The other day I told you I was going OUT ON THE TOWN for a bit of a soul journey. At first, I was going to be REALLY adventurous and go alone. But, our babysitter came through for us, and Josh-O joined me….

…Which was a good thing. Because the ballet we went to actually kind of SUCKED, and I needed someone to commiserate with (and to tell me it wasn’t just me who thought this). It was a 3-part ballet. The first part was aiight — I’d seen this particular piece a dozen times before, though, and this was not up to par. The second part was actually quite lovely…, but some of the men in this piece wouldn’t make it past the So You Think You Can Dance auditions…. Now, the THIRD part, called “In the Upper Room”? DISASTER….

Of all people, I’m not one to criticize ANYTHING the National Ballet of Canada puts on. LOVE. And, I WILL emphasize that, although I LOATHED this performance, it was worth seeing. I mean, even a BAD BALLET can be GOOD ART, you know, Gorgeouses? And, I think that was the case with this piece. It was provocative in a way that made me squirm in my seat with impatience and irritation. Art should do that sometimes….

BUT, the dancing was REALLY off. So much so that a certain dancer I was watching the entire second half of the piece because I couldn’t BELIEVE how sloppy she was SMASHED into a male dancer, fell to the floor and RAN OUT — NEVER TO RETURN (not even for the bows…). Poor thing. You have to feel sorry for her. In my 30 years of going to the ballet, I have NEVER seen such a disaster on stage! EVER!

Anyway. It was GREAT to get out. And, it was even GREATER not to go to ANOTHER movie. No. We were stimulating our minds with mediocre ballet that made us think about what GOOD ART was.

Between that and the Museum, Cheaty has become one CULTURED mama! Cheaty has become one RECHARGED mama….

So, I’ve come to a realization. When motherhood seems thankless — think butt-wiping, shoelace-tying, cleaning-floor-on-all-fours after meals, and “BIG MAMA” — get out and do something with the kids that stimulates YOU. Treat yourself.

On Friday, I picked Monkey up from school and took her and her little brother to the ZOO! I figured it would be a great way to get LOADS of exercise OUTSIDE of the city with beautiful animals to bring me back to SOUL LEVEL…. Another soul journey WITH the kids….

Instead of walking the dull city streets for an hour, I spent four hours getting a mean workout WHILE enjoying THIS….


I mean, what a GIFT to myself AND my little monkeys….

I didn’t need ANY “thanks” at all. Looking at the two of them grinning ear-to-ear was more than any “thank you” could give me.

And, the animals. The good thing about the Metro Toronto Zoo is that the animals seem really well-treated, healthy, in good spirits. And, I’ve heard this is true. They also have quite a lot of space to roam in and are rarely confined alone. I was happy to be there and to support the animals by going, and by teaching my children to respect them, marvel at their different shapes and sizes and sounds….

Can you guess what the monkey’s FAVOURITE animal was??? I’ll give you a hint….

As an extra treat, I bought them each a stuffed animal from the zoo gift shop. Of course, they both chose the same thing….

To cap off the night — because, by the time we were done with the zoo, it was getting dark! — we picked up Josh-O from work and drove downtown to my favourite vegetarian restaurant, FRESH…. If you ever go there, Gorgeouses, ORDER THE SWEET POTATO FRIES WITH THE THAI PEANUT SAUCE OMIGOSHHHH!!!!

Mmmmm….

Monkey held my hand, smiling ear-to-ear, on the way back to the car…. I can easily say it was one of the best days of her life — and mine.

Love….
xo Haley-O

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