33 and a Third

Celebrated Ronnie’s 7th Birthday on Sunday by taking 8 children to Harry Potter. The kids had lunch, cake, etc. in one of the party rooms, were given popcorn and pop, and then were all escorted to great seats which had been reserved for us (yellow tape stretched across what I considered to be the best seats in the theatre!!)

I highly recommend going this route on a very busy opening weekend for a popular film. We did it a couple of years ago for Pokemon. Unlike with Pokemon, however, Reid and I were just as excited to see the film as the children were. One of the mothers asked to tag along since she was so keen on seeing it too (obviously a cool mom!) David Barker came as well and brought out a witch hat!!

We had to take the children out for a bathroom break 3 times. And I sat next to the youngest child, who squirmed and squirmed in his seat for the entire time. He told me he was bored. (Oh well). Therefore, another trip out to the movie is warranted!!

As for the movie itself: there haven’t been too many movies where I got so excited about what I was seeing on the screen. I was impressed with how the scenes matched my imagination. Of course, we all noticed where the story had to be trimmed. That was inevitable. On the whole, though, a very enjoyable experience that actually lived up to the hype - the first time around anyway. I really need a second viewing!!

Spent the weekend in Thorold visiting my parents. Went out for coffee with my old friend Carmela. Carm’s family lived in the house behind ours, and we’ve been friends pretty much since we were born! She’s 6 months older than I am, and we spent lots of time together as children. Our families got along well, and we would sometimes vacation up north together.

Here’s a great shot of my mother in her kitchen, starting to make a huge pot of homemade pasta and stirring up her homemade spaghetti sauce:

I guess I could have predicted that one! Reid and I have been living together for 9 (!) years and right after a deadline, almost guaranteed, Reid gets sick. Usually, really sick. I think if there’s a virus within 20 km of him, it flies right over and infects him as soon as the deadline is over. This time: deadline over on Sunday night, he’s home by mid-day Monday. The virus didn’t have to travel much this time, it just sort of jumped from Ronnie, who was sick for a day on Friday, right to Reid.

Reactions to cold viruses are typical in my home:

Ronnie gets sick enough to have fevers, but it only lasts a day or two.
I might get a soar throat or sniffle, but pass it off quickly.
Michael is between Ronnie and I (usually wanting to stay home because Ronnie got to, but not really needing to.)
Reid’s practically in bed for a week, coughing so hard he almost ejects a lung.

I know he’s REALLY sick when he can’t even sit in front of the computer. He’s really sick.

I can’t tell you how weird it is to have him around when, since pretty much since August, he’s been constantly working. Any breaks were always temporary, with the next deadline looming. Whew, what a relief it’s over. What on earth would happen if we both had deadlines at the same time?? I guess the kids would have to take care of us instead of the other way around!

Side note: Oh my! Reid and I have been living together for 9 years (married for 8)!!! NINE YEARS!! For those of you out there who knew us from University of Toronto days — Reid and I STILL look at each other in disbelief, unable to fathom the fact that we married each other. We had been close friends back then, always enjoying each other’s company, but we still can’t believe we’re married. It must be because of all the things that happened to us between the time we met in 1981 when he first asked me out (and I said no) to the time he moved in with me in 1992. And a wonderful 9 years it’s been!! In this very public forum, I will state that we’ve grown closer and happier with each passing year. (I expect I’ve made some of you sick with that emotional statement! Too bad!)

Hmm. Quiet Halloween. I expected a lot more children. Oh well, more leftover candy for us. (Too bad I can’t eat candy. What torture!!)

Michael was a vampire this year. I slicked back his hair. With a couple of curls showing up at the base of the neck, I think he looked incredible. Ronnie was a mummy. I thought it would be easy to make the costume out of strips of old bed sheet. I just wound it around and around a pair of sweat pants and a sweat shirt. I didn’t expect I’d have to stitch all the strips down! My thumb got destroyed with all the needle work (guess I’m not used to sewing!) In the end, he kept unraveling S’okay - mummies are supposed to have things hanging off them!

And I can’t throw out the pumpkin. I never can. I always bake up a pumpkin pie, and throw the rest in the freezer. So, of course, I have a few years’ worth of pumpkin in the freezer. I suppose I’ll do the same this year. (Except this time, I’m baking a regular pumpkin pie - which I can’t eat because it has flour and sugar, another pumpkin pie for myself made with honey and an almond crust, and pumpkin cookies. That ought to use up a whole… let’s see… 1/3 of it.)