November 14th, 2016
Today would have been my grandfather's birthday. He passed away ten years ago at the age of 95. I loved my grandpa. He lost his entire family when he was eight years old because his mother had severe postpartum psychosis (we think) and she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. His father owned a general store and couldn't take care of the eight children. Therefore, they were all shipped off to different locations.
My grandpa was sent to a seminary where young men were sent to become priests. He cried for months. He looked up to an older boy who was living at the seminary. This young man was very disciplined and spent hours every evening doing his homework. My grandfather developed respect for education and had his own aspirations. However, as soon as he was old enough, his father returned for him. He had him work at his store. Eventually, he took over his business and became very successful. I don't know what he would have become if he hadn't been forced to take over the family business. He loved to watch the news, discuss politics and have debates with other men. I think he would have gone into law or politics.
He dated my grandmother for a long time before they married. We found out years later that she got pregnant and then they got married. It was their secret. My grandfather was intelligent. He was great with people, very polite and friendly. I can see why his business grew to be such a success. He was hardworking and proper. He wasn't the type to fool around or flirt with other women. My grandparents had five children together. My grandmother raised the children and my grandfather earned money. If one of the boys was given her a hard time, she would tell my grandad when he got home from work and he would get his strap. Ouch!
When the neighbourhood where his store was located became impoverished, he was robbed and held at gunpoint. The last time he was held at gun point, he decided to retire. He experienced symptoms following this trauma, probably like ptsd. He stayed home for a while and my grandmother was not happy about this new arrangement. He would walk around the house, whistling then read his paper and sit at the table for lunch or supper. He loved eating but he was especially fond of dessert. My grandma was an excellent cook so there was always plenty to eat and it was delicious. After he retired, they had to sell their country home. They moved to the city and lived in a tiny apartment. This was a difficult adjustment but the country property was too much for them to manage and it was more expensive.
Eventually, my grandad got jobs at the quarry then the courthouse. When he stopped working there, he ran errands for his siblings. They had reconnected at some point. His sister suffered from dementia so he would visit her weekly and run errands for her. His younger brother had a disability due to Scarlett Fever. He would take him out with him. Sometimes, they would go hunting together. He would drive out to his sister's ex husband's house regularly. It was an hour drive into the country and I would often go with him. I loved being in this country home and I would borrow the neighbour's dog to play with and care for.
My grandfather was really mellow. He had a great sense of humour, not so much saying jokes but laughing easily at the jokes of others. I can still see his belly jiggling and nostrils flaring as he laughed. He loved reading his paper, going out for walks to talk to other older men about politics and eating sweets. He drove everywhere and when he was diagnosed with dementia, his license was taken away. This was really hard on him. He was quiet. He preferred to let my grandmother enjoy the limelight. She liked it that way too. She sang and said jokes and everyone laughed, including him.
When you went to their home, there was a jar of jujubes near the front door on a kitchen cabinet. Many of us grabbed some jujubes on our way in or on the way out. There were grapes, slices of cheese, pickles and celery on the table for people to munch on and, as soon as you arrived, my grandfather would ask you if you'd like a pop or coffee or tea. He would fetch the pop and grandma would make coffee or tea.
You never knew who was stopping by during one of your visits. There was a knock on the door and you were instantly connecting with cousins, aunts, friends of the family etc. Both my grandparents loved that. I didn't have a father growing up so I am grateful that I had my grandfather in my life. I saw a gentle, caring, funny, hardworking, intelligent gentleman who took care of his family. I loved riding the elevator with him. He always took his hat off in the presence of women and greeted people as they got onto the elevator. I couldn't have asked for a better role model.
Happy birthday Grandpa! I love you!
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Monday, 14 November 2016
Monday, 31 October 2016
Thank You Gym Stars and Other Birthday Party Ideas
October 31st, 2016
My youngest daughter turned 8 on October 14th, 2016. We kept both daughters home from school on that day and celebrated as a family. On October 29th, we celebrated with friends at Gym Stars in Smiths Falls. This is where Stella's love of gymnastics began. She attended a friend's birthday party at Gym Stars two years ago and she was hooked.
She always has her birthday party at Gym Stars now and I am forever amazed at the transformations I see throughout the two hour period that we are together. Some of her friends have done gymnastics before. They are excited to participate in a specific activity whether it be hanging and swinging from the bars, walking on the beams, jumping on the trampoline, swinging from the Tarzan rope, showing off their splits on the main floor or vaulting into the air, landing on a big mattress.
There are usually a few new children who have never tried gymnastics. At first, they feel nervous and doubt that they will be able to catch up to the others. However, as they work their way through warm-ups and play fun games, they start to relax. Next, they go through a routine. They are introduced to equipment and guided through the movements safely by a coach. I love that Gym Stars has excellent coaches who always take the safety of their students into consideration.
