NORMA WALTON TALKS, FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO SPREAD JOY

I always try to be positive.  Even when things are difficult, I try to stay uplifting and upbeat.  My husband will confirm that I don’t always succeed.

The last school day of the year has passed!  As we roll into the holidays, I thought it might be fun to think about five things we can do to spread a bit of Christmas joy over the next week or two.

Smile

“The nicest curve on a woman’s body is her smile.”  I always liked that saying.

If you greet people and are friendly, they may greet you back.  If you smile at strangers, some of them will actually return the smile.  It is a simple suggestion but think about how much more you like someone initially if they smile at you as opposed to staying neutral or ignoring you.

Sing

A woman I met was telling me how she beats the blues.  She cranks the music and sings at the top of her lungs.  She believes that the physical sensation of the music along with your singing to the music alters moods.  She is likely right.

The holidays are a wonderful time to put on some traditional music and sing with your children or your friends.  A friend of mine sings in a 100 person choir up in Huntsville and he swears by it.  It uplifts him every time he goes to practice.

The movie Sing is one of my favourite children’s movies.  Again, singing provides positive energy.  So crank up the radio in the car and sing to your heart’s content.  Just smile at anyone looking askance.

Bake

My girls love to bake.  Most weekends we make brownies and cakes.  It is great fun to make together.  Then the girls and the boys lick the bowls.  While they cook they infuse the house with wonderful smells.  Finally, eating the cake and debating whether to ice it or just dig in begins.

Baking is fun from start to finish, and it will definitely get you into the holiday moods having and sharing some sweets.  My coworker baked shortbread cookies yesterday and I enjoyed two of them.  Those two cookies took me back to my mom’s homemade shortbread cookies from years past.  So nice!

Decorate

Putting brightly coloured throws and pillows around will make you feel festive.  Dressing in red and green will get you into the holiday spirit.  Lights on the tree and lights outside uplift our spirits.

We have a row of sock snowmen stuffed with rice that the children have made with name tags in front for each of our family members.  We have a tree with ornaments from the past and some new ones.  

We have stockings hung.  We have lights on the tree and outside on the bush.  We have a wreath outside.  All of these little touches buoy my spirits whenever I see them.

Any small decoration will lighten your mood.

Give

Give of your time and money.

I preach kindness in our household.  My children sometimes call it lecturing.  We don’t always achieve it, but it is a wonderful objective.  Kindness lays the ground rules for all family dealings.

Paying it forward is a wonderful concept.  Buy someone’s coffee in the Tim Hortons’ line behind you.  Give of your time to go see an elderly relative who is lonely.  Do something small that makes you feel good about yourself and about life in general.

The above are my five very simple suggestions for spreading a little holiday cheer over the next two weeks.

NORMA WALTON, SIX REASONS TO BE JOYFUL THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

December is a stressful month.  Many things are coming to an end; everyone is rushing around; we are trying to prepare for the holidays; a lot of cooking is required; it becomes dark early; and time seems in short supply.

I find it helpful during times of stress to focus on the reasons to be joyful.  Here are my six reasons to be joyful this holiday season:

Reason # 1:  We live in Canada

Living in Canada means our quality of life is likely better than 85% of people living elsewhere in the world.

When you consider how lucky we are to have been born Canadian or to live in this country, you can’t help but feel grateful.  Health care is free; everyone is welcome; hockey is everywhere; and people are generally prosperous enough to not want for food or shelter.

Canadians also have a robustly self-deprecating sense of humour.  In my humble opinion, having the ability to laugh at yourself is critical to overall happiness in life.

Reason # 2:  Loved ones all around

Spending time with people we love and who love us back is a gift.  Our ability to enjoy our loved ones generally happens during the holidays.

Holidays are a time for family and friends.  Many wonderful memories are made spending time with parents, grandparents, nieces and nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, sisters and brothers.  It is a time to savour because it doesn’t happen every day.

In addition, friends are usually available for breakfast or lunch, shopping or visiting.  Seeing good friends is always a reason to feel joyful.  I am looking forward to seeing one of my best girlfriends for breakfast just before Christmas.

Reason # 3:  A time for relaxation

There will be some down time after Christmas…definitely not before, but after.

You may be able to watch a movie or favourite TV show without interruption.  You may be able to sleep in or stay in your pajamas all day.  You may be able to read a book cover to cover.  You may be able to phone friends far away and talk for an hour or two.  Even minor hockey is taking a break from December 24^th to January 2^nd.

