Friday, February 27, 2009

Mentholate your Life

If you are ever faced with the predicament of Vick's Vapor Rub in hair, take it from me; it may not come out.
Corn starch provides some relief.



Vancouver, BC. During the wee hours of Thursday morning, in a small home in East Vancouver, a small child of two awoke with a mischievous spirit flapping in her desires. Realizing that her exhausted mommy lay blissfully asleep in the little girl's own bed, only moments earlier cradling this small wee child in her arms, the girl left to see where her daddy might be. He was not found on his usual late-night roost of the sofa; tv blaring, remote in hand, but instead tucked up into his own bed. Faced with the confusion of not having anyone to change the channel from sports to cartoons, as her older brother still remained sleeping himself, the tot decided to stay close to her daddy and entertain herself until someone awoke and brought her cold, cold milk.



The next part is speculation, but it is believed that the poor neglected child took herself to the washroom where she successfully emptied her bladder but forgot to put her pants back on. Upon returning to her daddy, she noticed an enticing green jar lying beside his collection of used tissues. To her great surprise and happiness, it was easy to open and smelled deliciously of daddy himself. A grand dip of the fingers and that squishy, cold joy was in her hand and ready for business. With glee she lathered her half-clothed body and then took another handful. This bolder dip went into her hair and manipulated until her hair was just right. Daddy snored on and mommy still lay blissfully unsuspecting in the child's bed, so the youngster jumped in to wriggle beside her warm and cozy daddy.



When Mommy awoke shortly after, it was with trepidation that she exited the children's bedroom. Something smelled amiss - surely her husband had not drowned himself in a bottle of Vick's Vapor Rub the evening before? Perhaps the tenants were aromatherapyizing some bad chi out of their house? A Laura Secord truck dumped its contents in the lane? Do they still make those chocolates? ... ... ... Oh. A beaver. A slick, oily beaver preparing for a trip down the river? Perhaps the beaver has a bad cold? No.... Oh.... Yes.... Good morning bug.



Although hours of research have now been conducted by the family, over twelve washes with various different household products performed and countless tsk-tskings have been heard, it remains to be seen if Vaseline comes out of hair or mentholatum out of anything.



And what do the parents have to say for themselves? They were both quoted as saying that although they realized raising children was fraught with adventure, they had yet to imagine their second child could trump their first for mischievousness. And the elder child? When last seen, a serene smile permeated his every move as he basked in the novelty of not being the naughty one.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Palm Desert/Disneyland

I should be marking right now; it's really great incentive for blogging...

We needed a bit of sun and family time after the hectic holidays, so we popped down to the states for a quick visit to the club in Palm Desert and Pooh Bear. It was our first time visiting the Intrawest down there, and we were very impressed. The rooms and grounds were gorgeous and immaculately kept. The staff was great, as usual, and the club's amenities lived up to our expectations. The kids pool, for me, was a huge seller. It was shaded and only a couple of feet at its deepest. Mia spent a long day luxuriating in her own private pool while Lucas played in the big family pool. I think there are a total of five pools on the property and more than double that number in hot tubs and barbecues!

Our patio looking over the golf course. The ducks came to visit each morning to see if they could get any crumbs. (And boy did they ever at our place!)

Apparently I liked this picture a lot... the coffee sure was good!



Angels... caught in time for ever... hahahahahahaha...


Teddy REALLY soaked up the sun. He was starting to feel a little grizzly this winter, but some down time on the patio and a round of golf while we were out at the living desert really did wonders for his demeanour. I did worry a bit about his evening consumption, but hey, I figure that every bear needs a little time off from his work, right?





Pool party girl. I don't think she took those glasses off for two days straight.
Mia's trip highlights are, in no particular order, swimming in the "hot pool" under the stars at night and the kids pool by day, falling asleep in Mommy's arms in the bath tub, dancing to the live band at "Las Casuelas Terraza" in downtown Palm Springs, getting hundreds of kisses from Snoopy at Knottsberry Farm, and OMGoodness... meeting Pooh Bear and Tigger in person at Disneyland.



My little man.
Lucas' highlights were all the Daddy time playing foosball, swimming and wrestling, the miniature train exhibit at The Living Desert, the giant bag of hot kettle corn, swimming under the stars in the hot pools, the Sidewinder at Knottsberry farm, and OMGoodness ... Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland.



I personally choose to forget the travelling aspect of the trip and focus on the warmth of the sun, the hugs and the laughter.


Do you remember the Teacups?!


All in all, a great trip. It was far too short, but it did a lot of good for our souls.
Happy Valentine's Day!