Are you there Spring? It's me, Michelle.

Dear Spring,

I know in the past that I've complained and even cursed your sticky, dirty mud that covers the kid’s shoes, jackets, and occasionally hair, but can't we PLEASE put that behind us? Please?

These past few years I've been hard on you Spring, and I'm ashamed to admit it. I have a new appreciation of you after living through this long, cold, snow covered winter. I can't wait for you to arrive so I can open the windows and feel your cool breeze flow through the house. Or to hang out laundry on your beautiful (yet still cool) sunny days and not have it freeze solid. My back will thank you when I no longer need to carry 40 pound bags of wood pellets into the house. I can't wait to be able to take out my bike, my golf clubs, my sneakers......oh Spring, how I long for you.

I know that you're as anxious as I am to arrive. I've caught a glimpse of you a couple of times. This past week I was able to drive up the driveway without silently praying or cursing for the first time in months. Just the other day I spotted some of your sweet little buds on the trees in the yard.

Don't be afraid Spring, this year I promise to take advantage of every cool, sweet day that you are willing to give me. I will drink my morning coffee on my deck, even if I have to wear my winter coat as long as I don't have to look at the dirty mountains of snow in the yard and worry if more will come. I will ride my bike over the pot holes on the road and not complain because I'll be thankful that you melted the snow. I will silently thank you every time I tee off on the first hole...and every hole after if you'd just show yourself to me.

There's something in it for you too, Spring. This year, more than any other, people will be thrilled to see you. They are sick of shoveling, sick of cold weather, and are anxiously awaiting your arrival. March came in like a lion, so can you help us out and let it go out like a lamb?

Signed,

Michelle Symes

Just when you think life really sucks......

Hi All,

Well, where to begin. Let's see. When my husband goes to work, it takes a good week for me to come down off my pins and needles. Let's just say that if a crisis is going to happen with the house, car, kids, etc., chances are it'll happen when he's at work. Case and point, the septic system flooded THE DAY HE WENT TO WORK! He had been in HRM about an hour when it started. If the kids are sick, 9 times out of 10, he is at work.

I guess I was starting to let my guard down as I kicked back to watch Survivor Thursday night. My husband had been at work since Saturday, and so far so good. Until I heard the sound that could wake me out of the deadest of sleeps. The bed puke. This time it was my daughter, and it continued for 28 hours straight, and off and on until Saturday sometime. The lack of sleep, laundry, and disinfecting was going at a rapid pace around here all weekend, and is continuing even now. By the way, who got voted off Survivor?

Saturday, my oldest son went for a sleepover at one of his closest friends houses, Samuel. These guys have been really close since we moved here and it's not hard to see why. They both have a very laid back personalities, and really have a great time together. My son often says that Samuel is the nicest kid he knows, and I really can't argue, he really is such a sweetie. Sunday morning, I get a call from Samuel's parents that my son had been struck with a golf club (by Samuel)and had a nosebleed, might need stitches and I could meet them at the hospital. Total panic in my house. First, I have just gotten out of the shower, my hair is still in a towel, Pukey McBarf is still queasy, and my other son isn't even dressed! What next?!? I called my parents and asked them to meet us at the hospital, told them the bbq I planned for us that afternoon was now cancelled, and could they take care of the other two while we waited who knows how long to get my son taken care of at the hospital. Without a seconds hesitation, they were on their way, with my Aunt Cella in tow.

When we arrive at the hospital, I don't know who to console more, my son, who eventually needed 4 stitches to close his face, or his little buddy Samuel, who was crying way harder than my son.

My parents and Aunt arrived, took the other two kids to our place, and Samuel and his Mom Brenda stayed through the X Rays- nothing broken - the stitches -4 total- plus some steri strips. Meanwhile, my friend and neighbour Jody had stopped by the house when she heard what happened (news travels fast on Boularderie Island!) and said she would take the only healthy child I had left to his banquet at 5:00. Boy I can't wait for my husband to get back home!

