Our baby's all grown up! (sniff)

Well today it will be official (at least in her mind). Our five year old will become a "big kid". Today she will cross over that momentous threshold from kindergarten into grade one. No longer allocated to the front of the bus. No longer segregated to "little kid" part of the playground. Personally I'm not quite as enthusiastic about her new status. It makes me a little emotional and melancholic, my little peanut no longer a baby ... Yet as I see her rolling off on the bus for the last time as a kindergartener, beaming from ear to ear, how can I not share in her joy and pride. (sniff)

"The hills are alive ... "

I love musical theatre! There, I've said it loud & proud (my brother-in-law is now cringing, though I wouldn't smirk too much Mr. I-auditioned-once-as-Tigger for a Disney musical production!)

I suppose this passion started as a young child after watching The Sound of Music and The Wizard of Oz every year on television. It grew when my grandmother took my sister and me to see Annie at the Centre In the Square in Kitchener. My first professional theatre experience! In high school I helped with costumes for a couple of drama club productions and actually performed as "the bartender" and one of a "trio of fans" in Bye Bye Birdie. Later, when I moved to Toronto and then Ottawa there were many opportunities to indulge my love for theatre.

This devotion was shared and probably nurtured by my mother. On many occasions she would travel to Toronto or Ottawa and join me in the audience ... Cats, Joseph, Rent, Singing In The Rain (it actually rained on stage as the actors merrily splashed along in the puddles!) ... These are some of my favorite memories of time spent with my mom. I used to delight in the story of how, as a young woman, she orchestrated an excursion to New York City with my grandmother to hit the famed theatres of Broadway. I still have several of her old Broadway record albums.

After I moved back home from the city I still managed to see at least one production a year. Our local rec department has an annual bus trip to Toronto to take in a matinee performance of one of the city's latest musicals. Every year my mother would accompany me on this fall pilgrimage. It was our special mother-daughter time. We saw Mamma Mia!, Hairspray, Wicked ... My sister joined us for the Wicked trip and we will always be thankful that she did. Mom passed away the following spring. This past fall when I boarded the bus for Dirty Dancing my sister accompanied me again, but this time the trip felt somewhat lonelier.

My oldest daughter seems to have inherited her grandmother's passion for musical theatre. She too has repeatedly watched The Sound of Music and The Wizard of Oz (on DVD purchased for her by her grandmother). She dances along to Hairspray and High School Musical.

This year I am hopeful that it will once again a happy trio heading to the bright lights of the big city. My daughter, who will be six, may be joining us. Starting in October Mirvish Productions will be staging a revival of The Sound of Music. While it has not been confirmed, I think this will be the musical that the rec department will choose for the theatre trip.

To psych ourselves up for our autumn date we are currently engrossed in the CBC reality show How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria. A panel of expert judges have whittled down thousands of Maria hopefuls to a group of ten finalists. The winner will be cast as Maria in the Toronto production. So Sunday nights we cheer for our favorite Marias and then vote, vote, vote. This has become our mother-daughter time. I hope it gives my girl the gift of special memories that my mother gave to me.

Sound Judge-ment?

This story falls into the category of "you've got to be kidding me!" It begins with me wanting to ask what Quebec Superior Court Judge Madam Justice Suzanne Tessier is smoking, but that would be defamatory, so I'll refrain. But at the very least one has to ask what the hell she was thinking?!

Here's the scenario. A twelve year old girl lives with her father and step-mother (they have legal custody). The girl is repeatedly reprimanded for posting pictures on an internet dating site. She is banned from the computer. The girl goes to a friend's house and to post pictures . She is caught and grounded. The punishment includes being forbidden to attend a class trip to Quebec City. The girl relocates to her mother's home. The mom gives her permission to travel with the class, however the school requires both parent's consent for the trip. So what's a girl to do? Why take your father to court of course.

So far this story isn't that hard to believe, at least up to the court part. Where it becomes bizarre is with the judge's verdict. She ruled in the child's favour! (you can read about it here or here). The judge determined that the punishment was too severe and that it shouldn't stand because the girl was no longer living with the father (even though he has legal custody).

As a parent I am shocked with this judge's decision. If the father had been abusive or had the girl locked in her room with only bread and water then I could see the logic. But the punishment was refusal to allow the daughter to participate in a trip. Apparently she had been repeatedly reprimanded and warned yet she continued to partake in the forbidden behaviour. So my question to the judge is when did it become excessive to remove a child's priviledge's for bad behaviour?

The judge has not only stripped this man of any authority he has over his daughter, but she has reinforced this girl's blatant disrespect for him. It also sends a terrible message to other young people. Don't like a punishment your parents have doled out? No problem, just take 'em to court.

Despite the fact that the field trip has now come and gone, the press reports that the father intends on pursuing an appeal of this decision. He says it's the only way he can regain his authority over the child. Unfortunately I think, thanks to Ms. Tessier, it's way too late.

Noun 1. writer's block - an inability to write;

"She had writer's block; the words wouldn't come"
Yup, that would just about sum it up.
So here it is. My "writing blog", the place where I'm going to sit myself at the computer and make those fingers tippity tap on the keyboard until something worthy scrolls across my screen (insert snort here). Ok, the concept was good in theory. Unfortunately the monkey that has been sitting on my back for several years has not decided to shift his furry little backside just because I've resolved to be "serious."

And now the pressure is on. I've announced my blog. Heck I've invited readers of my family blog to "come on over" and take a read. The hit counter is already registering in the 50's (although you can probably take off 20 from me playing with the formatting) and I've only had this site active for two days. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining that people are coming here. I think writing on a regular basis in a blog that no one is reading would be somewhat akin to talking to yourself. Eventually I would probably start commenting on my own posts and that would be just weird. I actually encountered that once on someones page. It was as if they had an alter ego and they would make snarky shots at people who happened to make the mistake of leaving a comment. It was disturbing, kind of like a virtual ventriloquist's dummy making smart remarks. I will try to refrain ... which reminds me, I've forgotten to play with my blog settings.

Ok, well I'm off to procrastinate, er organize the site a little more. Hopefully tomorrow I'll come up with a really clever topic, or the next day ...

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog! I've decided I need to start working on something dedicated to me. Well, not me, but rather things that interest me. I want to start trying to stretch my writing muscle again. Topics may range from serious to frivolous. I might discuss books, recipes, health, politics, being a mom ... although I won't discuss my family in more than general terms. I have another venue for that (some of you know where that is ...) and that is where I would like to keep them since they do deserve their privacy.

Hope you find something that interests you here.
Thanks for joining me! Tracey