Adventures in the Potty

S looks at E in the public potty where we are out like it is the first time we have ever gone to the potty as a family.

S: E, you DON'T have a penis.

E: No, I don't.  Good, S. What do I have?

S: I have a penis.

E. Yes, that's right, S.  And what I have is called?

S: I don't know.

E: You have a penis and I have a... crotch. Girls have crotches, S. Boys don't have crotches. Boys have penises.

S: Girls have a crotch?

E: That's right, S. Want to see?

S: Yeah! (Takes a look as E hops off the potty. S hops on.)

S: I have a penis. I put my penis down when I go pee in the potty. Dada has a penis.

E: That's right, S. You are doing a good job on the potty. Maybe Mama will show you her crotch when she goes potty (um, no, if I can help it).

S: Do I have to wash my hands?

The kid is doing a great job using the potty, and E is doing a great job helping.  And no, we don't call girl parts crotches. So that part was a little surprising, but pretty funny.

Toronto - Yum!

There are many reasons to love Canada. If you are a faithful reader, you know about the pancakes in Elmira and our favourite bakery, Hot Oven.  You know about the good people of Gander and the good people of our neighbourhood.  You know that even though it is cold and the winters are long, we go skiing and play and now the flowers just may make an appearance in our yard.

But we did not know how good the eating was when we moved here.

Dear reader, let me just say, yum, yum, yum.  I don't even know where to begin to take people, and we are still trying out new places in our neighborhood! These are not fancy places; most are within walking distance and many only have 10 or so tables.  Let's just recap our last few meals of dining out, shall we?

Lahore Tikka House - This is on Gerrard St., a street famous for its Indo-Pak cuisine and stores.  A colleague of J's gave us this suggestion, so we took J's mom there.  It is always fun to take your mother-in-law to eat in a double-wide trailer with plastic chairs and loud Pakistani music blasting.  Fortunately, she is adventurous and the food was amazing.  It was spicier than we are used to, but our previous forays into Indian cuisine had served us well and we were able to try some familiar dishes and some new ones, including Kashmir tea. It was pink (saffron) and served with almonds, pistachios and sugar.

The service was super friendly, even bringing out a special dish for the kids as well.  I can't say E loved the food, so we followed it up with a visit to a dessert parlor in Greektown, a short drive away.  E and S loved Lahore Tikka House for the the Backyardigans playing in the washrooms. Why the Backyardigans was playing there, I don't know. Next time, though, only J will take them as it was only playing in the women's washrooms.

Henry VIII Alehouse - A local pub that has more than 100 single malt scotches in house (and within staggering walking distance from our house), they also have lovely food.  We went there for brunch, and J had a traditional English breakfast with baked beans, broiled tomatoes and sausages, which he loves, and I had a Croque Monsieur (breakfast grilled ham and cheese) that made me understand why Toronto is also called Hogtown. They have Single Malt Scotch tasting nights, and they also have a lovely chicken and chutney sandwich on naan.  

Kingsway Fish and Chips - Those of you who know me know that I am not a fish eater.  I eat fish under duress oftentimes and have learned to endure it, but I don't really seek it out.  Not anymore.  At Kingsway, I even ignore the chips.  Everything is hand cut downstairs - S made friends with Dave, who was there this weekend - including the chips, and fried in house.  I know that you don't necessarily want fried fish every day, but boy, when you do, you want well-made fish that is fried well with oil that is changed regularly and a light, crisp batter.  Again, not E and S's favourite, though they do have things for them if they were inclined to eat things other than fish. But why bother?

1800 Degrees - I will not recap this entire dinner except to say that J had lobster poutine.  He is obsessed with poutine, a dish that consists of fries, gravy and cheese curds.  This was better, apparently.

This does not include our various Thai restaurants, including our favourite, the Spoon and Fork, where E and S eat us under the table, the various Middle Eastern restaurants, or the various take out places, where one can pick up something to eat at home.  We really have only found a few average restaurants, and maybe one that was actively terrible.  

