Mom...

I am sure when I was little, I called my mother Mommy, but her name changed as I grew older.

I followed the lead of my brothers & began to call my mother, Ma. It was always used affectionately. My Grandma thought it was funny to hear her daughter called, Ma. I often hollered Ma, if my Mom was not where I thought she was.

During my high school years, I tried to be as independent as a sixteen your old can be. One night a bunch of us were out & the topic of pets came up. I proceeded to tell the group, that my Mom had a monkey at some point when she was growing up. Everyone thought my Mom was cool. I wasn’t quite sure why.

I get it now. Mom means the world to me. The way she opens her arms to all of us makes me smile.

I love you more than words can say.

Baby Name Game

My brother Stu & his wife Michelle are expecting a baby girl in June. They know the name, but are not telling us until she is born.

My Mom & I had a list of guesses when my niece Sophie was born. We are now compiling a list of guesses for Stu & Michelle’s baby. Stu has said that the name has six letters, but he may be trying to throw off our game.

Who knows what her name will be? One thing is for sure, this baby will be much loved. Head to toe, what a perfect addition to our family.

Summer Traditions

It is definitely not Summer just yet. It is supposed to be Spring, but it is still fairly cold & wet outside. As I look out my bedroom window, I see low clouds & a rainy mess below. I am hopeful, that the sunshine will find us once again & lift our spirits.

For me, the Summer is filled with so many wonderful traditions. We were always doing fun things in the Summer.

When I was two & a half, my parents had an in-ground pool put in our back yard. We swam nearly every day in the Summer. One year we had swimming lessons for the neighbourhood kids in our pool. I didn’t continue with lessons for long enough to become an expert swimmer, but I do have fond memories of backyard lessons.

During the Summer, we sometimes camped out in our own backyard, complete with a camp fire. I loved to roast hot dogs & marshmallows. My cousin & I would sleep in a tent, just a few feet from the house.

Near the beginning of Summer, our local park hosted a carnival. We could hear the loud speaker standing in our front yard. Every year we would pick a day to go over and ride the rides. I remember riding a spinning ride & screaming. My neighbours & I were so light, that at every turn, we would slide across the seat of the ride. We always had a great time.

I played in a girl’s softball league & my brother’s played baseball. We were always at the ball park. I loved buying penny candies at the canteen. After a ball game, we would often go to Dairy Queen for ice cream.

I loved the jingle that the ice cream truck made. It got stuck in my head. It was a novel idea.

Summertime meant that it was light out later than usual. I played baseball on the crescent until someone suggested we have a swim.

On a hot Summer evening, a couple of Mom’s would walk us to the park nearby. There were big trees towering over the play ground that kept everyone cool.

When Andrew began to play travel baseball, we would go away for the weekend tournaments. I would play the other kids who had a brother on team.

I loved going to the library with my Mom because there was a particularly good fry truck & a bakery that had all kinds of sweet treat. I have such fond memories of eating super hot salty French fries.