It's Time To Goof Off

Today is National (or International, depending on how you look at it) Goof Off Day!

It's a day for doing anything you want, except for what you are supposed to be doing.

So have a great day and go goof off :)

Build A Bear

Sorry I haven't been around for awhile. It has been a rough go the last little while, but here I am :)

Today I had a fun day with my two children and my sister-in-law. Aunt Karen wanted to take Sara and Sammy to Build A Bear to create some new friends. Since yesterday was Aunt Karen's birthday, I surprised her by having her make a new friend as well. The three of them had a fabulous time and I loved every moment of watching them create their new friends (I am waiting for the new dragon that is arriving in April, then I'm going to ask DH for a new friend too :)

Here are their new friends. Sara named her bunny Heather (isn't she sweet?). Aunt Karen's panda is named Aaron. Sammy chose the froggy and named him Fireman Johnny (Sammy has decided that he is now afraid of his new friend, but he'll get over it very soon I'm sure -- he's two so it doesn't surprise us).

Good Samaritan

Today is Good Samaritan Day :)

A Good Samaritan is someone who voluntarily offers help or sympathy in times of trouble. I think that in this day and age being a Good Samaritan also means that you do something kind and unselfish for someone else, without thinking about what you will get in return.

Take a moment and do something nice for someone. You don't have to do something heroic like rescue someone from a burning building or administer first aid. Just do something from your heart that will make another person's day more enjoyable or more bearable.

Hold the door for someone on your way into and out of a store.

Offer to carry something heavy or awkward for someone.

Help a person reach something on a high shelf.

Pick up something that someone has dropped.

Help a senior up the stairs.

Give a lost person directions.

Buy a coffee for the person behind you in line.

Pick up trash and put it in the garbage can.

Give flowers to someone.

Call a friend.

Visit a shut in or a patient in the hospital.

Encourage someone who is struggling.

Praise a child.

Cheer someone on.

Write a kind note to someone.

Offer someone your seat on a bus or the subway.

Smile at someone.

Comfort someone who is in pain or grieving.

Hold the hand of someone who is scared.

Say thank you.

I'm sure you can think up even more ways that you can show caring and concern for others. You might be amazed how even the smallest gesture can change someone's world :)

Thank you for being you. You are a wonderful fabulous person with so much to offer the world. You will do amazing things. I'm so glad that you are here :)

RIP Vu Pham

Today is a sad day.

A man who was taken from this earth far too soon is being laid to rest.

Today is Constable Vu Pham's funeral.

Although I never had the honour of meeting him, I mourn the loss of this courageous man. He dedicated his life to serving and protecting people and sadly gave his life in the line of duty.

My heart goes out to his family, friends, co-workers, and his brothers and sisters in uniform. The world lost a very special man, but Heaven gained a wonderful new angel.

God be with you all.

Constable Vu Pham

Ontario Provincial Police

Hero

(Photo: The Canadian Press)

Birthday Girl

Happy birthday to a dear childhood friend!!

Today is Barbie's birthday. It's hard to believe that she is 51 years old -- I think she actually looks younger today than she did when she first appeared on the market (see the photo below showing a Barbie from 1959 and a more recent version). LOL

It amazes me how Barbie has continued to remain popular despite how many years she has been on the market. My four year old is as addicted to Barbie as I was when I was younger. I can't wait to share with her all the cool Barbie accessories and things that I saved from my childhood. Although I don't know how impressed she will be with my remote control car -- it is one of those ancient ones with the long cord so she'll have to stay pretty close to it.

So happy birthday Barbie!!!!

May the years continue to be very kind to you :)

Working Women

Happy International Working Women's Day!!!!!

No matter what you do, whether you work outside of the home or in your home, I hope you all have a fabulous International Working Women's Day!!!

Cookies and Dentists

What an interesting combination -- cookies and dentists.

First off, March 6th is the anniversary of the first time the Oreo cookies went on sale in 1912. I had no idea that they'd been around that long. I used to enjoy Oreo cookies occasionally, but I haven't had one in years. My hubby is not an Oreo fan so we never buy them. I think I had one in a sundae sometime in 2009 and I used Oreo baking crumbs to make a dessert a couple of Christmas's ago, but otherwise I haven't had the privilege of enjoying one in a long time. Hmmm -- maybe I should just pick some up for a treat for the children.

Today is also Dentist Day. I'm not sure if that means you should have gone out and hugged a dentist or sent one a thank you note, or if it is a day when you should have gone to the dentist. Hmmm ... Since it is Saturday I'm not sure how many dentists are open, and I doubt any are at this hour. I know mine isn't.

I have a really nice dentist now. My husband went to him for a long time and then I started going to his dentist after we were married. Our dentist is always very friendly and very gentle. Whenever I've needed to have work done I've never experienced any discomfort. He even had to fix a broken tooth when I was pregnant and even though I didn't have any freezing for it, I didn't feel a thing. I'd highly recommend him.