Lest we forget, there is always the rotisserie channel to get us hungry.  Yes, there really is a rotisserie channel.  You know how, during the holiday season, there is a Yule Log channel? Well, here, always, you can choose between aquarium, fireplace or sunset, and now, just in case you were interested, you can also watch chickens cooking.  

 

Newfoundland - Gander International Airport

J and I made the kids listen to the radio instead of watch television this Saturday morning.  (The horror!)

Of course, we listened to CBC Radio 2, our favourite Canadian radio station.  The program was the Vinyl Cafe, and it was featuring a lovely program on the Gander International Airport in Newfoundland.

Do you know where Newfoundland and Labrador are? 

To summarize the program, Gander used to serve 150 international flights as a refueling stop before or after the atlantic crossing, and was the busiest airport in the world. Obviously, air travel has changed, and now they get about 11 international flights a month, and about 5 scheduled flight a day.

The program was notable for two things.

One is the lounge. Link to this page to view pictures of the amazing, modernist, beautiful lounge.

The other interesting reminder was that around 40 flights landed at Gander on September 11.  Since it is an extraordinarily small airport, Newfies took in passengers like family for the several days they were stranded in Newfoundland and Labrador.

J met some residents returning to Gander on a flight and asked them about this.  While they lived about an hour away from the airport, the Newfies said that many of these families still return for vacations every summer, and since tourism is a major industry in the area, there has been a significant increase in traffic since September 11 thanks to the generosity of the residents.  Lifelong relationships were formed in those few days.

You can watch a video on GMA about it here:

Go Leafs, Boo Caps

We went to our first NHL game in Canada - as Leafs Fans.

They played the Caps in what was a "must win" game for the Leafs.  Mathematically, at least, they had a shot at the playoffs, according to what I overheard, Buffalo also had to lose the last 3 games (if there are, in fact, three games left).  So, it now looks like they are out of the running. It was a great, close game, going into overtime and then requiring a shootout to decide the game.  Our rookie goalie, and NHL rookie of the month, Reimer, did a great job.  And by "our," you'll remember we live in Canada.  There were lots of BOOOS for Ovechkin, and he is fun to boo. And he loves it.  He took the last shot for the Caps in the 3 shot shootout.  It was Ovechkin and the goalie on the ice, one at each end of the rink.  The stands were dark and filled with yelling fans booing him, and he took a second, with his hands on his knees, to get ready and just listen to the sound of the arena.  Fortunately, he missed.

Toronto loves their Leafs. And they love their hockey, more than anything.  E and S came with us, and they were really into it as they have just gotten skates and full face hockey masks are required equipment for their skating lessons.  After they learn to skate, their class feeds into a program called Hockey 101, and they are both ready to play.  They watched the play pretty carefully for their ages, and liked seeing how fast they could skate, and why they wore their helmets.

The stands were full on a Tuesday night, something I'm told is not uncommon.  The Leafs are a hot ticket.  After the game, and before the overtime, they played this song. Take a listen. It's a fun one - and note the changes in uniforms.

If you have a chance, wander over to this post and see if you agree with their hockey songs.  I first became interested in hockey when my parents took me to a Kings game in high school, back when Gretzky, Robitaille and McSorley were still playing.  We sat in the nosebleeds, people cursed, players fought and the crowd sang rock and roll part 2, the first time I heard that wonderful tune.  Of course, our kids are getting another sporting event introduction altogether, as we have already taken them to Maryland football games with our tailgating group, known for their polite rejoinders to the opposing team, and their mother has been known to boo anyone in Duke attire*, so I am not sure their first hockey experience was the same revelation.  

I also have a theory it is one of the reasons Canadians are so nice - because they get out most of their aggression on the ice.  And, why their kids are so well behaved. Because their parents can say "2 minutes for roughing," and their kids get it, and go straight to time out. Has totally changed my discipline, I can tell you.  

*Speaking of which, why does Canadian Old Navy need to sell Duke shirts? Seriously. Let them sell University of Toronto shirts or something. Come on, now. 

Elmira: The Center of it All

Lots of pics - link to web!

