So, my lovelies. Happy New Year or something! It’s only January 16th. It’s a super-reasonable moment to post a 2018 questionnaire completed in time increments of 20 minutes or less over the course of three weeks.
1. What did you do in 2018 that you’d never done before?
Me, Sean: Hiked Niagara Glen Trails in celebration of our 13th anniversary! Also visited some new wineries, had some chocolate icewine shooters, and saw Henry V, WWI trench-style, at the Shaw Festival (first Shakespeare EVER at Shaw! We thought it was well done).
Me: Gave my first dose of insulin to my diabetic cat – and a least a couple hundred more since then. Also made vegan cheese.
Sean: Saw Stephen Fry live! HE WAS AMAZING. Oh, and the diabetic cat thing too.
E, AB: Went to Ripley’s Aquarium, the CN Tower, Storybook Park, the Donkey Sanctuary, and Wild Waterworks. Also, GOT OUR OWN ROOMS!
E: Became a Junior – Grade 4, what!
AB: Started Grade 1, and joined Sparks with my BFF!
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions?
Me: I was not exactly a PARAGON of calm in the mornings. However, I did do better after making the resolution. And when school started up in September, I made good on my threat promise to get the kids up earlier… and crazily enough, IT WORKED. We are way more calm in the mornings, because we are way more likely to be running on time.
Sean: I half-hit it… I am making strides with being more present and less on the internet. That internet never tires of wrestling with me, though. Not to mention pesky Apple vs. Google vs. everyone else.
E: My marks, it turns out, tend to be exemplary.
A: I did not get a horse. This still rankles.
3. What is your resolution this year?
Me: To spend more time in meditative quiet.
Sean: To be under 200 pounds, to pass four Open Ed university courses with at least 70% average, and to keep a neat and tidy house.
E: To beat the Ender Dragon in Survival mode, and eat thirty pounds of Life cereal.
A: To be a very good dancer at the big show, and to become the best student in my class. (I might already be the latter.)
4. Did anyone important to you die?
Me (and all): My sweet grandmother, Wina. She got to strike “turning 100” off her bucket list (if she had one), and died peacefully, with family, on New Year’s Eve. We are happy for her to shed her mortal shell, which was not in the best shape after a century of living… But she leaves a hole in our hearts.
Sean: A wonderful cousin who was gone too soon; and a friend and former coworker who was one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.
Also of note (and important in their ways, though not necessarily more so than the above-mentioned dear folk): Kofi Annan, Charles Aznavour, Sister Wendy Beckett, Arthur Black, Anthony Bourdain, Barbara Bush, George HW Bush, Aretha Franklin, Hubert de Givenchy, Stephen Hawking, Ingvar Kamprad, Margo Kidder, Stan Lee, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, John Mahoney, John McCain, Dolores O’Riordan, Burt Reynolds, Neil Simon, Kate Spade, and Mike “Beard Guy” Taylor.
5. What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018?
Me: More sleep, and subsequently more energy. Actually I guess the thing I need is discipline – for the going to bed at a good time.
Sean: A competent president for the southerly neighbo(u)rs.
E: A Minecraft Lego jungle hideaway, and a dog.
A: A horse! Again. FOR REAL THIS TIME.
6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Me: Entering two groups of students (one English, one French) in the CBC Music Class Challenge (thanks for the inspiration, Skye!); facilitating birthday slime-making with ten excited Grade 3 boys (plus AB) and coming out unscathed. Also, I was pretty proud of this hedgehog rock I painted for E. (I was his Secret Friend at Camp.)
Sean: Went on the longest bike ride of my life!
E, A: Learning to swim for real, at Camp! No life jackets!
E: Finally beating the hardest level of Horizon Chase, and producing several (ongoing) literary works, including The Sheep (stay tuned for a sample).
A: Reading – and writing – chapter books.
7. What was your biggest failure?
Me: Failure to check the date on our passports. And realizing they’d expired a scant few weeks earlier and we couldn’t go to North Carolina, only a few days from our scheduled trek. (At least we’d planned to drive so there were no plane tickets. Sighhhh.)
Sean: Failure to lose the weight I wanted to lose.
E: Failure to fulfill my responsibilities without complaining bitterly.
A: Failure to come to terms with the fact that yelling as loud as I can does not get me what I want. One of these days, it’s going to work. It has to.
8. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Me: I suffered my cat’s illness by cleaning up innumerable messes of various types (although Sean cleaned up even more of them, home alone while the rest of us were away).
Sean: Broke my left wrist for the third time in my life. Right before Christmas holidays.
E: The usual grievous injuries ALL THE TIME. I’m in pain 40% of my waking hours.
A: I was pretty impervious this year! (As Mummy knocks ALL the wood.)
9. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Me, Sean: Trump; Doug Ford; Japan (reintroducing commercial whaling)… And ALWAYS Nestlé.
E: My sister, when she yells at me.
A: My brother, when he kisses my adorable face without permission.
10. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Me: My Grade 5/6 class, for being calm and awesome, even though they always come to me (for French or Music) at the very end of the day.
Sean: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for neatly shutting down every GOP troll who tries to invalidate her accomplishments.
E: Our cat’s, when he finally remembered how to pee in the box.*
A: Mine, when I found my Responsibility Button. On special occasions, I turn it on to “Full Power” and then I cooperate on EVERYTHING!
*{Actually, it was getting rid of the litter that seemed to be the key. You see, diabetic cats have more sugar in their pee and it makes the litter sticky… Then they have to whip their paws around to get the litter out of their claws, and then it sticks to the wall and many other random things. Bad for everyone. So we are using puppy pads instead. Painful amount of garbage, but maybe we won’t have to completely replace our floors.}
11. What did you get really excited about?
Me: Several cherished women I know – including both my sisters – getting together with loving partners! YAY!