As I thought about what a crappy looong weekend I had lastnight, something occurred to me. When I needed help, my family, neighbours and friends were there without a moment's hesitation. My Mom was almost late for work, my parents and Aunt had boiled hot dogs for lunch instead of yummy bbq, Brenda and Samuel stayed at the hospital with me the whole time and helped ease the tension of the situation (I am so not good with needles!), Jody picked up my other son to take him to the banquet. How lucky are we to be surrounded by so much love and support? This is exactly why we love living here in Boularderie.

Thank you Mom and Dad, Aunt Cella, my daughter and other son, Brenda and Samuel and Jody. I really appreciate everything.

I guess just when you think life really sucks, you find out just how lucky you are.

Until next time,

Michelle

NIMBY WIMBY

Hi All,

If you haven't read the article about NIMBY in the Chronicle Herald, here's the link so you know what I'm talking about. http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/Search/1042669.html

Now here's what I think. I have a severe case of NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) and I'm not ashamed, embarrassed, or afraid to admit it. The plain and simple fact is that I am opposed to strip mining on Boularderie Island for several reasons, the main one being that it directly affects my family. I can honestly say that if I still lived in HRM, I would have never protested against strip mining on Boularderie Island for the simple fact that it wouldn't DIRECTLY affect my family, my neighbours, and my community. Strip mining puts our water supply at risk, devastates the beauty of this island, and could possibly affect the health of my family. Why should I just sit by and let this happen?

If you think about it, don't we ALL have NIMBY, at least from time to time? We all are more concerned about local issues that directly affect us than issues that are further removed. I am sure that I do not have a case of CAVE (Citizens Against Virtually Everything). There are many things that I don't agree with or support but I don't actively oppose. There are many things that I also silently support, like the seal hunt, which I am sure is a shock to some people.

For example, I think that people from Bridgewater (that's only an example, I have nothing against the people of Bridgewater) would not be able to point to Boularderie Island on a map, let alone tell you of any local concerns or issues, or for that matter, events taking place. And with the exception that many people on Boularderie Island would know where Bridgewater is, the same can probably be said of Boularderie residents knowing the local Bridgewater news.

I also have a case of WIMBY (Want It In My Backyard). WIMBY causes me to help make positive changes in my community. This case of WIMBY causes my family to participate in local clean up efforts, volunteer in local schools and participate in and support local events.

Change begins at home and almost nothing would get done in a small community without the efforts of its citizens supporting it, or in some cases, opposing it. If local people don't stand up and express their thoughts and opinions on what takes place in their own communities, who will do it for them?

That's why I am not ashamed, embarrassed or afraid to admit that I have a case of NIMBY and a case of WIMBY.

Until next time,

Michelle

Prebiotic Probiotic Omega WHAT?!?

Hi All,

Is anyone else out there as confused as I am about all of the terms being thrown around by food manufactures these days? It's getting so bad that I think I might have to invest in a laptop with wireless internet to take with me just to go grocery shopping.

Our family always tries to eat healthy. This used to be easier before terms which I can hardly pronounce and would not even attempt to guess at their meanings. How much of these terms (because I don't know what else to call them) do I need in my diet? What if I eat too much omega 3, for instance, will my skin fall off? My research has shown me that basically I have no clue as to what these terms mean or what benefits they will have on our overall health. Guess it’s time for Michelle to head back to school.

It seems that it used to be ALOT easier to eat a healthy well balanced diet when I was a kid. Basic rules were eat something from every food group every day, try to limit sugar intake, stay away from too much processed food, and eat lots of vegetables. Today, I seem to sometimes be spending more time reading labels in the grocery store than I do actually filling up the cart.

Like most families, our biggest monthly bill appears to be food. Partly because we're a family of five, three being ravenous children who can never seem to be filled. My husband and I almost always prepare home cooked meals (at least for supper) and encourage our children to eat healthy by setting that example. It really wouldn't do much good, I think, for us to eat whatever we wanted and make the kids eat all the veggies. And we like eating healthy, it tastes good!

