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Today we are headed to the Toronto Science Centre to celebrate my eldest daughters 9th bithday. She is stubborn, hard headed, emotional, she yells and stomps, she holds a grudge, and her heart breaks so easily. It is a constant test of my patience to find ways to parent her that are effective. It can be really hard to remain calm in the face of a high spirited child, especially when you know that they are upset about something that doesn’t matter at all, or when she just “thinks” that something has happened, or is going to happen, and it never has or will. It is like talking someone off a ledge. If you don’t approach her just the right way, then she jumps….you have to calmly try to explain what is happening and why. I am sure that parenting her is teaching me all kinds of wonderful skills! She is the best teacher of "life" that I could ever have.She is so pretty! I love her blue eyes. And her laugh just warms my heart. I love that she loves her Daddy. (I at least have Alley who hasn’t gone traitor on me…yet.) She loves music, she's ornery, she's sweet, she's a charmer, and she is a messy slob.
She's mine, lent to me for a short time to try to guide and impart what wisdom I might have aquired over the years and through my lifetime of experiences.. Hopefully she will carry the heart of my words and teachings onwards and perhaps pass them on to her children. Hopefully she will do great things in her life, and if that means being safe and happy, content and secure, compassionate and fair, then I will be happy with the job I've done.
Today was the traditional Easter Egg Hunt. It was cute watching the kids run from egg to egg and getting so excited about their find! Afterwards the kids enjoyed a eggs+tra special breakfast that their Dad made. I'm working nights so it was off to bed for me.
The Kids and I were busy, between soaking up the sun and having fun baking. Happy Easter Everyone!!
Mark May 23 on your Calander. Arriving in stores will be, the new Dixie Chicks album, "Taking the Long Way", produced by Rick Rubin, primarily a rock and rap producer who also crafted Johnny Cash's last albums. The record has been described as more rock-oriented, featuring musicians from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tom Petty's band, the Heartbreakers. I have been following the Dixie Chicks controversy very closely since it first happened. In 2003 Maines told a London audience on the eve of the war in Iraq that the group was "ashamed" the president was from their home state of Texas. Natalie Maines was just exercising her right to free speech (and let's not forget that many Americans died trying to protect this right, and not on foreign soil, either). What resulted was a witch-hunt against the Dixie Chicks with many country stations boycotting their music. The Chicks said they received death threats,leading them to install metal detectors at their shows. Maines later said she regretted the phrasing of her remark, but remained passionately against the war. I think a lot of these pro-Bush people were shocked, that a good country girl from Texas dared speak out against their glorious leader, Lord Bush. I think a lot of these people don't like opinionated women and when they do speak up, well they feel they must shut them up. The chicks have stood their ground and they have came back swingin'! Their new single "Not Ready To Make Nice" has reached No. 36 on Billboard's country singles chart in it's first week. Most stations have completely refused to play the song, though. It is only getting frequent airplay in Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Cleavland, And Minneapolis. Historically, many musicians have spoken out against the war and despite the reactions of radio stations and right-wing media personalities, all deserve our support. Lets strike back this time by listening to these musicians’ music and by making the Chicks’ new single number one on the charts. Lets support the rights of socially conscious musicians by attending their concerts and purchasing their albums. It’s the right thing to do. It’s important for citizens – whether musicians, actors or ordinary people like you and me – to be able to express our political views without censorship or violent reactions. "Forgive, sounds goodForget, I’m not sure I couldThey say time heals everythingBut I’m still waitingI’m through with doubtThere’s nothing left for me to figure outI’ve paid a priceAnd I’ll keep payingI’m not ready to make niceI’m not ready to back downI’m still mad as hell andI don’t have time to go round and round and roundIt’s too late to make it rightI probably wouldn’t if I could‘Cause I’m mad as hellCan’t bring myself to do what it is you think I shouldI know you saidCan’t you just get over itIt turned my whole world aroundAnd I kind of like itI made my bed and I sleep like a babyWith no regrets and I don’t mind sayin’It’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach herDaughter that she ought to hate a perfect strangerAnd how in the world can the words that I saidSend somebody so over the edgeThat they’d write me a letterSayin’ that I better shut up and singOr my life will be overI’m not ready to make niceI’m not ready to back downI’m still mad as hell andI don’t have time to go round and round and roundIt’s too late to make it rightI probably wouldn’t if I could‘Cause I’m mad as hellCan’t bring myself to do what it is you think I shouldI’m not ready to make niceI’m not ready to back downI’m still mad as hell andI don’t have time to go round and round and roundIt’s too late to make it rightI probably wouldn’t if I could‘Cause I’m mad as hellCan’t bring myself to do what it is you think I shouldForgive, sounds goodForget, I’m not sure I couldThey say time heals everythingBut I’m still waiting"
Stay has its strengths and weaknesses, but I’m not too sure that it will appeal to most. The camerawork in Stay is terrific. The story of a psychologist (Ewan McGregor) trying to unravel the twisted trauma of a suicidal young man (Ryan Gosling) and convince him that life is worth living. As I watched this movie, I wondered where are they going with this. The movie can be confusing at times, but it all makes sense in the end. You have to stay with the film the entire time or you will get very frustrated. As the credits begin to roll you'll begin to take in what just happened and piece some things together. It's a puzzle that tells you not to blatantly trust what you see. It just asks you to trust in your imagination.
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Capote" is set during the five years that Capote spent researching and writing his most famous and last finished book, "In Cold Blood," about the true life story of the senseless killing of a Kansas farm family of four. Hoffman truly immerses himself in this role. He becomes the gay, peculiar, eccentric, self-absorbed writer complete with mannerisms, vocal inflections, and facial expressions. The film's mystique comes from the bond that Capote forms with the murderers. He forms a weird attachment with them, yet, when he gets all of the information he needs, he readily abandons them. He's a master manipulator at getting people to open up to him. I also really enjoyed the background progression of his friend Harper Lee who during these 6 years has "To Kill A Mocking Bird" published. Though not many can recall the name of her book at this time, it will become one of the most famous novels of all time and one of my personal favorites. Over the course of writing "In Cold Blood", Lee's novel is published to great acclaim and made into a film starring Gregory Peck. Capote attends the New York premiere, but he is still so wrapped up in his own book that he can't come to terms with Lee's success, putting a strain on their relationship. This movie will stay with me for some time........
This weekend I am headed into Toronto to experience some female fun, frivolous adventure, entertainment and shopping galore. I am sooooo....looking forward and grateful for this retreat because I get to spend some quality girl time with Sheila.
