I have been in a reflective mood lately. I have decided to post some of my old photos and look at how some of us have changed (or not!?!?!) Here are a few photos of Lauren...graduation from Ottawa U 1996, absolutely stunning on her wedding day and more recently with her daughter and my son :)

here are more THEN vs NOW shots...

Graduation 1996 The New Mummy look..2006

Can you believe this????.

While trying to actually work on some of my New Years resolutions I came across a huge box of pictures. I thought it might be fun to take a stroll down memory lane and look at some "those were the days" shots as well as some old vs newish ones...boy it's time we got out the camera and took some recent friends photos!!!
JILL: AUG 26 1993
Jill and Dina December 13, 1993
Jill November 1996
Jill and Dina New Years Eve 2000

I've resolved to...

Well it's pretty early January first and I've been up for a while. I decided that part of my New Year's resolution would be to get up early daily and do the errands I've been avoiding since Elie was born. I have been complaining for ages now that the house is a mess and needs to be organized- well since I have realized that hubby's promises of doing this job are pretty empty I'm doing them myself- slowly but they are going to get done!
I also wanted to finally finish decorating the nursery so I started on that too, i've hung the mural we bought for him before he was born. I'm off to get a frame for some of his pictures to hang those too (well that will have to wait until the stores are open tomorrow)
So here is my list of things I would like to work on or things i resolve to do/change
1)I am going to try and just do things rather than complain that they need to be done (like cleaning the house, the car etc...)
2) think before i speak and not take things so personally(especially with family members)
3) make some time for myself each day-either by exercising or reading a book for my pleasure- both things i loved doing before but haven't done in a long time
4) start cooking more again- i've been a little lazy lately and have bought too many frozen lasagnas and mousakas to be healthy!
5) try to call friends more often- i have become an email junky, if people don't use email as often as i do then i tend to lose touch with them
6) read the newspaper or at least try to listen to the news more often- i feel completely out of touch with what is going on in the world
7) not get so upset when Elie is crying uncontrollably and remember he is just a baby and baby's cry
Okay that is it- 7 resolutions for 2007...

When I was younger I used to wait anxiously for Boxing Day and go on a major shopping spree. I would battle the crowds at the mall and even on occasion wait in line to get into a much worshipped store. Those days are long gone. I would never dream of going near the mall on Boxing Day anymore. There is no way I would manouver our giant stroller among the crowds without running over toes and being glared at by other shoppers. The sales might be good but my sanity is more important to me these days!! I'll just have to go shopping when the hysteria has calmed down and just pick thru what is left over on the sales racks...
i can't imagine waiting in hour long line ups just to get that one major bargain...i heard there were serious lines at Coach in Yorkdale- as if the stuff there goes on sale enough to make the wait worth it!!
As it happens I still haven't made it out shopping and might manage to get out there come spring!!

the irony of it all

The other day was Elie's 6 month birthday. We celebrated by singing him happy birthday and then by taking him to the doctor for his check up. He received his immunizations and I got the flu! The doctors office was full of coughing, vomitting, sick children and I was so worried about Elie that I made sure to cover his face, wash his hands and turn him away from those hacking children BUT I forgot all about me. Ever since Friday when we came home from the doctors' office I have been achy, sniffly and carrying a high fever (101 degrees) Now that it is Sunday morning and I was lucky enough to sleep the whole day yesterday I am finally feeling a bit better.
Now my question is, how does one avoid getting sick when going to the doctors' office? I have been hearing of many cases recently when children go to the office for a check up and end up getting sick because they were exposed to some disease(flu, whooping cough, chicken pox etc) in the waiting room. Should there be 2 seperate waiting rooms? One for sick people and one for healthy? or perhaps the office should only book checkups on Mondays (or one designated day) and take sick people during other days of the week. It just doesn't seem fair or right that my beautiful healthy baby had to be exposed to germs and disease while waiting to see the doctor. It is just lucky that I got sick and not him!

