The Fabulous B@ker Blog

I've silently and verbally heralded the virtues of Facebook (FB), but I've never written about it in my blog (although I've been meaning to) until now. I first heard about FB in probably 2006 or 2007, when it was primarily a social networking tool for college students. Working in a college, I would often see our student workers logged in, but they would also be really involved with MySpace, and I didn't see much value in either. Soon enough, though, I heard that I should create a FB page in case prospective students would like to connect with me to learn about our graduate programs. So, onto FB I went, and created a professional-looking profile which went on to attract no attention whatsoever. After that, I would check the page maybe once every four months to see if there was any action - there wasn't. Then something happened: FB exploded! I mean it literally exploded as more people started to create profiles and, for me, FB shifted from a recruiting tool to my own...

Today is the last day of my week's vacation spent hanging around the house. I'm quite lazy by nature, so having the week spread out ahead of me with not a lot planned was a real dream. Alas, why is it that vacation weeks always go so fast and work weeks always go so slow? I made a to-do list at the beginning of the week and I'm happy to report I was able to check everything off. This exciting list contained such compelling activities as "pick up a 'new driver' handbook at the community center" and "file kid's stuff in their bins in the attic." Oh! And don't forget the very necessary, "Get a new watch battery." Mundane stuff, but ultimately satisfying because these are things that have been on the list for a while now. The highlights of the week were being able to take several dips in grandma's pool, and we were blessed with great swimming weather during what some have said has been the nicest week of the summer. I persuaded ...

This morning Annalisse was lamenting the curse of having a really "strict" mother and how upset she was that I would not give her permission to sneak out and go into the village late at night when she and her friend Mo spent the night in the tent this coming Thursday (I know! You think she would further her cause by not telling me her intentions!). The funny thing is, I don't think I'm that strict a mother. A little obsessive about their whereabouts and safety (what parent isn't?), and probably a little too involved in their activities - but strict? That's a good one! Her arguments remind me of a poem my friend Meg read at her mother's funeral service. It illustrates the great divide in perception that's been going on between mothers and their kids for generations. It's long, but good. Enjoy! "The Meanest Mother" I had the meanest mother in the whole world. While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have cereal, eggs or toast. Wh...

As promised, here are some pictures from the picnic we had when Aunt Jeannine visited. This one features Mom, Aunt Jeannine, with their (very tall) sister Aunt Jackie in the middle: This one brings to mind that old song, "Cameron and Bonnie, sitting in a tree..." (look closely). And, here's the whole fam-damily, including the kids, my sisters, and our cousin Brenda: In the words of my wise 13 year old, "Boy, those Canadians sure know how to party!"

...Sunday night! That saying also goes for the Sunday night before a week of vacation! Which starts NOW! I've been really lax about blogging lately. I do have some ideas I'd like to blog about, but with the kids home it's been really hard to get a block of time on the computer. That's mostly true, but is probably more of an excuse for the fact that I'm really busy right now, and simply have not taken the time to blog! Here are some highlights of the last week: Last weekend we travelled to Massena for a family picnic with Aunt Jeannine and Uncle Larry who were visiting from Edmonton, Alberta. I think I've written before about how awesome Aunt Jeannine is, and it was GREAT to see a bunch of other relatives all at once. My super nephew even taught the kids some drinking games (using gatorade)...that was just great. Cam is still really busy with camp. He's home this week but goes back on Sunday for another week. In all, he will have spent five weeks at 4H Camp B...

Last night, after months of saving her hard-earned babysitting money, Annalisse bought the "phone of her dreams." I was very proud that she was able to save over $200 through her mother's helper gigs, and, if you know Annalisse , you know the temptation she struggled with anytime she went into a clothing store or to the mall. Another milestone: I finally gave in and added texting to all the family phones. Hey! At least that makes us one of the last families with teenagers to give in (I'm sure there are other teens who do not have texting , but there sure are a lot more who do!). I've been reluctant to get texting , especially for Annalisse (Cam doesn't care about it), because it drives me crazy when kids sit around texting instead of actually talking to each other. But, lately I've found a couple of practical reasons for texting , especially since the kids are becoming more independent and sometimes they, or you, need to send a quick message about a ch...