Thanks to the good folks at Treehouse television and "Are We There Yet: World Adventure," the feature on Friday, April 1st was on the Largest Maple Syrup Festival in the World.  It is held in a place called Elmira, Ontario.  Since Elmira is just a short distance away thanks to Google Maps (1 hour and 22 minutes), we watch way too much T.V., and the festival was the very next day, we decided to pack up the car with Bubbie and go.  

View Larger Map (B is Elmira!)

Because if you are in Canada, and are that close to the World's Largest Maple Syrup Festival, and you pass up that opportunity, you really don't deserve to live in Canada with all of its wonders.  

I made everyone get up very early.  The festival began at 7 a.m.  Why? For the pancakes, of course!  So we arrived at 9 a.m.  My friend on the paleo diet would have appreciated the person eating the large turkey leg as we walked in.   We stood in this line as we arrived.

It looks bad, but it was only about a 40 minute wait. The pancakes are made according to a secret festival recipe.  They are cooked on 6 of the World's Biggest Griddles, of course. Dad, eat your heart out, and next time, plan to be in Canada the weekend of March 31, 2012.  You did not need special training to be a pancake flipper. I asked.  All pancakes come with a hearty portion of Canadian maple syrup, not the Aunt Jemima stuff.

They were pretty good pancakes. We all got doubles.  All the proceeds go to charity in Elmira. The festival attracts about 50-60,000 people in 1 day, a pretty decent amount for a town of about 12,000.

The festival was shockingly well-organized and well-run.  While there were waits for events, none lasted over 45 minutes (for pancakes), lines were orderly, and people were pleasant. There was no one cutting in line or grouchy about waiting.  We also went out to what is called the "sugar bush." (You can make your own jokes.)  We had to take a bus and then a tractor to the forest.

Sugaring season lasts 4-6 weeks depending on the weather, but most of the sap runs in 10 days.  The taps don't hurt the trees, as long as they are tapped correctly.

Now they use plastic buckets, but fortunately they still had metal ones, and they were selling them for only $2! So guess who has a new home decor item?

 

The sap is boiled in this contraption.  It is really used just to evaporate the water and concentrate the sugar.  Maple syrup comes in several grades.

In this second picture below, I was able to stick my finger in and taste the sap/syrup water. Apparently they weren't too concerned with me contaminating it like Willy Wonka ("Augustus, No!").  It was very light tasting.

And what would any good festival be without a Queen? This is Cassandra, Queen of the Furrow.  That sounds like a John Waters movie, but she happily obliged my request for a photo, because almost all Canadians are nice.  I don't know the responsibilities or obligations of the Queen of the Furrow, but E was VERY excited to happy to take her picture with any Queen.  

As you can see, it was a nice day, but still pretty cold.  According to festival officials, they have held the festival when it has been sleeting and snowing. It is Canadian dedication to go to a maple syrup festival in sleet.

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Check out my new photo tab and my Flickr photostream.  It has my photo (or more) of the day posted.  I don't know how to send that via email but I'm having fun with it, so it is worth a bookmark.  You won't believe the fun things you can do with your iPhone camera. 

Rap version of Oh Canada and other important Canadian things

Yes, Virginia, there really is a rap version of Oh Canada, the national anthem of Canada. With a few additions, of course, including: poutine, a pregnant lady with a maple leaf on her belly, and mention that they invented the telephone.  In the patriotic tradition of my mother, I will wake up our guests on Canada Day (June 1st!) with this rendition and other Canadian patriotic music.  Mom would wake us up on July 4th with Sousa marches.

This past Sunday was the Juno awards, the Grammy awards of Canada.  It was hosted by Drake (A Canadian Jew, in case you were wondering. He's also pretty cute, eh?).

We heard a lot of great music, particularly a great selection of music commemorating the last 40 years of music evolution in Toronto by Sarah Slean* and Garth Hudson of The Band, Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, The Sadies, Sarah Harmer* and City and Colour*.  I tried to find a video of this but had a hard time, but any of these artists are worth a listen - they were fabulous.  Arcade Fire won a lot of awards, but honestly, I just can't get into their music, and while I can see why they won (they are very talented and it is almost like watching and listening to an orchestra), they would take a lot of energy. Neil Young was there (Canadian), Brian Adams (unfortunately Canadian), Shania Twain (she felt like a Canadian woman), but no Bieber.  He totally ditched the Junos. He did do a few video presentations, but it was weak.  And the new haircut? Eh.