WICKED

We went to see Wicked last night. Rather than buying each other gifts to celebrate our anniversary we decided it would be nicer to just have a nice evening out. It was.
The musical was a lot of fun, not a brilliant story but easy enough to follow and purely entertaining. I would recommend it to almost anyone, but I would definitely recommend getting a little bit better seats. The same problem exists with many of the older theaters. The seats in the balcony levels are very close together and the rows are practically on top of each other so if you are a little shorter or there is a tallish person in front of you, your vision of the stage might be compromised.
I did not find myself singing or humming the songs after the show but I did enjoy listening to them during the show. Perhaps I'll get the CD and listen again:)

Wow a wedding took place :)

wow tomorrow is our 2 year anniversary!! where does the time go??? I still remember the day I met Gavin so clearly and here we are 3.5 years later married and with a beautiful baby boy!!
To celebrate our day Gavin is taking me to see Wicked and I can't wait!- i am also going to watch our wedding video (but i won't subject Gavin to it as i know how much he loves watching it :)

hand creams

Now that the winter is here and the air is very dry it is time to invest in a good hand cream. I have been using Glysomed for a number of years now and really like how soft and smooth it leaves my hands but it is a little boring. It has no pretty scent and no sparkles or glitz. I usually smooth it on in the morning and it lasts through a couple of hand washing sessions without reapplication, i love how it works but I want something more fun too.
I also use the Body Shop Brazillian Body Butter which has a sweet nutty scent and works well on dry skin. There are a couple of things I dislike about this product. Firstly the price, at almost $20 a tub I feel insanely guilty about using more than a pea size blob of this at one application. Secondly, i don't like the tub format. I feel like I am contaminating the product each time I dip my fingers in to scoop out the cream. I know some people might use a popsicle stick or something to avoid this invasion of bacteria but I know I would never bother with this. I wish the body butters came in a pump style container with a cheaper price tag!
I recently decided to try the Olay Quench Therapy. It was on sale at Shoppers for $6.99 and something about the container appealed to me (probably the mauve color and the pump) so far i have been satisfied with the product. It has a nice light scent and the pump is easy to use. The only problem i have is the fact that is claims to be for extremely dry skin, i do have this on my hands and my hands have not been cured of this problem since using OQT...the skin around my nails and in the corners of my thumbs is still very dry and a little painful-
so now I am asking for your suggestion on which hand creams are best for really dry, cracking hands/nails.

50 Gems about my husband - not in any order

Stolen from Gavin's blog...so you can try to gain a better understanding of my Gav :)

Deal or NO Deal

My mom and I love watching this show then talking to each other about the contestants...each time I watch I wonder to myself "would I stop at this point or would I just take one more risk???"
This show is all about doubt, risk and of course greed. How many times has the contestant actually gone as far as to lose everything because of pure greed or just plain stupidly BUT on the other hand sometimes the contestant caves in and takes the deal only to discover that if they had just opened one more case they may have doubled their money or taken home the big prize...what would you do if given the chance to make a Deal or No Deal????

I've been tagged AGAIN!!

...this time by Jill
The ABC meme...
A - Available/single? Married almost 2 years.
B - Best Friend? Jill She knows WAY too much about me :)
C- Cake or Pie? hmm cake- apple or pie pecan!
D - Drink Of Choice? coffee or peach shnapps and cranberry
E - Essential Item You Use Everyday? toothpaste
F - Favorite Color? ruby red
G - Gummy Bears Or Worms? bears
H - Hometown? Toronto, Ontario.
I - Indulgence? the occassional Second Cup latte
J - January Or February? January.
K - Kids & Their Names? 1 kid, Elie Reese
L - Life Is Incomplete Without? sunshine
M - Marriage Date? December 19 2004.
N - Number Of Siblings? 1 brother.
O - Oranges Or Apples? depends on my mood- usually apples
P - Phobias/Fears? fear of getting breast cancer. fear of larva
Q - Favorite Quote? No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Eleanor Roosevelt, R - Reason to Smile - looking at my little boy everyday!!
S - Season? fall
T - Tag Three or Four People? MommyMar, Danielle , Gavin
U - Unknown Fact About Me? i have cut my own hair on more than one occasion
V - Vegetable you don’t like? eggplant
W - Worst Habit? getting mad at stupid things and blaming my husband
X - X-rays You’ve Had? Teeth, uterus, wrist, skull
Y - Your Favorite Food? pad thai
Z - Zodiac Sign? Aries

