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Washed Ashore Exhibit at the Toronto Zoo

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marlin

During a recent trip to the wonderful Toronto Zoo this past Month, one of the first things you see when walking into the gates is a larger than life-sized Marlin.  

Looking closer you could see it was made of recycled materials, reading the plaque by this huge fish was my first time learning about this travelling project called “Washed Ashore”, “Art to Save the Sea”. Here is the link about this project found on the Toronto Zoo, http://www.torontozoo.com/washedashore/.

octupus

Walking around the Zoo in the warm sunny skies, I had an opportunity to explore all 10 of these amazing larger than life sculptures. 

Of course like many visitors, I too had snapped photos of the gang standing beside these friendly characters.

A travel friend commented on one of my social media posts.  She mentioned how much she had loved this artist.  She first saw these creatures at an exhibit in Palm Beach Florida several years ago. 

This lead me to do some more research and learn more about the artist and realized how lucky we and the visitors to the Zoo are to know this is the Canadian Debut of this thought-provoking exhibit.

penguin

The lead artist and founder of this organization is Angela Haseltine Pozzi.  Each sculpture is designed and created by a team of people who love the Ocean and the mission of this amazing project. Pozzi said the first step is to let people know there is a problem with plastics and garbage in our Oceans.  

“The friendly characters are giving a voice to what needs to be done, better than what a statistical chart can do”, shares one of the artists on a YouTube video.

Here is the CEO of the Toronto Zoo sharing about the Canadian Debut of the project on the Zoo’s FB page, https://www.facebook.com/TheTorontoZoo/videos/716042262151443/

An interesting article on how a dog advisor learns from zoo’s on behaviours can be found here, https://yourdogadvisor.com/zoo-mental-exercise/.  

Help get the conversations started about our environment, share these great images which are taken from the Washed Ashore Website or better yet go see them yourself, they are only on display until November 17th, 2019.

 

Talk soon ~

 

 

Nancy

 

This Girl would have been 101 Today!

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grandma

There are some benefits of social media, such as the memories feature on your Facebook.  While sipping my first coffee of the day I checked out my social media.  I am not so sure this is the best use of my time, or if it is the most beneficial way to start the day.  

I hear yoga is a great way to start the day with a little meditation.  It sounds good, but I am privy to my FB and checking out what’s going on in the world of my friends updates, and news updates.  I admit I am forgetful and don’t always know when someone’s Birthday is.  I like FB for that type of reminder.  

This morning this picture showed up of my Grandmother.  It was taken on May 16th, 2014, she had turned 96 that year.  She so wanted to join the 100-year-old club.  Sadly she didn’t make it.  However she did live 96 long years of life and today would have marked her 101 year Birthday!

Grandma I thought of you today and I remember when I snapped this picture of you above.  The silly Birthday hat, and colourful balloon and few little things to make you feel special.    Here are 50 thoughts I have today on your 101 Birthday.

  1. Happy Birthday Grandma
  2. Life is awesome
  3. We Miss You
  4. Love you
  5. Meaghan and Noah are getting so big
  6. The weather is finally getting better
  7. The birds are coming now
  8. I bet your squirrel will be coming soon to see you
  9. Do you want to play scrabble
  10. Did I say we miss you
  11. Your house you lived in for all those years has a young happy family in it now
  12. Miss those Christmas’s at your house
  13. Remember when we went swimming in the summer
  14. I loved your raspberries
  15. You were a great gardener
  16. I love your toastites
  17. Sandy was the best Dog ever
  18. I ll bet you miss going to Midland
  19. How did you have 5 kids, 5 years apart
  20. What was your greatest fear
  21. You never really liked a lot of affection, not kissy feely
  22. You always listened to every word when people spoke
  23. You were the best scrabble player 
  24. You love big
  25. You were so kind
  26. Big hearted person
  27. I remember your funky Nissan van
  28. Thanks for all the great memories with David and I
  29. You took my other Grandma places, she loved it
  30. Thanks for the “special Nancy, David, days”
  31. You would not believe your house now
  32. The Airport sold
  33. You loved a big lunch, it was your meal of the day
  34. How did you have so many kids
  35. You were the same age as me, when you had your last 2 kids
  36. I know I was your favourite oldest Granddaughter
  37. I am writing in the Guelph Today
  38. I bought a house finally
  39. We are so happy now, Meg, Noah and Me.
  40. Matt always talks so fondly of you.
  41. Mom and Dad are good
  42. I wish I could take you out a Rocky’s hotdog
  43. Len was your greatest love
  44. We loved you fiercely
  45. You kept the family together
  46. It is not the same without you
  47. How come you didn’t have more comfortable things
  48. Did you have a party when you went to Heaven
  49. I loved reading to you
  50. Simple Abundance

Macaroons & Paris

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BONJOUR! 

