Ms. Down-to-Earth's Blog (21)

My birthday this year is a milestone and I was looking forward to a party...it was not meant to be. But I had a small family get together on Sunday, I was surrounded by family on Monday, and I received wishes from many friends. I am blessed!!

After I had taken down the Halloween decorations, I realized I had forgotten to put away the fuzzy black spider from atop the china cabinet. As I was lifting him down, my youngest exclaimed "Not Leonardo!" (Yes, I named the spider Leonardo.) "Well, there were probably spiders in the stable." so I'm keeping him up for Christmas. This house also has a baby dragon in the Easter rabbit hutch. Not all traditions have to do with religious practices...we have pizza and pop every Friday night (we…

My daughters started watching a new anime. One line of the theme song is "We were born to make history". I like that!! It may seem to be a daunting task to change the history of the whole world. But you can start off by changing your community, someone's day, or your history! Smile at strangers on the sidewalk, say thank you to the sales associate who helped you find the item you needed, pay it forward at the coffee shop, organize or take part in a walk that raises awareness in a cause that…

I was a late talker, not beginning to talk until age 3. (Why talk when you have two older sisters who got you anything whenever you pointed at it?) My Mom has always said I haven't stopped since. If you know me, you know that's true. I LOVE to talk! And I love talking to other members or interacting with them in other ways, including reading blogs or viewing photos. So I invite you (I don't want to use the words 'I challenge you') to say 'hi' to someone new every day, read and like a blog,…

Since its inception 46 years ago, Earth Day has been a rallying call for environmental stewards around the world to actively promote and educate their fellow citizens on the environment, all the while impacting their communities and contributing to global sustainability. I have included a website so we can see how various phases developed into the hugely international commemoration of Earth Day.…

At Christmas time and during the holidays, there is a lot of talk about family. But what is family? This can be a sad time of year for some people and thinking outside the box may help. Do people need to be related by blood to be family? I have two 'daughters' not related by blood but they've been friends with my other daughters for 7 years or more. (I even gave a birthday present this year to one of these girls "from your other mom".) I also have a church family, some of whom have…

*this post belongs to Michael, I'm just putting it here for him.

As i've grown older i have come to see that the younger generation (40 and below) have gone mostly online for all their reading and info these days , and going through my library tonight i can't help but wonder...if..anyone even remembers the books of their youth...and what do children read today..for pleasure and dreams ..

Does anyone remember Albert Payson Turhunes "LAD OF SUNNYBANK" and his storys of Collies...…

Brutal cold weather is gripping much of Canada and the U.S. today, as a 'polar vortex' treks down from the north, and while it may seem contradictory, global warming is playing a role in the spread of this bitter cold.

Even with Canada and the U.S. experiencing a more 'normal' winter this year, after two very mild winters thanks to the El Nino-La Nina pattern in the Pacific, this kind of extreme weather is still not what we usually see. We're certainly used to cold, snowy weather, but…

Where I live in Ontario had a bad ice storm on Saturday night/Sunday morning. There were power outages (mine lasted only for hours but thousands had no power for days), travel was disrupted, power lines and trees were downed. Our neighbor had part of his tree brought down and I'm kinda glad all the trees on my property were wrecked in the microburst my neighbourhood had five years ago.

My daughters made a video of our place Sunday afternoon:…

I've always liked butterflies. When their life-span was explained to me using a Biblical reference, I could relate to them very well. And again, butterflies can explain my recent life change.

I could say my teenage years were like a caterpiller - I was still finding 'myself'. Then I went into a cocoon, ready to emerge as the real self I wanted the world to know. But my husband didn't want me to share this true self of mine and kept trying to force me into this cocoon, while I struggled…

Two faces to wash, and four dirty hands

Two insisent voices, making demands

Twice as much crying, when things go wrong

The four eyes closing, with each slumber song

Twice the garments, blowing out on the line

Two cherubs in the pram,soaking up sunshine

Work I do for twins, naturally comes double

But four arms that hug me, repay all my trouble.

*I don't know the author of this poem, I just read it in the newsletter of the multiple birth society that I belong…

Are you seeing double or triple???

No, it's the likihood of multiples is increasing. Since many women are waiting 'til they're older before having children, they may need a helping hand. Invitro often results in multiples due to the number of embreyos placed in the womb. Also, the older a woman gets, the more liking she'll conceive multiples.

The number of twins born in 2009 almost doubled the 30 years previous. (Although this is a Canadian statistic, the U.S. and other countries…