a blast from the past

This idea was taken from Chrissy
The idea is to HIGHLIGHT the songs you liked from your last year of high school and to xxx off the ones you didn't like (in this case the list is the TOP 100 songs from 1992)
1. End Of The Road, Boyz II Men xxx
2. Baby Got Back, Sir Mix A-lot
3. Jump, Kris Kross
4. Save The Best For Last, Vanessa Williams
5. Baby-Baby-Baby, TLC
6. Tears In Heaven, Eric Clapton
7. My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It), En Vogue
8. Under The Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers
9. All 4 Love, Color Me Badd
10. Just Another Day, Jon Secada
11. I Love Your Smile, Shanice
12. To Be With You, Mr. Big
13. I'm Too Sexy, Right Said Fred xxx
14. Black Or White, Michael Jackson xxx
15. Achy Breaky Heart, Billy Ray Cyrus xxx
16. I'll Be There, Mariah Carey
17. November Rain, Guns N' Roses
18. Life Is A Highway, Tom Cochrane
19. Remember The Time, Michael Jackson
20. Finally, CeCe Peniston
21. This Used To Be My Playground, Madonna
22. Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough, Patty Smyth
23. Can't Let Go, Mariah Carey
24. Jump Around, House Of Pain
25. Diamonds and Pearls, Prince and The N.P.G.
26. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, George Michael and Elton John
27. Masterpiece, Atlantic Starr
28. If You Asked Me To, Celine Dion
29. Giving Him Something He Can Feel, En Vogue
30. Live and Learn, Joe Public
31. Come and Talk To Me, Jodeci
32. Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
33. Humpin' Around, Bobby Brown
34. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, Sophie B. Hawkins xxx
35. Tell Me What You Want Me To Do, Teven Campbell
36. Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg, TLC
37. It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday, Boyz II Men xxx
38. Move This, Technotronic
39. Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen
40. Tennessee, Arrested Development
41. The Best Things In Life Are Free, Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson
42. Make It Happen, Mariah Carey
43. The One, Elton John
44. Set Adrift On Memory Bliss, P.M. Dawn
45. Stay, Shakespear's Sister
46. 2 Legit 2 Quit, Hammer
47. Please Don't Go, K.W.S.
48. Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes), Mint Condition
49. Wishing On A Star, Cover Girls
50. She's Playing Hard To Get, Hi-Five
51. I'd Die Without You, P.M. Dawn
52. Good For Me, Amy Grant
53. All I Want, Toad The Wet Sprocket
54. When A Man Loves A Woman, Michael Bolton
55. I Can't Dance, Genesis
56. Hazard, Richard Marx
57. Mysterious Ways, U2
58. Too Funky, George Michael
59. How Do You Talk To An Angel, Heights
60. One, U2
61. Keep On Walkin', CeCe Peniston
62. Hold On My Heart, Genesis
63. The Way I Feel About You, Karyn White
64. Beauty and The Beast, Calms Dion and Peabo Bryson
65. Warm It Up, Kris Kross
66. In The Closet, Michael Jackson
67. People Everyday, Arrested Development
68. No Son Of Nine, Genesis
69. Wildside, Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch
70. Do I Have To Say The Words?, Bryan Adams
71. Friday I'm In Love, Cure
72. Everything About You, Ugly Kid Joe
73. Blowing Kisses In The Wind, Paula Abdul
74. Thought I'd Died and Gone To Heaven, Bryan Adams
75. Rhythm Is A Dancer, Snap
76. Addams Groove, Hammer
77. Missing You Now, Michael Bolton
78. Back To The Hotel, N2Deep
79. Everything Changes, Kathy Troccoli
80. Have You Ever Needed Somone So Bad, Def Leppard
81. Take This Heart, Richard Marx
82. When I Look Into Your Eyes, Firehouse
83. I Wanna Love You, Jade
84. Uhh Ahh, Boyz II Men xxx
85. Real Love, Mary J. Blige
86. Justified and Ancient, The KLF
87. Slow Motion, Color Me Badd
88. What About Your Friends, TLC
89. Thinkin' Back, Color Me Badd
90. Would I Lie To You?, Charles and Eddie
91. That's What Love Is For, Amy Grant
92. Keep Coming Back, Richard Marx
93. Free Your Mind, En Vogue
94. Keep It Comin', Keith Sweat
95. Just Take My Heart, Mr. Big
96. I Will Remember You, Amy Grant
97. We Got A Love Thang, CeCe Peniston
98. Let's Get Rocked, Def Leppard
99. They Want EFX, Das EFX
100. I Can't Make You Love Me, Bonnie Raitt

