas on the boat there was always something new....You could sit indoors and have a bite to eat....or you could go out on deck, and look out at the water...When I was younger, I didn't have a problem standing on the rails looking over....Now, many years later, I don't like to look down into the water...fears of falling or something..It's kind of silly..

This is a photo of one of the ferries I found online.....

Mid-summer, depending on the time of day we arrived at the ferry, we sometimes had to wait for hours because of the number of cars lined up to crossover to PEI....The ferry certainly added time to the trip, taking over a hour to cross from Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick to Borden, Prince Edward Island.....but for those who had never made the trip, I imagine it added a little bit more adventure....After a long drive from Ontario to PEI, it gave the driver a bit of a break......

For those who got seasick, I can bet it wasn't that exciting...but I just loved it as a child......

The Confederation Bridge had its 15th year anniversary this year...Hard to believe it has been that long since we started crossing that bridge....

Back to Magnetic Hill....Found the website on the legend, and how it got started....

You can check it out by going to this link, http://www.magnetichill.com/english.htm

"Stories about a strange road where the wagon would run up on the horses heels when going uphill go back to the 1880's. In 1933 stories of cars rolling uphill without power peaked the curiosity of three newspaper reporters from the Saint John Telegraph Journal. In August of 1933 they traveled to Moncton and spent hours trying every hill they came to in hopes of unraveling the mystery. After 5 hours of no success they stopped to stretch their legs on the way home and you guessed it. . . the car started to roll uphill. "   

Tourists are still paying to check it out to this day....

While on our travels, we took some pics from the Hill...What a view....The homeowners up there are VERY lucky! 

I also grabbed a couple of shots of Casino NB on our way back on Mountain Road.. 

I don't have a gardener's green thumb, but I'm loving it this year!

Last year, I had my front garden cleared out, and a landscaper came in and redid my garden.....He came in, and pulled out all the plants(we had a garden full of perennials, and weeds.....) and he replanted, saying it would be something easy for me to maintain, and it would be very nice.... I know nothing about gardening......I know the basics...plants grow in dirt, and they need sunshine and water......I have a hard time telling the difference between plants and weeds....I know what a dandelion is, but that's about it....

There are some hostas, and I have mini roses, but that's about all I can tell you on that side....

There are some bleeding hearts and more hostas on that side.....

The rest...no idea...

When the garden first went in last year, we weren't sure...It didn't look like anything special....But this year, with the rain and warmer temperatures we had early on, it has all come in very nicely.....Probably the best decision I ever made.....and it is so easy to manage now!  Makes a big difference to the front of a house.....

And yes, those are garden gnomes.......My mom made them....Ceramic..They've been in our family a long time....

A movie date with my hubby? Huh?

I went out for a movie date with my husband for the first time in.........I can't even remember the last time we did this....

It sort of happened by accident.   We were supposed to have a softball game, and I had made arrangements for the kids.   Friends of ours were going to watch them for a couple of hours while my husband and I went and played Co-ed slo pitch....But...the games got rained out....so I called out friends and told them that we didn't need them afterall, but thanks for the offer.,....Five minutes later she called me back, and offered to take the kids for the evening.    She said, "I know he two of you don't get to spend a lot of time together..so we don't mind taking the kids..."  What a wonderful offer......It's not often this happens, and it's great to have friends like this!  It was nice to have the evening out.....

We went to Costco and picked up our passes...

This is the best deal!   $24.99....for two adults, two popcorn and two drinks....We chose this film...

It was my pick....My hubby wasn't totally keen...but he gave in...and agreed....It was in 3D, so we had to pay an extra $6 for that feature.....But the Costco passes, still the best deal! 

We enjoyed the flick....I'd give it an 8.....Tommy Lee Jones...wow, he is aging!    The makeup couldn't even hide how much he has aged....Perhaps that's why he took a bit of smaller role in this film....Josh Brolin did a great job in the role of "Young K"..and Will Smith was fantastic as always....

We got home at around 8:45pm, which is past my bedtime.....The kids were tired, so it was into the pj's and straight to bed.....

It was nice to have an evening out with my wonderful hubby though......Even a couple of hours, makes all the difference.....I love him to death...I'm very lucky to have a man like him...He is a wonderful father, and a great husband who would do absolutely anything for me or my kids.....and even though we don't get to spend a lot of time alone together, I cherish the time we do.....

Planning a vacation? How about PEI? I've got the perfect spot!

My parents are once again renting their cottage for the summer....and I thought, where is the perfect place to advertise?  How about my blog?   Might give it a little exposure, might not, but what the heck....It's worth a try!

It's located in Meadowbank, Prince Edward Island, which is near the South Shore....It is about a 10 minute drive to Charlottetown, and it is in a very quiet location.....

It's very cozy with two bedrooms, one bath, and full kitchen...

We vacation there for a week every summer, and it fits our family of four just fine...I've spent time in this cottage since I was about 6 years old, so I know it well.   It has changed over the years, my parents have done a lot of updating, but I've pretty much grown up with this cottage....

The rental fee is $700 for the week....But if you're planning on vacationing in PEI, that's a pretty good price....It's very clean, and more spacious than some of the smaller units you would get in Cavendish....I highly recommend it!(I'm a bit biased because it is my parents cottage.....but I wouldn't lie..It is very comfy!)

If you are interested, follow this link...

http://vacations.kijiji.ca/c-Canada-Prince-Edward-Island-Charlottetown-Cottage-for-rent-on-the-South-Shore-in-PEI-W0QQAdIdZ380403489

It's available from May 28 until October 27.....