On Saturday (we had a very exciting weekend), we watched. . . Hockey Night in Canada! On every single Saturday night all long winter long, there is a hockey double header.  Those lucky Canadian women!  We watched the Leafs - that would be the Toronto Maple Leafs for those of you who aren't yet fans, even though you should be since we live here - lose a heartbreaker, and then we watched Don Cherry.  He is a crazy man who comes out and talks about hockey in between game 1 and 2, and wears the most conservative attire possible.  Below, a few samples:

We now understand why hockey season goes on forever. You see daffodils and flowers in the states, and we have snow.  We have temperatures that are warm at plus 2 degrees Celsius, and you wear flip flops in March.   It makes sense for the NHL to still play hockey in Canada right now.  For them to still be playing hockey in Nashville (and when did they get a team in Nashville?), well, I'm not so sure.

So, in that spirit, we signed the kids up for skating lessons and bought them their hockey skates and helmets, with full face masks, so S has a chance of keeping those teeth we worked so hard to keep.  E and S's twin, 17 year old, female babysitters are hockey players, and so we have some awesome role models.  Watch out! 

Awesome Science - Lots of Pictures!

*It may be easier to view this post straight on the web, so you can go to the blog directly, because there are a lot of pictures on this one. 

Yesterday, in the snow, we went to the Ontario Science Centre.  A teammate of mine had told me about it before I had even arrived, so I knew it was going to be a great day (thanks, pb!).  We did not even begin to explore this museum. We only went to one movie and one exhibit in the 5+ hours we were there.  (Note to science centre: kids at the Nemo show (we saw Under the Sea) don't want to see previews for Tornado Alley in all it's Imax glory.)  So we have a membership and will plan to go back often during our time in Toronto.  

S and E look at animals and hear their sounds before we enter...

 the rainforest! (The warmest place in Canada - who knew?!)

 5th graders - do you recognize this?

 E, S and I listen to a drumming and science seminar by Jeremy Taggart, who has played with several Canadian bands, in honor of Juno week (like the Canadian grammys).  

 This tube probably has cool scientific properties, but E and S liked it because it made trash go up high and rain down on top of them. 

 This was in the Weston Family Hall - more for elementary and teenagers. These blocks could be turned and you could send boats down to see how fast or slow they went down depending on the materials they were made of, but again, E and S just had fun sending them down.

 This was an interactive Koi pond projected on the floor in a hallway. The museum is full of these kinds of things. One of the escalators is see through. You can see the imax projector.  Just amazing, little things like that for the careful observer. 

 This car is at the beginning of Kidspark, the under 8 area. This is so well-designed, they also have toddler/baby play areas for the under 3 set.  

 S and E went to a "Sturdy Structures" session where they learned what shapes were sturdy, and then were able to work in groups to make their own, new houses for the 3 little pigs so that the big bad wolf wouldn't blow them down.  Then, they received some material and played with it to make their own structures.  And you can't construct without a hard hat. (S is happy in the picture above - he raised his hand and participated a ton.)  For your reference, sturdy building shapes are squares, rectangles, triangles and cylinders. 

 This is a spinner where they see how fast they can spin, or throw up.  They even have padded walls for when the kids get thrown off. In the background, you can see that they can make their own roller coasters.

 Here is where we got into trouble.  Knowing we would be walking around in a museum all day, and remembering we are potty training S, I didn't want to lug around boots, and my coat, etc. So I left my coat in the car, and let the kids wear their tennis shoes instead of boots.  Obviously, living in Canada has not sunk in.  Because we came out to another 4 inches of snow, and while it wasn't a long walk to the car, it wasn't pretty.  

 S had done pretty well in undies in the museum, but he did have one accident, and I did forget an extra pair of socks. This was fine in the museum, but not fine when snow was sneaking into his little shoes.  So I took his shoes off and put my extra pair of mittens on him in the car.  All toasty warm!

My April resolution is that I am not shoveling any more snow.