fashion meme

Fashion Meme
Thanks to Curiosity Killer

What's your hair colour: blonde.
Your skin tone (see chart): pallor caucasion
Your eye colour: blue
Your favorite fashion colour (to wear): I like red or white around my face, on the bottom i prefer black or brown

Tell us about your personal style: i would have to say classic. I like a good fitting pair of jeans with a taylored sweater or (I used to wear) button down shirts

What's your favorite designer/brand? This is a hard one- i don't buy designers but I do like the GAP...what can i say?!?!

What are your favorite pieces in your wardrobe? i have a really pretty brown skirt i bought at RW, i love that is has a small ruffle at the bottom and a gathering in the back- it reminds me of something Stacy London might wear

What do you usually buy? hmm...baby clothes these days...JEANS and t-shirts are my wardrobe staples! I can dress very casual when I am working so I don't need to waste money on nice clothes. Plus i love WINNERS and sales.

Where do you usually shop? The mall during end of season sales. I never buy anything full price, unless i have a coupon for money off (like the $10 coupons for OLD NAVY).
What city are you located? Toronto
Would you recommend people to travel to your city, and for what? I'm in Toronto and if you like to shop high end, we have got it here, we also have great international markets, like CHINA TOWN, Greek Town, Little Italy...so you can get anything here if you want to pay for it!!

Some silly things I think about...

lately i have been noticing that some things really bother me to the point that i need to rant a little...

1) why do shampoo companies make the conditioner bottles smaller than the shampoo...i ALWAYS run out of conditioner before shampoo and then when the bottle is smaller I need to open a new conditioner bottle thus starting the cycle over again...

2) DOVE soap is wonderful, it conditions the skin, leaves it soft BUT the bar melts all over the place...how does one stop the mess that occurs from this melting bar soap?!?!

3) the new flip top toothpaste tubes are great, they reduce the messy clumps of dried paste BUT the tops are made with such flimsy plastic that the top almost always breaks before the tube is done, thus defeating the whole benefit

4) Why are spray bottles designed so that the consumers cannot use the last bit of product?? Have you ever noticed that you cannot possibly spray every last ounce out of the bottle??? FRUSTRATING!!!

5) my last annoyance for today...the paper cups that many coffee retailers use to serve coffee get so hot you cannot hold them safely...I cannot count the number of times I've cursed TH because the cup is too hot to hold and I didn't ask for a double cup- they should either redesign their cups or automatically give you a "sleeve" to avoid burns!!

