Kman turns 4!

All hail Kael
Who is turning 4
All hail Kael
For giving it his all - and then giving more!

He's got a heart of gold
And loves knock-knock jokes
This kid is from a different mold
whose motto is 'go for broke'

He's still as mad as ever about trains
I guess it wasn't a passing fad.
"Slippin' Into Darkness" is the favourite refrain
Of this vibrant young lad.


He could be the next dj superstar
Or maybe a local footy legend
No matter - to me he's a star
That shines bright and never descends.






Every morning, he emerges from bed
Blue blankie & stuffed animals in tow.
His favourite colour is red
And he thinks everyone else is slow.

Always looking out for others,
Kael's the sweetest boy in town.
Coco's lucky to have such a good big brother
(except when he knocks you down)

He epitomizes exuberance with a capital E
What the French call 'joie de vivre'.
Looking for the door to enthusiasm?
Find the Kman cuz he's got the key!

Coco turns 2!!!


Coco turns 2!
"No way, Jose"
Chloe, you're already 2? - "Yes daddy, okaaaay?"
I know Coco, but it's hard to believe it's true.

The beautiful girl with the eyelashes long
and the machine gun of a giggle.
Who sings all kinds of songs
- especially the ones by the Wiggles.





She loves to get filthy when she plays
Hence the nickname "pig pen"
That part of her hasn't changed since her baby days;
Will it still be the same when she's ten?


Chloe can be very mischievous
Or as sweet as a chocolate chunk cookie
One minute she'll send flying her dishes
And the next be cuddling with blankie.




She can build a "tower of power"
In 2 minutes flat.
She loves to smell the flowers
And learn about animals with the Cat in the Hat.

She's a real superstar
Who talks and already knows her ABCs
She sings along to Twinkle Little Star
And counts to dix with ease.

That which she's not a fan:
Wasps, blankie "taking a bath" and spicy things.
I wonder what the third year will bring
For the girl with hair the colour of sand.




Happy Birthday my sweet Coco
May this year be another great one.
Mommy, Daddy, Kael and Flea love you GROS GROS
Kiddo, just keep having fun!

A little suffering is good for you

"Guys, relax. Be patient." - The Ref

Last Friday night, we played our final game of the winter season on a shitty turf field in North Van. The field was surrounded by forest, and the sounds of the river could be heard while staring at the Coastal Mountains from the halfway line. A timid, sideways drizzle showered down harmlessly.

Hardly the tense setting for the drama that was about to unfold.

We have to win
Sitting in first place, we need a win against TAK to likely secure a promotion to Division 2 next year. TAK are bottom of the heap in the other division, so we're pretty confident that it should be a cakewalk.

But things don't start off well. The turf field is too big and waaaay too bouncy. Controlling the ball is difficult and the ball never stays on the ground long enough to string a few passes together. These conditions almost inevitably result in a poor game lacking in flow. Tonight is no exception.

But these guys are last place!
With the season on the line, things get tenser and tenser as the game progresses. The other team is less skilled than us, but they're clearly more comfortable on their home field. They also prove to be expert time wasters, subbing at every stop in play and taking their sweet time whenever possible. Frustration mounts.

It doesn't help that the referee, who knows our team well, doesn't seem concerned about their obvious ploys to waste time. He keeps telling us to relax and be patient while chatting and joking around with the opposition. More and more, it feel like one of those nights when things are destined to go wrong.

Confirmation comes just before the half when a shot right at our normally reliable goalkeeper slips through his hands and bulges into the net. It cancels out our first goal and we walk off the field at halftime tied 1-1.

We try to stay positive, but clearly things are not going well. If we lose, we can kiss any chance of promotion goodbye.

From bad to worse
Sure enough, disaster strikes at the onset of the second half. A questionable foul is called at the edge of our area. As soon as their player strikes the ball, Hugh, who is standing beside me in the wall, mutters, "Oh no". We both knew it was in from the moment he hit it. Our backs are now against the wall as we need two goals at the very least.

Though panic starts to set in, to our credit, we don't lose heart and keep pressing. We're almost rewarded for our efforts when Hugh hits the left post, and then just moments later, a second shot is deflected onto the right post. Later, I have a great chance myself, hitting the ball sweetly. It's aimed right for the bottom corner of the net and looks to be a goal, but their octogenarian keeper somehow manages to get his fingertips on the ball and deflects it just wide.

Ok, it's really starting to feel like one of those nights.

Finally a bit of luck
At last, the tide finally turns our way. First, we're awarded a penalty shot, which we score, and then a foul around the edge of their box gives us another dangerous chance. Under pressure, Donny steps up and delivers the perfect shot right off the post and in to give us the lead with about 10 minutes to go. We celebrate wildly, and then get ready to defend for our lives.

Not so fast
But how quickly one can go from hero to zero. When a throw in lands inside our box, Donny, trying to intercept the ball, misreads the bounces and it goes right off his arm for a blatant hand ball. The ref has no choice but to point to the penalty spot. They score. With just a precious few minutes left in the game and the game tied at three, our dreams of playing up a division are evaporating quickly.

During the final few moments, we push with urgency, but without results. There are just a few seconds left and it's looking grim until an innocuous looking tackle with their player near our own 18 yard line results in the miracle: The ball ricochets off a leg and spins perfectly between their two center backs and right into Hugh's path for a breakaway. I couldn't have passed a better through ball with all the time in the world. Their goalie comes out to challenge but Hugh gets there first and makes no mistake slotting home. Our season is saved! We go bananas!