I unfortunately couldn't say the same thing about the dentists I had previously. The dentist I had for most of my childhood was really annoying. He falsely believed that I wanted to hear all about his stuck up snobby annoying children while trapped in the chair. And he'd ask me stupid questions when he knew I couldn't possibly answer them because he was working on a tooth so I couldn't talk. He was really nosey too -- always asking very personal questions about myself and my family which I felt very uncomfortable answering. His receptionist was always PMS'ing and miserable about it. She never smiled and she never sounded happy to see anyone. I couldn't figure out what possessed him to hire her to be the first person his patients saw when they entered the building. But I needed a dentist and that was the one my parents insisted I go to, so I went. I'd probably still be going there (my mom still goes there and feels the need to torture me with all the things his children are doing) if it hadn't been for my last experience with him.

I had to have a small repair done to a chipped tooth. He was always what I considered "freezing happy" and seemed to put in way more than he should. Well the last time I was there he put the freezing in several spots despite the fact that it wasn't a deep cavity, just a small chip. Then he poked my gums with something sharp and I winced because it wasn't frozen where he poked me. So he put in several more shots of freezing. My entire head ended up frozen --- my mouth was numb, I couldn't breath through my nose, and my eyes were droopy --- I couldn't even feel my ears!! I tried to tell him I couldn't breath through my nose, but he was too busy talking about his bratty kids and my mouth wouldn't work because it was completely frozen. I had to breath through my mouth and his assistant kept telling me to stop doing that. So I tried to hold my breath, which mean that I'd suddenly gasp for breath every so often then she'd tell me again not to breath through my mouth. Thank goodness it was only a quick repair. When he was done he finally noticed that my mouth was just hanging loosely open while I gasped for breath through it. I had to write him a note saying that my whole head was frozen and I couldn't breath out of my nose. What does he say to me?

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

I could have kicked him -- and still wish that I had. I ended up with a wicked headache and my face was still partially frozen the next day.

So I found myself a new dentist, using the excuse that I wanted one more local to where I lived at that point. I found a dental office that had several dentists in the same place. They were advertising themselves as using some technique that eliminated the need for freezing. I thought this was great after my last experience and signed up. At my intake consultation I told them that I had had a negative experience with freezing and really wanted to try their alternative method the next time I needed any work done. They told me that wouldn't be a problem. I was assigned to one of the dentists and went for my first appointment. My new dentist spoke very poor English, so I had to keep having his assistant translate. A minor annoyance really. Then came the day that I needed to have some work done. Did I get this alternative to freezing? Nope. Turns out I was assigned to the one dentist in the place that didn't think the alternative was a better idea so he insisted on freezing. Thankfully he was very gentle and didn't go overboard with the freezing. I went to him for almost three years. Then I had a tooth break and it was quite painful. I called them for an appointment telling them how much it hurt. I was told that they couldn't fit me in for several days so if it was really bad I should see if another dentist could take me. That's what I did. I found an emergency dentist who fixed my tooth. Easy peasy. That was until I went back to see my regular dentist. He yelled at me for going to someone else behind his back and felt that I should have put up with the pain until I could have gotten in to see him. That was the last time I saw him.

So now I go to see Dr. Parks and he is fabulous!!! I think he is the best dentist in the whole wide world. Happy Dentist Day Dr. Parks!!!!

(On a slightly different note, I went to see an orthodontist when I was in secondary school because I had to have braces. He was a really nice guy. But strangely enough he always had Culture Club's "Do you really want to hurt me?" playing on his stereo whenever I went to his office. It was on repeat play and he always hummed along with it. Nice guy, but that was quite strange).

Enjoy your Oreo --- but don't forget to brush!!! :)

Parachutes

Today is apparently the birthday of the invention of the parachute. Or maybe of when Leonardo DaVinci first drew one. Depending on where you look for the history of the parachute you can obtain different information. However, according to the special days in March list that is what today is so I'm going with it. LOL

Although I have thought it would be an exhilarating to experience sky diving, it is highly unlikely that I ever will. I have a very strong fear of heights -- particularly falling from them. Jumping out of a plane thousands of feet up in the air attached to some fabric by rope is just not my idea of fun.

Now if I was on a plane that was going to crash and parachuting out was the only way to survive it would be a different story. Circumstances make a big difference with something like this.

Needless to say I've never been skydiving. Have you?

March 1st

I don't know what it was like where you live, but here March came in like a

It was a beautiful sunny day, mild, not cold at all. The snow is starting to melt. It actually felt quite spring-like. I honestly prefer milder days to the bitter cold we had last week. I also think any day that it doesn't snow is a good day. LOL.

Not that I really believe it will be, but I hope this doesn't mean the March will go out like a

Although he does look rather relaxed. Maybe I should have used a photo of a lion roaring. Oh well. Happy March!!!!