My favourite part is watching the new kids as they move through the equipment. I take lots of photos and you can see their confidence growing. At first, they are blushing, hesitant, super cautious. By the end of a few rounds, they are beaming, asking me if I am getting a photo of them and, challenging themselves even further. They run to their parents as they come to pick them up. They tell them they had so much fun and they boast about all they have accomplished.
I am so pleased that my daughter chooses to celebrate her birthday at Gym Stars. I know everyone will have fun, it is cheaper than anything I could offer at home, the kids are really tired after so I know they will go to bed on time and sleep well, there is a party room so I can still serve pizza and cake, the instructors are amazing (we had Jenn this time and she was fabulous but, last year, Alisha was wonderful as well) and, I don't need to plan it or clean the house before and after the party. Hooray!!!
As parents, we put so much pressure on ourselves. We love our little ones and work hard to make their special day perfect. If they don't enjoy their party, we are disappointed. Some of us are better at planning parties. We hear about a mom who had a great craft or paid the big bucks to have a Disney character play with the kids. Another mom booked a hall and decorated it to create a special place like a castle. We are exhausted and we just don't want our party to suck. Parenthood has become a competitive sport in some ways. Children go to school after Christmas and compare what Santa got them. They lose a tooth and ask how much the others received from "their" tooth fairy. At one of my workshops, a little boy told me the tooth fairy gave him "fifty bucks" for losing a tooth. I was in shock. Being a parent is hard enough, some of these expectations are just over the top.
Having a place like Gym Stars makes the planning easy. You pick a date and time, send directions, have some food set up, order the cake, prep the goodie bags and then you sit back and enjoy! I would like to thank Jenn for doing such a great job. She started on time, connected with us as soon as we entered the gymnasium, was organized, explained the rules to the children and reinforced them to keep everyone safe and, she stayed a little longer so everyone could finish eating their cake.
If you wish to have a party at home and you don't know what to do, I would like to recommend a craft. In the years before we discovered gymnastics, I always had parties in my home. As soon as everyone had arrived, I would take them into the dining room and lead a craft. If you are thinking you can't do this because you are not crafty, there is great news, you don't need to be.
Step 1-What theme does your child like (princess, dragon, fairy, puppies, a sport)?
Step 2-Locate the closest Dollarama because you can buy cheap art materials there.
Step 3-Get a drop cloth at the Dollar Store (or clear table cloth) and set up the table.
Step 4-Give them a clear directive like they are going to create a princess hat or sculpt a dragon or build a fairy house etc)
Step 5-Have a variety of cheap art materials and non-art materials (tempera paints, stickers, markers, home-made play doh, empty boxes etc).
Step 6-Step back, watch them jump in and explore the materials.
Step 7-Stand by to help the children who need assistance.
Every time I introduce art, I run out of time to do other activities, they are so excited, it lasts longer than I expected. If you have a back yard, it's good to include some physical activity. A trampoline can use up another chunk of time. A soccer ball, football or skipping ropes can also be fun. Blowing bubbles outside can be enjoyable even in cold weather (the bubbles freeze). Young girls love to show off their gymnastics moves or teach each other new ones. If your children are older and can help out, you may want to create an obstacle course together, crawling under chairs, hoola hooping, relay racing, jumping over a bucket etc.
If it's too cold or wet to go outside, there is still plenty to do. When my daughters were younger, I would blow up balloons and have them try to keep the balloons off the ground. This would get the group giggling and, even if someone got hit in the face by a balloon, it didn't hurt. You can also get children involved in making their own food, decorating their pizza or creating a sundae. These are messy activities but the children have fun and it keeps them busy. Having a drop cloth on the table makes cleaning up much easier.
Last but not least, it's good to have some free time. The older they get, the more independent they want to be and just setting up board games or cutting them loose for a while works too. No matter what you do, chances are the children will have fun because they are together and they get to eat cake. They don't care how clean the house is or how much you spent on the cake. I used to clean my house and worry that my house looked messy, then I realized the parents rarely leave the front door. I put a whole lot less pressure on myself and I find that I have way more fun that way.
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
My youngest daughter turned 8 on October 14th, 2016. We kept both daughters home from school on that day and celebrated as a family. On October 29th, we celebrated with friends at Gym Stars in Smiths Falls. This is where Stella's love of gymnastics began. She attended a friend's birthday party at Gym Stars two years ago and she was hooked.
She always has her birthday party at Gym Stars now and I am forever amazed at the transformations I see throughout the two hour period that we are together. Some of her friends have done gymnastics before. They are excited to participate in a specific activity whether it be hanging and swinging from the bars, walking on the beams, jumping on the trampoline, swinging from the Tarzan rope, showing off their splits on the main floor or vaulting into the air, landing on a big mattress.