Sean: Teaching the kids to swim… and of course seeing Stephen Fry. {insert googly-eyed love face}
E: My cactuses! Tall Joe, Short Joe, and Alfred.
A: That time I had the same tattoo as Mummy! And my birthstone ring for my sixth birthday, which is also a lot like Mummy’s… and our matching leggings for Christmas! (We know that matching Mummy will not be on the agenda for too much longer, so Mummy is relishing it while she can.)
12. What events from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory, and why:
Me: Humboldt Broncos bus crash tragedy, Tham Luang cave rescue… because obviously. Intense human drama (that has undoubtedly already been optioned).
Sean: Doug Ford’s election, because TRAVESTY.
E, A: Our first Junior Camp, because we did so many fun things!
13. What political issue stirred you the most?
Me, Sean: Federal purchase of TransMountain pipeline, NAFTWO, carbon-tax squabbles… and for posterity, one must mention legal weed!
E, A: The sheer number of signs every time there’s an election. All those names bombarding us (which we feel compelled to read aloud whenever we’re driving somewhere)…
14. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Me: Blogging.
Sean: Even more cycling.
E, A: PLAY DATES.
15. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Me: Picking up my phone for no good reason.
Sean: Falling off the wagon.
E: Missing ChromeBook time because my class was too noisy.
A: Waiting for play dates.
16. What do you regret?
Me: Please refer to biggest failure.
Sean: Time spent in rabbit holes (except maybe on reddit… those are high-quality rabbit holes).
E: Losing my Lego Minecraft Creeper. Also signing up to be a lunch monitor – those Grade 1 kids are noisy punks, and I don’t even like pizza (which was the reward party for lunch monitors… which might be why I signed up).
A: Not INSISTING upon horse-riding lessons.
17. What decision are you glad you made?
Me: Taking a two-day choral conducting course in the summer. Also, installing an amber lightbulb in E’s reading lamp. It really seems to help him wind down.
Sean: Sticking with The Starch Solution. And the purchase of the Instant Pot – not to mention the Air Fryer!
E: Going to Sherwood Forest day camp with my friends.
A: Getting my hair cut (and donating it).
18. How did you spend Christmas?
All: With people we love, all kinds of family. Lots of games, fun drinks, way too many snacks, general cocooning. So very fortunate. (Sean even shared our two weeks off, between shutdown and vacation days! Très exciting.)
19. What song will always remind you of 2018?
Me: Fireflies and The Verge, by Owl City.
Sean: Empire, by Sarah McDougall.
E: ALL the Flood Escape 2 songs, especially Sky Sanctuary.
A: Havana Ooh Na-Na. (By Camila Cabello. AB has never seen this video, BTW. Pretty entertaining! The song actually starts at 2:29.)
20. What was your favorite TV program?
Me: The Good Place, Bojack Horseman, New Girl.
Sean: The Good Place, Bojack Horseman, Voltron.
E: I’m not really into TV. I like to escape floods, build block facilities, and take care of pets and bee swarms on my screen time.
A: Home, Teen Titans Go, Puffin Rock (Mummy’s favourite because those wee British-kid accents are THE BEST).
21. What was the best book you read?
Me: The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline, Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese.
Sean: Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari.
E: Wild Robot books by Peter Brown, Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, The Voyage to Magical North by Claire Fayers.
A: Harry Potter books (which Mummy has been reading to me all year long!) and Fairy Ponies #1 and 2 (by Zanna Davidson) – read between Christmas and New Year’s.
22. What was your favorite film of this year?
Me, Sean: Ant Man & the Wasp was funny and exciting, First Man was gripping and very memorable, Crimes of Grindelwald was gorgeous and entertaining… But honestly, for sheer viewing pleasure, for a movie you’re just glad you went to see… it has to be Paddington 2.
E, A: Peter Rabbit, Paddington 2.
23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Me: 40, got sung to by the whole school (one of my coworkers broadcast the news at an assembly), had dinner with lots of family at a local vegan restaurant (plus sister-made pie options back at home).
Sean: 41, ate vegan pizza and chocolate cake, received and played “Snake Oil”; hilarity ensued.
E: 9, bounced sheep (aka balloons) around the rec room and made slime with 9 of my friends, got my own logo!
A: 6, had my friends over for refreshments and Auntie Beth’s magical face-painting, got my first LOL Doll and unicorn-poop slime!
24. What new thing would you like to try in 2019?
Me: Dance for Kindness.
Sean: University! Starting with Anthropology, doing great so far.
E: Indoor soccer, since I’m pretty awesome at outdoor soccer.
A: Horse-riding lessons. (Haven’t you been listening?)
25. Whom did you miss?
Always Sebastian.
26. Who was the best new person you met?
All: Uncle Agates! (It’s Alex, but this is his clan monicker, from which he will never henceforth escape.) (We were stoked to have TWO people we newly call Uncle this year!)
27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2018:
Me: Leave more time than you think you need to get a large group of children to follow a beat and sing in unison. If you think it’s simple… you’re showing your newbie choir conductor pinfeathers.
Sean: Always corroborate your research, and watch out for spilled coolant.
E: Clothes-putting-away is not nearly as hard when you do it every day.
A: Having your own room (once you get used to it) is awesome, because you can have PRIVACY. More or less. For a few minutes, if you really slam your door.
28. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
“Ladies all across the world, listen up, we’re looking for recruits / If you with me, let me see your hands, stand up and salute / Get your killer heels, sneakers, pumps or lace up your boots / Representing all the women, salute!” – Little Mix
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