playdate

packin on the pounds

 ack- where did February go?

Well let me tell you how I spent it.

Eating a whole lotta crap.

Very unlike me I know, but for some reason I was in primitive-must-pack-on-the-extra-winter-weight-in-order-to-survive-mode.

Not sure why, when like most people in the northern hemisphere I spend my winters in my warm and cozy house with indoor heating.

And last time I checked, I haven't had the need to "survive" the winter other than maybe the ridiculous amount of colds and viruses that we can't seem to shake since school started back in September.

soooo I'm not sure what my real excuse is for eating the way I have other than well, why not?

sometimes it's just fun to drink beer and eat chicken wings.

Especially when you can just hide that extra roll under a bulky woolen sweater.

So that's exactly what I felt like when on date night a few weeks ago when I found my self with a major craving for some artery hardening pub grub.

We ended up at Brazen Head pub in Liberty Village.

The Play: Opening Week

OK, so I know how you all are just DYING to find out how opening week for my play went.  I'm sure it's hard to think of anything else.  Seriously though, how do you stand going about your daily life without knowing?  It must be hard.  I really feel for you.  So...kind person that I am, I decided to fill you in on all the details.  You are so very, very lucky!

We started off the week with rehearsals every day - Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.  By the time our last dress rehearsal rolled around, we were exhausted.  And dying for a real audience. 

Valentine’s Day – Up In Smoke

On mine and Chris’ first Valentine’s Day together, I wanted to show my hot new boyfriend just how good he had it, and went balls to the walls for the inaugural Karen & Chris celebrate V-Day. Lingerie, nice wine, candles… I prepared the scene, reclined on the couch and waited for my man to come home for his surprise. And I waited. And I waited. And I gave up on the sexy pose, pulled the overpriced lingerie out of my butt-crack, pulled a blanket over me because I was freezing (why is Valentine’s Day in February?) drank a glass of wine and waited some more.

Community Helpers: An Overview

One of the big curriculum elements in kindergarten is the theme of community workers. The idea is to introduce children to the neighbourhood and the city and the many people who help make it work. Who are they? Where do they work? What do they do to help us? It's a great idea, teaching them about these important cornerstones of the community, these everyday heroes, as it were. Not only so that they can appreciate them and their contributions, but also so that they gain a greater understanding of the world around them.

Papa's Got a Brand New Brain

(As Mama Drama is getting ready for her big return to the stage Papa Drama steps in this week...)

As last Friday was Mama Drama's only night not rehearsing for her show PROOF (Go see PROOF!!), instead of having some quality family time, I thought my time would be best spent getting a new brain.  A New Brain is a contemporary musical with score and lyrics written by William Finn (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Elegies: A Song Cycle, Falsettoland) and book by Finn and James Lapine currently being produced by Acting Up Stage in Toronto.

How Does A Redneck Shower?

Curious? Come on over and find out how...

Welcome to the Dollhouse

Well, it's two days until Valentine's Day and I have to say...I don't really give a hoot.  Do people really still go all out for V-Day?  Chocolate aside, I'm not a fan of February 14th.  Maybe it's the fact that I'm old and married.  Maybe it's because I'm poor.  Or maybe I'm just bitter.  Who knows?  All I know is that it's going to be just another Saturday night around my house.  No matter.  The true, shining light in my week is not going to be Saturday the 14th, it's going to be Friday the 13th.  Why?  Well, it can be summed up in one word:  Dollhouse.

Germ Bustin', Slow Cookin' Goodness

There has been a plague upon us.

1 three-year old + 1 one-year old x 3 playdates/weekÖ 4 months of winter

= snot.

Lots of it. Back and forth, from one child to another, from November until May.

Add in a bout or two of the pukes, and that right there is a recipe for a good time.

The Beast Within

A child's anger is unlike an adults. It's less of a quick snap or slow burn, and more of a wild rage. Anger can bring a child to a place where they can't hear or reason, can't stop themselves, can scarcely even catch a breath to howl anew. It's hard for adults to really understand the force of those emotions, but some authors get it and have portrayed it admirably in their work.

I'll bet your child can relate - which also makes these books a great way to talk to them about this powerful emotion at a calmer time. Your child might feel more understood, and you might even just be able to work out some strategies for communicating when your child feels this way and for how you can help him or her return to earth. And who doesn't want that?

Curveball

One of the things that l like best about being an actor is all the...well, for lack of a better term...all the drama.  Anytime you're in a play you can pretty much guarantee there is going to be some kind of hullabaloo at some point.  Or, maybe it's just the plays that I'm in.  Who knows?  But despite how emotional it can be in the moment, I love it - mainly because my real life is not nearly so interesting.  The play that I'm in now is no exception.  Here's what went down...