My eldest daughter loves to play cards.  She will buttonhole anyone who is around for a game or five. I find that playing games with my children is a great way to relax and enjoy down time over the holidays.

The beauty of down time is that there is nowhere you must go and no one you must see.  I intend to savour that experience in all its rarity.

Reason # 4:  Good food

The smells and sounds of Christmas are imprinted on our brains.  Many of the smells center around food.  My girlfriend bakes cookies for Christmas.  My mom makes turkey.  I make oatmeal pancakes with maple syrup.  My nephew makes cake.  My sister in law brings dip carved into dark rye bread.  My mother in law makes a sparkly juice drink.

Savouring the traditional food that will be on offer is one of the joys of the holidays.  Indulging in those pleasures is special because those foods only come around once a year.  Taking the time to really taste and enjoy those foods and to take in the aromas and smells is important.  Often a scent can take you immediately to a different place in your life.  So capture the magic of Christmas so you can conjure it up during the year when you most need it.

My children have advent calendars.  My littlest is still working on hers, once a day, steadily whereas my eldest had all of his eaten in the first two days then proceeded to finish his brother’s.  All four of them love the calendars whether they eat them each day or all at once.  The chocolate from the calendar is a food and tradition of Christmas that is imprinted in their minds.

Reason # 5:  Happiness and Good Cheer

Everyone seems a little happier over the holidays.  There is holiday cheer in the air.  People are generally off work.  The window displays in the stores are beautiful.  The stars seem to shine a little brighter in the night sky.  Children are wondering when Santa and his elves are coming.  There is anticipation and hope.

We often feel more generous over the holidays.  We have bigger hearts.  We are a little more relaxed after Christmas.  We can really drink in the happy vibrant moods in the air.

I love all the Christmas lights on display in the neighbourhood.  My littlest will point out every display with both wonder and admiration for the artistry at play.

Reason # 6:  Alive and well

Every day you wake up is a good day.  At its most fundamental, that is life.  If you are alive and well, you are lucky.

Being grateful for every moment, every relationship, every day, every new challenge and every new learning experience is important in creating happiness all year round.  Really focus on the things in your life you are thankful for over Christmas.  That is bound to make you feel joyful.

These are six reasons that I will be joyful this holiday season.  There are many more I have missed.  Each of us has different reasons to be joyful this holiday season.  Here’s hoping you can find six of your own.

Lovely Long Weekends

LONG WEEKEND TO DO LIST

1.  Sleep in...at least a bit

2.  Let the kids be crafty...and ignore the mess...for a while

3.  Walk every evening

4.  Play softball in the park

5.  Play manhunt on the climbers

6.  Do yoga in the park and ignore husband's mocking amusement

7.  Read a book

8.  Breathe...and savour every moment

Norma Walton, Hockey is Life

My four children play hockey.

Considering their experience with the game, I realize how much it has given them thus far in their life.  Because of hockey:

1. They are incredibly fit;
2. They are tough;
3. They have more friends and more acquaintances;
4. They know the more they practice, the better they get;
5. They have a healthy ego given their achievements;
6. They are skilled at time management because they only have so much time to do their homework;
7. Their coaches are mentors and friends; and
8. They have developed a better sense of humour given all the repartee connected to the game.

Thus far Canada's game has been very good to both my children and our family.  I hope the love affair continues.

Norma Walton, Very Quiet House

Today is the first day that our two boys, both 11 1/2 years old, are away from home.

They have never had a sleepover away from home before.  They have never spent the night without one of us with them.  They are still babies in so many ways in my mind.

The house is eerily quiet, even with their two rambunctious younger sisters still there.

The boys are a force to behold.  They are approaching their teenage years at 140 pounds each with size 10 basketball shoes, very questionable taste in music, a love of everything electronic, and the desire to do everything and anything that is athletic in nature.  If there were a darts team at school, they would be vying for it.

I suspect that they will have a blast with their classmates in Muskoka for the next three nights.  I will miss them; my husband will miss them; and even their sisters will likely miss them...eventually.  The beginning of a new era...

Norma Walton, True Canadians

My brother went south for Christmas.  My parents are heading south.  One of my best girlfriends is hanging out in Cuba as we speak.

I, on the other hand, am embracing winter in all its slush, rain, snow, ice, dampness, snow halos, and frigid cold...because I AM CANADIAN (without the need for a beer).