And... breathe
The ref blows the final whistle moments later and we collectively breathe a sigh of relief. We did it. Barely.

Hey guys, I have a confession to make
After the game, the ref comes over to talk to us. "I didn't want to tell you guys until after the game, but they had at least three illegal players.", he says chuckling to himself. What!? You mean, we would have won the game regardless of the result? "Oh come on guys, a little suffering is good for you", he adds.

Of course there was lots of talk about the ref's morals during the post-game beer. "How could he not tell us? No wonder he kept telling us to relax".

In the end, I think he was right not to tell us. If we had known beforehand, we surely would have taken it easy and the game would have been awful. Plus, we wouldn't have experienced all of the drama, or suffering, as the ref called it. Though I wouldn't characterize it as enjoyable, it was far from dull! Why not add a little excitement to your life whenever you can?

It was an odd end to a great season for the Burnaby Wolves. Arooooooooooooo!

I feel good!

To quote the legend JB himself, "I feel good!". The difference between me and James, aside from being able to do the splits, is that I didn't know that I would.

Like a marathoner entering the stadium for the last few laps before the finish line, I'm on the verge of completing my very first cleanse. And you know what, it was a piece of cake. Ok, poor analogy I know, but I really thought it would much harder than it was.

The decision to cleanse wasn't part of any New Year's resolution, but a combination of Holiday over-indulging and timing. When I learned that my good friend and health junkie Laura was organizing her second community cleanse starting in early January, my guts were like, "It's on!".

I felt like Laura's suited me more than those other health freaky ones because it's simple: Cut out: 1) sugar, 2) dairy, 3) processed or hydrogenized foods, 4) caffeine, 5) alcohol, and 6) white flour. Most of them are cut out of my diet already anyways.

But why?

I didn't do it because I was overweight (yet) or have low energy levels. I'm not a big drinker, either. Aside from the much needed break, I was also curious to see if I could do it. To see if I would feel any differently afterward.

As a rule, I eat pretty well. And because I eat relatively healthy, I tend to justify gorging my one food weakness: my sweet tooth. It's easy to tell myself that I deserve all those treats that seem to be omnipresent around the office thanks to my generally healthy habits. "Hey everyone, left over desserts from that meeting! Oh, a box of donuts to boost team morale is it? Chocolate mousse cake for so-and-so's Birthday! Whose turn for "Chocolate Friday" this week?" And hey, I'm a Frenchie. I'm going to enjoy the finer things in life guilt-free - it's in my blood!

I've never tried to give up sugar. I've cut back since my University days of downing an entire Haagen Daz tub in one sitting, but never given it up altogether. I savour my mid-morning warm, freshly baked banana loaf from Mangez, Mangez every few days, or my Saturday morning croissant au chocolat from the local patisserie. And truthfully, I'll have no problem resuming those relationships now that the cleanse is over; although, I am willing to go less often.

How'd I fair

It's only by stopping a habit and stepping outside your routine that you realize how much you do it. I wanted to see if I had the self-discipline to go without those sweet treats for four weeks. If I couldn't resist, then I'd have to admit that I was addicted.

The results were great. In three weeks, I've had two small cheats in the form of a chocolate loaf and some homemade banana bread. That's pretty good considering there have been chocolate macaroons (chocolate + coconut? I submit that there cannot be a better combination!) and countless other temptations that I've managed to 'just say no' to.

I resisted alcohol until just recently, too. I rarely have a drink in my hand on a weekday anymore, but I drink casually on weekends. I caved in at the end of a particularly stressful day at work last week when a text from a friend simply read: "Pint?". But, and I'm being honest here, it was much more about about getting together with a couple of friends than it was needing the alcohol to cope with the work stress. Did I mention I don't get out much anymore?

And on a positive note where alcohol is concerned, I did manage to go without the reflexive 'beer after footy' several times - even post-pint night! Fortunately, none of 'the boys' noticed I was standing around empty-handed, so I never had to confess I was cleansing. Imagine if these men's men had found out the cleanse was actually my choice, and not something my wife was making me do? I never would have heard the end of it.

The skeptic is silenced

The most shocking part of it all is how difference I feel. I know it probably shouldn't surprise me, but the increased mental clarity, energy boost, and good mood has been noticeable to this skeptic. Crazy as it sounds, I haven't been my grumpy old self this past month. Like the unpolluted water that runs from a fresh spring, my blood is circulating freely and my digestive system is not being overworked or poisoned. The ironic part is that feeling like this should be the norm.

Aside from the odd temptation, the only real challenge I've had with the whole experience is that I felt hungrier more often. I realize that beyond fruit, many of my snacks are sweet in nature and I've struggled a little to find healthy alternatives that actually fill me up.

Michele and I will plan to celebrate then end of the cleanse next week by taking part in the Dine Out Vancouver event - probably a French restaurant guaranteed to serve wine, cheese, and they better have a ridiculously rich chocolate mousse for dessert! I'm willing to punish myself for one just one night.

Thanks to Laura for raising awareness and congrats to all others who participated in this January's Community Cleanse! I double-dog dare you to try the next one...