How I met your father

Nowadays it is no longer "taboo" to have met on the internet. It is actually kind of cool and very common place as it is becoming harder and harder to meet people in the "real world". I was thinking about all the trial and tribulations I had while searching for my beshert and I couldn't help laughing at all the doosies i had, and of course all the "nice guys" i had met before meeting my sweety pie. When my son is old enough to ask and wonder about how his parents met I will not be embarassed in the least to tell him the truth about how we met.
I know several people who concocted stories about how they met their sig-o's because they were ashamed or embarrased to admit they used internet dating services...boy have times changed!!
Just my thoughts on this subject...silly but mine!!

i think got it

Okay i have been figuring this out and I think i got it....i didn't realize that anything i had added before would be deleted...so i've been slowly re-inputting all the links and such- will get it eventually!

what the heck!?!?

okay i'm completely frustrated!! I am trying to figure out how to get my blog back to normal form and it is a complete mess now...the title is in the wrong spot, the links i created are all down at the bottom of my page and I don't know how to fix it...anyone HELP!!!!

weddings...ahhh

Sunday evening Gavin and I ventured out without the little guy. We went to a beautiful wedding at Casa Loma. It was the first time I'd been to an event at the castle and I have to say the room where the ceremony took place was absolutely stunning. The dining room (which really is the library) was a little crowded and there was no "head table" the way we are used to seeing one, just a small table for the bride and groom and two round tables on either side for the brides' family and one for the grooms' family.
Regardless it was awsome and we had a great time.
Here are some photos of the evening:

The brides' BIL Ben and nephew Sam

The groom-in tails!!











Lisa and Eliot

all about me

Stolen from Jill
First name? Dina
Were you named after anyone? Yes, my paternal grandmother Dora.
When did you last cry?earlier today-but only because i was chopping onions to make chili...oh and on Thursday as I had a terrible headache i couldnt get rid of
Do you like your handwriting? I like my printing but not the writing.
What is your favorite lunchmeat? i love pastrami but don't eat it much (very bad for you)
If you were another person, would you be friends with you? that's a hard one, since i know my bad qualities...but probably yes,
Do you have a journal? this blog is supposed to do the job of journal- i stopped keeping a journal after my mother found and read my last one
Do you still have your tonsils? i do
Would you bungee jump? I DON'T THINK SO!!
What is your favorite cereal? raison bran
Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? sometimes
Do you think you’re strong? when i have to be
What is your favorite ice cream flavor? coffee, with chocolate flakes
Shoe size? 7.5
Red or pink? red- i would have had red as my bridesmaids color but getting married in December i didnt want it to look like christmas theme
What is your least favorite thing about yourself? i tend to compare myself to others
Who do you miss the most? my brother, he and his wife recently moved to Vancouver and talking on the phone is not the same plus he is missing my son grow up
What color pants, shirt and shoes are you wearing? black yoga pants, blue t-shirt, black socks but no shoes
Do you want everyone to send this back to you? if they want to
Last thing you ate? caramel rice cake
What are you listening to right now? my husband sing rhyms to our son
If you were a crayon, what color would you be? red
Favorite smell? chocolate chip cookies baking
Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? my MIL
The first thing you notice about people you are attracted to? their teeth- i can't stand bad teeth, and i love a great smile
Do you like the person you stole this from? Well, of course I do. Would I read her blog if I didn't? (I even copied her answer here!)- ditto!!
Favorite drink? cranberry juice with vodka
Favorite sport? to play- none, to watch- i 've been enjoying soccer these days
Eye color? blue
Hat size? no idea
Do you wear contacts? nope, i can't be bothered, i do have glasses but i'm only suposed to wear them to drive
Favorite food? Korean tofu stew
Scary movies or happy endings? happy
Summer or winter? summer
Hugs or kisses? Hugs.
Favorite dessert? do i have to pick one??? I would have to say ice cream
Who is most likely to respond? Christine
Least likely to respond? Jill- she already answered all this
What books are you reading? Anyone out there by Marian Keyes
What’s on your mouse pad? don't have one
What did you watch last night on TV? Wife Swap
Favorite sounds? Elie laughing
Rolling Stones or Beatles? Stones
The furthest you’ve been from home? asia and Israel(which is technically Asia too)
What is your special talent? i can cook anything I want
Where were you born? Toronto.
Who sent this to you? nobody, i stole it from Jill's blog .