There are usually a few new children who have never tried gymnastics. At first, they feel nervous and doubt that they will be able to catch up to the others. However, as they work their way through warm-ups and play fun games, they start to relax. Next, they go through a routine. They are introduced to equipment and guided through the movements safely by a coach. I love that Gym Stars has excellent coaches who always take the safety of their students into consideration.
My favourite part is watching the new kids as they move through the equipment. I take lots of photos and you can see their confidence growing. At first, they are blushing, hesitant, super cautious. By the end of a few rounds, they are beaming, asking me if I am getting a photo of them and, challenging themselves even further. They run to their parents as they come to pick them up. They tell them they had so much fun and they boast about all they have accomplished.
I am so pleased that my daughter chooses to celebrate her birthday at Gym Stars. I know everyone will have fun, it is cheaper than anything I could offer at home, the kids are really tired after so I know they will go to bed on time and sleep well, there is a party room so I can still serve pizza and cake, the instructors are amazing (we had Jenn this time and she was fabulous but, last year, Alisha was wonderful as well) and, I don't need to plan it or clean the house before and after the party. Hooray!!!
As parents, we put so much pressure on ourselves. We love our little ones and work hard to make their special day perfect. If they don't enjoy their party, we are disappointed. Some of us are better at planning parties. We hear about a mom who had a great craft or paid the big bucks to have a Disney character play with the kids. Another mom booked a hall and decorated it to create a special place like a castle. We are exhausted and we just don't want our party to suck. Parenthood has become a competitive sport in some ways. Children go to school after Christmas and compare what Santa got them. They lose a tooth and ask how much the others received from "their" tooth fairy. At one of my workshops, a little boy told me the tooth fairy gave him "fifty bucks" for losing a tooth. I was in shock. Being a parent is hard enough, some of these expectations are just over the top.
Having a place like Gym Stars makes the planning easy. You pick a date and time, send directions, have some food set up, order the cake, prep the goodie bags and then you sit back and enjoy! I would like to thank Jenn for doing such a great job. She started on time, connected with us as soon as we entered the gymnasium, was organized, explained the rules to the children and reinforced them to keep everyone safe and, she stayed a little longer so everyone could finish eating their cake.
If you wish to have a party at home and you don't know what to do, I would like to recommend a craft. In the years before we discovered gymnastics, I always had parties in my home. As soon as everyone had arrived, I would take them into the dining room and lead a craft. If you are thinking you can't do this because you are not crafty, there is great news, you don't need to be.
Step 1-What theme does your child like (princess, dragon, fairy, puppies, a sport)?
Step 2-Locate the closest Dollarama because you can buy cheap art materials there.
Step 3-Get a drop cloth at the Dollar Store (or clear table cloth) and set up the table.
Step 4-Give them a clear directive like they are going to create a princess hat or sculpt a dragon or build a fairy house etc)
Step 5-Have a variety of cheap art materials and non-art materials (tempera paints, stickers, markers, home-made play doh, empty boxes etc).
Step 6-Step back, watch them jump in and explore the materials.
Step 7-Stand by to help the children who need assistance.
Every time I introduce art, I run out of time to do other activities, they are so excited, it lasts longer than I expected. If you have a back yard, it's good to include some physical activity. A trampoline can use up another chunk of time. A soccer ball, football or skipping ropes can also be fun. Blowing bubbles outside can be enjoyable even in cold weather (the bubbles freeze). Young girls love to show off their gymnastics moves or teach each other new ones. If your children are older and can help out, you may want to create an obstacle course together, crawling under chairs, hoola hooping, relay racing, jumping over a bucket etc.
If it's too cold or wet to go outside, there is still plenty to do. When my daughters were younger, I would blow up balloons and have them try to keep the balloons off the ground. This would get the group giggling and, even if someone got hit in the face by a balloon, it didn't hurt. You can also get children involved in making their own food, decorating their pizza or creating a sundae. These are messy activities but the children have fun and it keeps them busy. Having a drop cloth on the table makes cleaning up much easier.
Last but not least, it's good to have some free time. The older they get, the more independent they want to be and just setting up board games or cutting them loose for a while works too. No matter what you do, chances are the children will have fun because they are together and they get to eat cake. They don't care how clean the house is or how much you spent on the cake. I used to clean my house and worry that my house looked messy, then I realized the parents rarely leave the front door. I put a whole lot less pressure on myself and I find that I have way more fun that way.
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
Wednesday, 28 September 2016
Cecile Charron Schnubb
September 28th, 2016
Today is a special day. It's my grandmother's birthday. She passed away at the age of 100 years ago but her birth date will always be significant. She was a strong woman, we called her "Mama Mafia" because she didn't mince words and she had a loud voice. She raised five children in the middle of the country without a car. She was content to cook and clean as long as she had her radio. She loved music. She sang and whistled along all day. Her life was simple but she had siblings and they liked to come over and play cards or bean bag toss and, talk, and laugh.