“You stumble, and you soar.  And, if you’re lucky, you make it to Paris for a while.” ~ Amy Howard

Have you ever wanted to visit Paris?  I have heard many times from my daughter all about the fine pastries, the hotels, landmarks and ohhhh the food.  My 11-year-old daughter announced months ago, “Mom, I am doing my speech on Paris this year!”  I thought well good for you, but why Paris?  She really didn’t have an answer.   Perhaps I  have mentioned once or twice,  I would like to take her there one day!

This girl really has done a great job writing, preparing & presenting her speech.  I may be a proud Momma, but I think her teacher agreed too, as she was one of the top 2 students in her class.  She practiced for weeks, talking into the wall and flipping her cue cards, and learning to pronounce the Louvre, Pierre Cardin & the The Arch de Triomphe.    Yesterday she was one of 10 to speak in front of her school.  She could be in the running to be one of the top students in Ontario and win $1000.00.  Proud Mom, thought MMMM…. this could be your ticket to Paris kid!

When I spoke with Meaghan about how her day went, she said “My legs were shaking, I am sure everyone saw them, and I think I talked really fast.”  Oh how I wished I could have been there to hold her hand, and to cheer her on.  She had asked me the night before, “What do I do when my friend makes a funny face at me and sticks her tongue out and waves her hands in the air”.  Dare I tell her my true thoughts, I came up with “just pretend everyone is in their underwear!”.  She said of , “OH MOM, don’t be so silly!”

My girlfriend and I have been talking for years about taking her granddaughter and my daughter to visit Paris on their 10th Birthdays.  Their 10th Birthday’s have come and gone, and this year they will both be 12.  I hope we can take them before they turn into teenagers.  Time has a funny way of passing quickly and before you know it, within a  blink of your eye the kids grow up and are out of the house, (so I am told).  

Meaghan said to me, “What you never ate Macaroons when you were in Paris?”  Sadly I didn’t, however I found a great place I would love to go to and partake in tea and maybe a few macaroons.   One of Meg’s line in her speech, “You don’t want to forget about those baguettes, when they come out of the oven, they are hot and taste just like……”

Perhaps this speech on Paris has a purpose to refuel the travel bug in me, and make concrete plans to get to Paris?  I have fortunate to have been twice in my lifetime and know that it is an amazing City.  I know Meaghan & I will get there one day, do you want to come with us?

Auviour ~

 

Nancy

Welcome to LABEL ME MOMMY!

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thCAB1L0KK 

Welcome to the New Home of “Label Me Mommy” BLOG.    I came up with the name for my new idea, on yet another late night.  This time I was hanging out with my 3 year old son Noah – who apparently had too much coffee!  I thanked him the next day for keeping me up so late, as my creative juices were flowing.  Most people would be sleeping at 3:00 am, not us we watched a little tree house. Toopie & Binoo, and Bob the Builder were having a marathon kind of night it seemed.

I had been struggling with naming my new Blog.  My marketing friend suggested something edgy.  I came up with a few names, not edgy but something else.  I will call them “over-the-edge”.  That is how I was feeling the night I came up with “label me mommy”.  My son who is about 3 feet tall likes to roam into our room late at night once or twice a night just to see if I am sleeping.  He says “Mumma”!  I wonder why he never seems to go to Dad side of the bed.  How is that Dad never seems to hear him come in.  He always seems astonished when I tell him “Yes I was up with Noah again last night”.  Oh my little man, I don’t think he let me sleep a wink that first year we were together, so this is really easy peazy.  Except for the occasional nights were he seems to think we should be “night-owls”.

What does a good Mumma do, gets up with the kiddo offer a drink and a pee and back to bed.  A little lie down, Mumma, and then he usually just nods off.  Not this night he was up probably 4 or 5 times, so I decided “OK Mister, that’s it – we are staying up until you are really ready to go to bed!”  I was using that “tough love” stuff on him.  Flipping thru the late night TV. , Tree-house looked better than the late night shopping channel or the 1-800-call-me ladies ready to chat with you now.

A few more hundred, (or so it seemed), jingles went thru my head again.  Ok I do labels…. so I thought maybe I should have a label in the title?  I am a Mom, Mommy, Mumma, …. it goes on & on.  “Label Me Mommy” was born.  I emailed my “marketing (neighbour) – aka “our code name for each other”, and she liked it, ok she loved it!  This just goes to show me that you just might find what you are looking for when you least expect it, or at least this is my experience.  Sometimes I find when I try too hard and hold the reigns really tight it doesn’t always flow.  Maybe I should try that more often?

I hope you will drop in from time to time and like to join us on our adventures along the highway of “Mommyhood”.

Ok nuff said, I am going to bed now, and hoping the little man will not wake up his “Mumma tonight!”  Sweet Dreams!

Talk Soon~

Nancy