Just riding my two-wheeler

Saturday was an exciting day for my daughter...we took the training wheels off her bicycle. She had the biggest grin on her face as she rode around the school parking lot, and as she rode she kept saying..."I'm just riding my two-wheeler". She did awesome! It didn't take her long to learn how to start off. ..and it didn't take me long to realize that I didn't need to run after her...she was doing just fine. I didn't know how I was going to convince her to come inside...but her bike helped me out there...the chain fell off.

Made in Heaven?

Not too long ago, our student asked us for some suggestions on a gift she could give her parents...something Canadian. At first I thought this would be tough, and I showed her the Made in China stamp on a number of items around the house. We did come up with an idea but since then, every once in a while I'll turn something over and read aloud where it was made. My daughter has caught on to this "game" and will often ask me "who made it" questions about different items.

The other morning I was enjoying my coffee when my daughter starting asking me the "who made it" questions. When she asked about my coffee mug, I looked for the Made In stamp but could not find one. Puzzled, I said..."I don't know who made the mug. There isn't a stamp." She looked at me and suggested quite sincerely...

"Maybe God made it?"

Wordless Wednesday

Sidewalk Chalk

Last night after supper I tackled a long overdue task...cleaning the car. While I was busy vacuuming, my daughter got her sidewalk chalk out and proceeded to draw a big colourful house on the driveway. Our student had been inside the house talking on the phone, but when she saw the artwork she squealed with delight and came running outside to see.

What was it? How would it come off? Can I draw too?

Coming from a city where most people live in apartments, this was the first time she had heard of sidewalk chalk. For the next 45 minutes she and my daughter covered our driveway with pictures, names and messages. There was so much chalk on our driveway that people would stop to read and admire it. Being a host family is still pretty new to us and at times I wonder how we are doing...but now I know...the answer written in sidewalk chalk for our whole neighbourhood to see.

Wordless Wednesday

The Name Game

Now that I'm a wanna-be blogger, I had to come up with a blog title. This simple task prevented me from starting a blog months ago. I could not think of anything that had meaning or was original.

I thought about nicknames. I didn't have any catchy/unique nicknames growing up. Most of my nicknames referred to eyeglasses, braces or being clumsy...none of which I wanted as a blog title.

I thought about interests and education. Mathie Mom? Nah...I have not used any of the math I studied in university since the day of my last exam. All those memorized formulas and proofs have long been replaced by much more useful information and...it sounded geeky.

I thought about my current family. Mom of One? Nah...we are trying to expand our family, Mom of One would not be a good confession.

I thought of a saying...'Life is an adventure, so enjoy the journey'. The road of life has it's ups and downs, twists and turns...and I want to enjoy it. I don't want to be so focused on the unexpected turns, that I miss out on the scenery. Yeah! I had a blog title...Sharon's Journey. But still, I wasn't completely happy with it. It had meaning, but I didn't think it was unique enough.

It wasn't until a couple of days ago that it hit me...Cheri, Mon Cheri...I am not French, but for the first 8 years of my life, I was called Cheri, which means 'Love' or 'Darling'. Cheri was a derivation of my real name, but it was more than just a nickname. My family, friends and teachers called me Cheri. Even my report card came home with Cheri on it. How did I become Sharon? In grade 4, I decided I wanted to be called by my real name. I don't remember exactly why, I think I thought my real name sounded more mature. Today, there are still occasional times when someone will call me Cheri. When that happens, it makes me smile...because to some people, I will always be Cheri.

Bitten by the Blogger Bug

After more than a year of peeking into other people's lives via their blogs, I've decided to start a blog too...and what better day to start, then on my birthday. Happy Birthday to Me.