After Christmas, our family headed north - not south - to fully embrace for three beautiful days the negative 35 temperatures in Haliburton, Ontario.  We enjoyed a round of cross country skiing, two rounds of tobogganing, two rounds of outdoor skating and at least four snowball fights which we book ended every single day with relief from the cold in the heated pool and sauna.

IT WAS GLORIOUS.

Norma Walton, Timbits

Hockey...coffee and donuts...Kraft Dinner...bagged milk...maple syrup...Swiss Chalet...all Canadian items, eh.

Our four year old daughter is enrolled in the North York Knights Learn to Play program.  Being a certain type of Canadian, she could skate by the time she was three - forwards, some backwards, and some stopping - so she was ready to enroll in hockey.

Every Saturday morning - no matter the weather; no matter her feelings on the subject; no matter whether we have colds; no matter that we might prefer to sleep in - we take her to the rink for an hour with a bunch of other four and five year olds so she can learn our national game.  She puts on full hockey gear.  She sits for a team photo.  She listens to the numerous paid and volunteer coaches on the ice dedicated to teaching the game to beginners. 

This happens throughout the country, in every community, in every town, no matter how large or small.  We exhort and cheer and encourage.  Sometimes we even yell.  My little one feels special because she has her own water bottle and sometimes we fill it with Gatorade just like her siblings.

Being the absolute best at something requires passion, commitment, discipline, and a decent amount of insanity.  When it comes to hockey, we Canadians have all that and more.  Go to any minor hockey rink in town and it will be full of people...the players, the coaches, the parents, the grandparents, the siblings, the managers, the owners, the Zamboni drivers, the snack bar operators, the maintenance folks, the one ice trainers, the off ice trainers, a smattering of retired NHL players.  All of them are at the rink in support of our national game.

My youngest child has joined the obsession.  She will tell anyone who listens that she is a North York Knight.  She loves to cheer "GO KNIGHTS GO" while banging her stick on the ice.  Next in her hockey progression is finding her a team for next year...when she is the ripe old age of five.

Norma Walton, The Teen Years Have Begun

I have been playing around with a website called Reddit to see what it's about. Have you heard of it?

Well, I decided this week to try the "r/CasualConversation" function and did a post about 2 of my 4 children being teenagers. Click here if you'd like to check it out.

In my post, I also mentioned a book I'm reading called "Yes, Your Teen's Crazy! Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind" by Michael J. Bradley. Have you heard of it? Have you read it? If so what were your thoughts on it?

Norma Walton, Baking for Breakfast

Baking for breakfast...

My youngest son decided this weekend that he was making cake...at 7:45 am...before having any breakfast.  My oldest daughter immediately joined in the fun and decided she was going to make something as well...something different from him.  Soon all four kids were baking in the morning. By 9 am we had brownies and lemon cake in the oven and butter cream frosting awaiting their completion.

The kitchen is a fabulous creative space for interested kids.  It was a pleasure to watch them do everything themselves and then enjoy the result for a few days thereafter.

They did eat their breakfast before digging into the sweets, but digging into the sweets was definitely an incentive for eating their breakfast.

Now if only I could get them to clean their rooms with the same enthusiasm...

Norma Walton, Rare One on One Time

Spending time one on one with any of my children is a rare pleasure.  Usually all five of us are doing something together and it is loud, chaotic and eventful.

But on Sunday night, Conor and I were out doing some work together and I had a marvelous time just soaking in his personality.  He is a great storyteller and has a sharp sense of humour.  I thoroughly enjoyed his company.

We were in Bradford and we came upon a gaggle of geese - about 200 of them - nesting in a pond. When we stopped to take photos, a few of them flew up in the sky but most of them just hung out in the pond.  Their migration pattern is no doubt confused given the winter thaws followed by winter freezes we've been experiencing.  The environment was harsh but they seemed content.

It was very interesting to see them all there together, and to experience it with my youngest son.

Norma Walton, Cross Country Kudos

With delusions of cardiac health in my head, I ran the cross country course with my four children, the baby being in the stroller that I was pushing.  How hard can a 1500 metre run be?  That is only a mile...

Huffing and puffing at the end having watched all three of my older children beat me handily to the finish line, I remembered why I prefer walking to running.  Despite my struggles, the practice helped my 8 year old daughter come within the top 20 runners in the first round of the inter school cross country meet.  She progressed to the next round where she finished in the top 80.  I was very proud of her.

