REAL MEN DO COOK

And help clean the house and look after the children. In our modern world, couples need to share the responsibilities. Many hands make light work so they say. In my world, my husband started doing the majority of the cooking about 20 years ago. About half way through our marriage! He likes to do the grocery shopping- the food part. I still need to get all the other household items. He concentrates on food! Paid chefs are usually men while the cooks in the home are usually women. Having a good cook at home does spoil it for other cooks. The taste of Adolph's food is just very good and flavourful. I try not to judge when I eat elsewhere but I taste the difference. Expecially the sauces and soups! Right now we are having some fun with his new blog- http://granpalovestocook.blogspot.com/  He cooks but does not type very well so he writes the recipes and his thoughts while I type up his blogs. Team work just like the average day. He cooks, we eat, then I clean up the kitchen! Yes real men do cook and do their share in their marriage, relationships and partnerships! If you look very closely, they also reap the benefits of a happy home.

EVERYONE IS UNIQUE

People always amaze me. Same colour, same country, same religion. Yet, there can be differences which make the individuals unique. Siblings from the same family can develop different views of the world as they leave the family nest. There are always common threads of good or bad. Compassionate or cold! If you were to describe yourself what would you say was unique? How do you stand out from the crowd? I think I am unique because people still tell me how nice I am! I actually was a lot nicer in my youth but got stepped on! So I am nice with an ability now to have people back off if they bug me in " a nice way". Always be nice and friendly but with a self-assurance if I am not being mean than I do not expect anyone to be mean to me or anyone else for that matter. Do you like the people that say I always like to say what is on my mind whether someone likes it or not! " I am always so open minded!" Yes, but the good answer is not to be too open minded or your brains will fall out! Tolerating, accepting differences takes effort and the ability to sit back and truly listen. Then if part of your uniqueness is to love your own company- there are those solitary activities that bring joy! Or have a pet-they always love you!

A POSTCARD FROM MADEIRA (MACHICO) PORTUGAL

Portugal is one of those beautiful European countries. Madeira is one of the islands. Many people in the Toronto area originate from there.
In 1985, Adolph's cousin Carolina visited this beautiful area sending the family these postcards.

Lillina liked to travel. She had recently visited us in Canada sending her love and thanking my mother-in-law Concetta for her hospitality. " Ancora grazie per la bella ospitalita."

The postcards depict a fishing village and the street between two villages. Some street!

If you want a postcard featured here, email me at abdm@rogers.com and I will send you my address so you can send me a postcard.



DOUBLE CHECK YOUR WORK-IT COULD PAY OFF

It was not a lot of money but while checking a pile of lottery tickets recently I rediscovered why it is a good habit to double check any activity. Little amounts and one free ticket were found but worth the checking. Even writing this blog is grounds to check and review what is written. I discover the use of the same words in the same paragraph, for example. There are times I am making a point so do use the same words in my whimsical blogs. Sometimes my sentences do not make sense when I read them again. In the hospital all diagnostic images are read by two clinicians for accuracy. Nurses double check the medication count. Editors are fierce but keep all of us on our toes. My worst critic is my husband who likes to point out errors especially if I try to write a sentence in Italian! Of course, the math used to balance a home account. If it looks like I have too much money left over after doing the bills, I check again. Then the suitcase needing all the right items for a trip. Lists and checking! That's why vacations in Canada are good because we know we can find the same stores across the country where the same item costs the same price in case anything is forgotten! Like one of my favourite stores- Shoppers Drug Mart. It has the same layout whether you are in Ontario or British Columbia!  Too much checking though can be part of an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder so be wary not to cross that line!

SNOW-IS CANADIAN SNOW DIFFERENT?

I don't think so. Snow is snow! Apparently there is less snow everywhere across our great nation this year. For those of us who need to shovel driveways or drive long distances, it is not a bad thing. There are so many ways to describe snow- wet, slushy, white, dirty, and heavy. Some snow is good packing snow to make a snowman. There is a light snow, heavy snow and a blizzard- batten down the hatches! The Inuit in Northern Canada are supposed to have many words for snow but actually they have the same number as English. It is the Sami People in Europe who have over a hundred words to describe the white stuff. Winter pictures with snow are beautiful. My younger daughter was married in the winter so has some outdoor shots with the snow in the background. Walking in the snow burns more calories. All those sports that need snow- skiing-downhill and cross country, snowboarding, sledding, toboganning! Well burn those calories! Playing with children in the snow- love those snow angels! Catching snowflakes and eating them! Snowball fights! Snow forts!

One of my favourite snow activities is to sit in a warm room at a lodge or even my family room in the suburbs, watching a light snow come down, explaining how beautiful while I read or knit, then sip a hot beverage such as coffee or hot chocolate periocially, all cozy! Do you have a favourite snow activity? Or do you just tolerate it until Spring?

FAITH KEEPS US GOING

Do you have faith? In God? In Life? In loved ones? Is it in us? Around us? Do others have faith in us? Like the church steeple that can be seen from a distance, it is always there for us to embrace. Faith means believing in something unseen and untangible. Yet it feels so real!

NANA SAYS KEEP CHILD'S PLAY SIMPLE

Each generation of parents wants their children to be brighter than the one previously and larger than life. Are computer skills at two years old really necessary? Exposing children to books, crafts, creative opportunities are the fodder for learning. Toys with bells and whistles are good too but not the only things to be available.While playing in the snow with one of my grandsons recently, I followed his lead. He likes to dig and play with his roller- his wheelbarrow. It is his machine. He was transporting the snow from one place to another. We were engaging in imaginative play. The tools- shovel, plastic wheelbarrow and snow. We were labelling, counting and using the materials at hand. Hum! Skills that could help with a lifetime? Later he wanted to play with a ball of my wool. He took it around the house- made tunnels and walls. Even Nana was on her knees crawling under his tunnel in play! Simple play. There is always the old joke- the child likes the box a toy comes in better than the toy itself. By talking with childen- language development; grammar; math- how many cookies on your plate?; science- look at the squirrel eating-where do you think he lives or observing the night sky watching the changing of the moon;  listening to music and reading from favourite books- are skills readily available to any parent rich or poor. Playing with children allows the opportunity to develop a relationship as well a teaching moment. All those little moments really are important! What simple play activities do you do? How do you engage with the children in your life? Do you have other suggestions for simple play? Following each child's interest and lead can enrich the experience.