When our youngest son was a preschooler, the only vegetable he ate was potatoes. Through encouragement (and sometimes threats of "nothing else until breakfast"), he now eats a variety of vegetables. It was a long and hard road to get him to even try some of these veggies, but we were determined to try as many as we could to get him to eat a variety. And persistence paid off. Today one of his favorite vegetables is raw spinach. Really.

Schools are also, in my humble opinion, doing a fantastic job of encouraging kids to eat healthier. This year, my kids school introduced a breakfast program which hands out different things every week, mostly bananas, apples, yogurt and milk. Even though my kids eat breakfast every morning, they usually stop in to see "what's on the menu" and pick up a piece of fruit or yogurt and a milk. Schools in this area have also removed pop from the vending machines and filled them with water or juice, and removed deep fryers from the cafeteria. I feel they have come a long way in a short time to encourage kids to eat healthy. Not all parents were pleased with this. There was backlash in the news with parents complaining that their kids wouldn't eat the healthy foods made mostly from scratch in the cafeteria. To this I say, pack them a lunch then.

My children's school has a few kids who have severe peanut, fish, shellfish, and egg allergies. At first I must admit it was a bit difficult to find things that they could take for lunch. With all the "additives" in yogurt, bread, bagels, some cheeses etc. like omega 3 (which is a fish oil and on the "banned substance list"), and products which "may have come in contact with nuts", things were looking bleak for a while. Recess was not a problem because most times, we send fruit or something I made like cookies. I don't see the point of kids eating a fruit roll up for recess, there is NO nutritional value and as far as filling them up, they would be about as full as eating a single grape. We do buy things like dunkaroos and fruit snacks, but it is a very rare occurrence. I know fruits and vegetables are VERY expensive, but our feeling is we'd rather spend money on fruit and veggies than spend $2.99 on a 6 pack box of fruit snacks. Remember, I'm the Queen of cheap!

I know you are thinking it must be easy for us to prepare healthy meals because I have the opportunity to be a stay at home Mom. That does make it easier, but just because I'm "called" a stay at home Mom, doesn't mean I am. I have many activities within my children's school (I'm teaching a class there once a week) and community that keep me busy both inside and outside of home on an almost daily basis. It is not a sacrifice for me to feed my children nutritious meals; it is my obligation to them.

I'm not saying that everything we eat is healthy or organic (we still eat white bread) or that we never have treats or eat out, we just do it sensibly. Most Friday nights are movie nights, a tradition we started when my oldest son was in grade primary. It's a way to unwind from a busy week and spend some time as a family, which we all enjoy and look forward to. On these nights, we will often have pizza, sometimes pop, and chips or something. We don't give them treats everyday, and they look forward to it, rather than expect it.

So while I stumble around the grocery store scratching my head trying to read labels and determine what exactly is in what product, as confused as anyone else, I am truly trying to make an effort to teach my children the values of a healthy lifestyle.

You've all heard the old adage, "Healthy living begins at home". It's something we truly believe in and take part in because we believe our kids are worth it.

Until next time,

Michelle

When I Was Jennifer

Hi All,

After reading the story of adoptions in The Chronicle Herald yesterday, http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/Front/1038595.html I had some of the same feelings as the people in this story on adoption reunions. Sometimes they work, often times, they don’t. It’s funny because my Mom and I were talking about what people expect to get from meeting their birth parents just yesterday.

You see, before I was Michelle Symes, SuperMom and blogger extraordinaire (LOL), I was Michelle Kozera, student and athlete, and even before that I was Jennifer MacDonnell.

I was adopted when I was about two months old by my loving and caring parents. I NEVER call them my "adoptive parents" because to me, they are just my parents.