She had an enjoyable day despite the damp weather because a few of her classmates and friends joined her in this endeavour.  All of them had fun and felt good after the race was over.

I shout out to the teachers and parents who facilitate school athletics.  My children and I really really appreciate it!  You are doing great work.  Keep it up.

Norma Walton, Thank You for School Hockey

My children find that school athletics are such a positive place for them to spend time.

For the first time ever, Rippleton Public School and Denlow Public School joined forces to field a hockey team to compete against four other schools.  The parents settled on "Go DR" as the school cheer, and the colours of the uniforms were an amalgam of the various school colours.

The first game was a fast paced event that ended in a tie followed by overtime followed by a shootout.  After the fifth shooter scored, our boys lost by a goal.  The second game they lost 3-1 with the last goal against being an empty netter.  The last two they won handily.

Most interesting was that none of the boys seemed to care whether they had won or lost about five minutes after each of the games.  The focus became who was driving back to school with whom and what sport they were playing together at recess.

Kudos to any parent or teacher who agrees to coach a school team.  I know I speak for countless parents when I express my sincere appreciation for providing the kids with the opportunity in such a positive environment.  Thanks!

Norma Walton, School Teams Build Character

I LOVE school teams.  I love the values they promote.

My boys are playing on the school basketball team and the school hockey team.  It is amazing to me how much fun they have playing with their school chums.  It builds character to have to play with varying abilities and personalities with a common goal in mind.  Winning at all costs is not the objective.  Having fun with your team mates and cutting class without getting in trouble is.

My boys have thoroughly enjoyed the experience to date.

There is no I in team...

Norma Walton, Love Tones

My four children have many talents.  Playing guitar and singing may not be among them.

Every proud parent thinks their child is brilliant in some capacity.  Some parents think everything about their child is perfect.  Those parents often have social challenges.

As a mom, you tend to only hear the good in a child.  As a proud mom, of course I find most of my children's antics funny or cute or entertaining.  In this music video, my three year old insisted on being the lead singer.  When your three year old is the loudest, this is how your music video will sound.

Of course I find it both funny and adorable.

Norma Walton, Kid Perfect

My children love DudePerfect.  They laugh and laugh and laugh at the crazy antics.

In homage to that, they started their own website called KidPerfect where they upload their own videos doing tricks for their own amusement and the entertainment of their friends and family.  It is a lot of fun to see them bouncing, stick handling, trying trick shots and generally having a blast.

They already have received two video submissions from their friend Eric which have been posted. They welcome more.

It is wonderful when kids are having fun while being active.  The children would love you to follow them on twitter @kidperfect6813 and their vimeo channel kidperfect6813.  I always get a good laugh when they attempt a new trick.

Norma Walton, Christmas is Coming...Christmas is Coming!

My children still believe in Santa Claus.  That being said, they have decided that the Santa Claus at the mall is not the real one.  They were content to sit down and have a photo taken with the fake Santa nevertheless.  Baby Penny joined them.

I love the season and my children are excited for some down time from school, anticipating receiving some presents, hoping for snow so they can sled, and planning to play a lot of shinny hockey.  We have booked into a hotel with a water slide for one night so they can also swim for a couple of days.

My list to Santa is short.  I would like some down time over Christmas.  Short list, tall order.

17 days and counting...

Norma Walton, Snow Beautifies Toronto

This was the view out my back window earlier this week.

My four children immediately ran for boots, snow pants, gloves, hats, scarves and shovels and did an excellent job of clearing the cars and the driveway while playing in it.  Hopefully their enthusiasm will last through February.

Although my enthusiasm for winter is already waning before it has even officially begun, I have to admit that the snow cover is absolutely spectacularly beautiful and very good for the soul.

Norma Walton, SkyZone a great investment!

On Tuesday night, we bounced.

Some Skyzone vouchers came in handy. My youngest son showed me how he bounces from trampoline to trampoline then onto the wall trampoline then down again, without ever landing on the same trampoline twice. He asked me to try. Of course I could not do it, and watching me not be able to do it caused him no end of mirth. After almost an hour of practice, I finally nailed twelve trampolines in a row just as we were leaving but could not for the life of me incorporate the wall trampoline without hurting myself.

The fact that Jaromir Jagr is almost 45 years old and still playing in the NHL staggers me because I have been feeling the effects of bouncing ever since Tuesday.