My grandfather was a hard working man. He took over his father's general store and made it successful. He was the epicentre of his community, providing quality meats and produce. People loved his polite manner and small town charm. My grandmother cooked his meals and starched his shirts but when he got home at night, he knew who was boss. She did the bookkeeping and made the important decisions.
I had great role models in my family. My mother was a hard worker. She had a great sense of humour and, although she was mostly quiet, she could stand up for what she believed in. Then there was my grandma. There was no political correctness. She wasn't saving up for retirement. She lived her life. She laughed out loud. She kicked up her feet when she laughed. She wore lipstick, curled her eyelashes and paired red high heels with her denim jeans. She whistled, despite my grandfather's belief that real women never did. She drank beer and played cards.
At Christmas, she filled the house with family, cooked up a storm without a sweat and sang for all of us while step dancing and playing the spoons on her lap. Oh, and let's not forget her harmonica, she was a one woman show. Even in her 90s, when she had sore legs, she still did her step dance with her high heels but she remained seated and moved her feet over a wooden board. It made the same clanking song that invigorated her singing.
She was festive and feisty. She either liked you or she didn't. Anytime you brought home a friend or, heaven forbid, a boyfriend, you never knew if she would approve. My husband won her over when he sang "Michelle ma Belle" to her. If he'd serenaded me, she would have said he was a show off but, he serenaded her, smart man. She loved him and called him, "Vincent with the dreamy eyes". She wasn't very affectionate but you knew she loved you. She would cook something special and double pack it in wax paper, covered with foil. She was always happy to see you.
I loved making her laugh. She would get a kick out of watching my grandfather laugh. I would joke around, his nostrils would start to flare and his belly would jiggle. She would look over at him and laugh as well. She was very adventurous and when she got too tired to get out, she wanted to hear all about the adventures of others. She loved Bob Barker and Lawrence Welk. I can still see her sitting on the edge of her chair, watching couples dance on stage. Her entire body willed her to get up and dance along.
I am so happy she was my grandmother. She was a blessing in my life. Happy Birthday Mama Mafia! I love you!
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
Today is a special day. It's my grandmother's birthday. She passed away at the age of 100 years ago but her birth date will always be significant. She was a strong woman, we called her "Mama Mafia" because she didn't mince words and she had a loud voice. She raised five children in the middle of the country without a car. She was content to cook and clean as long as she had her radio. She loved music. She sang and whistled along all day. Her life was simple but she had siblings and they liked to come over and play cards or bean bag toss and, talk, and laugh.
My grandfather was a hard working man. He took over his father's general store and made it successful. He was the epicentre of his community, providing quality meats and produce. People loved his polite manner and small town charm. My grandmother cooked his meals and starched his shirts but when he got home at night, he knew who was boss. She did the bookkeeping and made the important decisions.
I had great role models in my family. My mother was a hard worker. She had a great sense of humour and, although she was mostly quiet, she could stand up for what she believed in. Then there was my grandma. There was no political correctness. She wasn't saving up for retirement. She lived her life. She laughed out loud. She kicked up her feet when she laughed. She wore lipstick, curled her eyelashes and paired red high heels with her denim jeans. She whistled, despite my grandfather's belief that real women never did. She drank beer and played cards.
At Christmas, she filled the house with family, cooked up a storm without a sweat and sang for all of us while step dancing and playing the spoons on her lap. Oh, and let's not forget her harmonica, she was a one woman show. Even in her 90s, when she had sore legs, she still did her step dance with her high heels but she remained seated and moved her feet over a wooden board. It made the same clanking song that invigorated her singing.
She was festive and feisty. She either liked you or she didn't. Anytime you brought home a friend or, heaven forbid, a boyfriend, you never knew if she would approve. My husband won her over when he sang "Michelle ma Belle" to her. If he'd serenaded me, she would have said he was a show off but, he serenaded her, smart man. She loved him and called him, "Vincent with the dreamy eyes". She wasn't very affectionate but you knew she loved you. She would cook something special and double pack it in wax paper, covered with foil. She was always happy to see you.
I loved making her laugh. She would get a kick out of watching my grandfather laugh. I would joke around, his nostrils would start to flare and his belly would jiggle. She would look over at him and laugh as well. She was very adventurous and when she got too tired to get out, she wanted to hear all about the adventures of others. She loved Bob Barker and Lawrence Welk. I can still see her sitting on the edge of her chair, watching couples dance on stage. Her entire body willed her to get up and dance along.
I am so happy she was my grandmother. She was a blessing in my life. Happy Birthday Mama Mafia! I love you!
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
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