I can not remember a time in my life when I didn't know that I was adopted. My parents tried to explain adoption to me when I was about four years old. After thinking they had done a bang up job trying to explain something so complicated to a young child who had never had any other Mom and Dad, they took me to visit my Grandparents. My Mom tells me the story of her asking me to explain to my Grampy the story of adoption they had told me. I told my Grampy I was "dopted". He looked puzzled and asked me what dopted meant. I confidently told him that "someone dopted me on the floor and Mommy and Daddy picked me up and took me home." I don't think their efforts had failed, I think that's about as much as a four year old could understand at the time.

Being the most curious and nosy person I know, I myself am always a bit surprised that I have never had the need that some adoptees feel to meet their birth parents. My parents have told me all they know about my birth Mother. She was 18 at the time of my birth, came from a large family, and didn't feel like she had the resources to raise a child. Being a mother myself, I can not begin to imagine the grief she must have felt having to give me up. But I am glad she did. I don't mean glad as in the fact that I don't think she loved me, I know she did. She came from the very small community of Inverness, and in the 1970s, it was not like it is today when teens often raise their own out of wedlock children.

I have never not known love. Even when I was Jennifer in the orphanage before I was adopted by my parents, I know I was loved and well cared for. I know this because over the years, my parents and I have run into people from that orphanage and they have always treated me with kindness and expressed genuine interest in my well being.

The only frustrating part of being adopted that I have run into is the fact that I have very little family medical history. And I can't get it unless I meet my birth mother and ask her myself. Although I would like to have this medical information for myself and especially for my children, I don't seek it. My birth Mother was young when she had me, and hopefully had more children. Maybe she's married. Maybe her husband doesn't know about me. Do I have the right to just barge into her life and ask her to divulge medical information? Technically I do have that right, but what kind of pain and disruption would that cause her? I have always known that I could probably bypass all the “red tape” of government to find my birth Mother. Chances are if I pick up the phone book and make one call to Inverness, I would probably find birth relatives or even my birth Mother in a couple of hours but I never have. And I probably never will. Maybe knowing I could easily find my birth family makes me not so curious.

I have a wonderful family and two younger brothers who were a surprise to my parents as my Mom was told she could never give birth to children. I had Grandparents who adored me, a large extended family, and I have NEVER felt like an outsider in my family.

I must admit that I have always wanted someone who looks like me. Maybe it's vanity, I'm not really sure why, but it's just something I've always wanted. I must have "one of those faces" because throughout my life, I have, more times than I can count heard that I look "just like-so-and-so". And I can't tell you how many times people have called me Jennifer, or told me I look like a Jennifer. Strange. When my oldest son was born, I remember wondering if he would look like me. And I'll never forget the day we Mom came up to visit us and met her first Grandchild. I met her at the door with the baby in my arms, and told me he looked just like my husband. I told her I knew (and he did look like my husband), but she was supposed to tell me that he looked like me because no one else did!

I have always wanted a sister, and when my brothers were born (when I was seven and eight years old), I was honestly disappointed. Especially since my Mom had sworn to me when she was pregnant with my youngest brother that he was a girl. I'm over it now, of course, and love my brothers dearly. I remember grumbling about the story of my youngest brother being a girl to my husband one day and he asked me if I had a sister and she contacted me, what would I do? I had never thought of that before. I told him I would be surprised, but she would not be my "sister". Physically she would be my sister, but she was not there when I was growing up, my brothers were. She wasn't there for all the family trips around the Cabot Trail, all the fun times we had as a family. She could possibly become a friend, and biologically a sister, but not emotionally.


People always ask me, when they find out I'm adopted if I've met my birth family. I tell them that the only thing I would want to tell my birth Mother is thank you. Thank you for not getting an abortion and thank you for giving me life.

To my parents, thank you for always loving and supporting me and giving me a wonderful life. To my birth Mother, thank you for giving me the opportunity to live this wonderful life.

Until next time,

Michelle