Time for another Finish The Sentence Friday post. This week I have the pleasure of cohosting. For some reason I foolishly volunteered this sentence prompt: “My favourite decade was …”
Judging by the comments flying back and forth in the FTSF group the members either loved it or struggled with it. I am one of the strugglers. Why? There are just so many options. I could zero in on one particular decade – the 80’s, say – and natter on forever about the fashion delights of shoulder pads (made my small frame appear much bigger), the dinner plate earrings (I was told if you couldn’t see them from ten feet away earrings weren’t worth wearing) and the ubiquitous puffy big hair perm (mine received comments along the lines of “Oh. You … had your … hair … permed.”) However I suspect the majority of folks will write about that and do a much better job. I could write also write about a decade in which I wasn’t alive. First choice would be the 40’s, especially after the war years. However, that would cause me to do too much research to make it “sing” so I’m giving that a miss.
Instead, I’ve chosen to write about the decade that was my personal favourite. The decade that The New Yorker reports has no name, the decade that is also known as the two-thousands and the one I prefer to call the game changer decade. January 1 2000 – December 31 2009.
The Game Changer Decade – 2000 – 2009
My husband passed away in the decade prior; not two years after the birth of our second child. Naturally life for me as a single parent of two children born 20 months apart was busier than busy. The 90’s flew by in a blur. *A quick side note: Apologies to that poor veterinary assistant who in 1998 innocently suggested I brush our black lab’s teeth every evening. Hopefully she’s recovered from my apoplectic and totally inappropriate “You’ve got to be kidding. Like I’m taking that on too? I don’t think so!”
The next decade, the game changer decade, was ever so much better. Why? Because my life changed for the better in several ways.
First Game Changer: Six Straight Hours of Free Time. For Me. My youngest child entered grade one in 2001.
Yes, what a treat to have free time to myself for a solid six hours. Working from home I could now pick my own hours and work with no interruptions. Pure bliss.
Second Game Changer: New Friendships
It was a decade in which I made a wealth of new friendships. The ability to choose when I worked meant I could participate in school activities. Through my hours of volunteering with PAC, Sparks, the school carnival committees and several fundraising efforts I met a slew of like-minded souls. Together we bonded over coffee, wine and laughter.
As my children also became involved in sports during this decade I made friends with many of the parents of their fellow athletes. The practices and games of soccer and lacrosse allowed for endless hours of chitchat on the sidelines. The day long meets and the travel to copious tournaments for swimming and water polo led to deeper conversations and connections. Many fellow sufferers became like family and I continue to spend time with them a good decade later.
Third Game Changer: Personal Growth
It was a decade of intense volunteering and personal growth for me. Helping with the running of both the PAC (parent advisor committee) and Sparks (the precursor to Brownies) meant I was soon neck-deep in the world of volunteerism. This led to my volunteering for six years as registrar for my children’s swim club. I also took on the role of announcer at our club’s swim meets. That volunteering continues. I’ve been asked to announce at the Canadian Special Olympics swim meet this summer.
Fourth Game Changer: My Children’s Personal Growth
The final reason the game changer decade was my favourite was the fact that both my children were coming into their own. While I sometimes wanted to drop kick both of them through the window I enjoyed their company more and more. They were so excited about learning new things. Even better, their observations and actions during this decade became endless writing fodder for their mother. Her personal favourite being the multiple comedic moments.
A case in point was the infamous car ride on the day of the Sex Ed talk. My son H was in grade four. I’d just collected him, his sister and his pal Conner from school. We were going for a quick food shop at the local grocery store.
“Say, Mom! We had that sex talk at school today.” H piped up from the back seat. His sister cranked her face to the car window and Connor feigned excessive interest in the workings of his seatbelt. Both were glowing redder by the second. Not H.
“Really? What do you remember most about it H?” I pointedly asked; curious to see what he’d come up with. He didn’t disappoint.
“Those things that stop a mom from getting pregnant. You know? Condiments. The sex lady went on and on about condiments.”
To this day “pass the relish” has an entirely different connotation in our family.
Enough about me and my game changer decade. I’m curious about you. What’s your favourite decade? Is it one you’ve lived? Or is it one you’ve admired from afar? If you’d care to share I’d love to hear.
This wraps up my post for Finish the Sentence Friday. Many thanks to my marvelous hosts who threw caution to the wind welcomed me to cohost this week. They are Kate’s Can I Get Another Bottle of Wine, Janine’s Confessions of a Mommyaholic, Stephanie’s Mommy for Real and Kristi’s Finding Ninee.
67 Responses
Totally made me smile about the relish and condiments, but seriously loved your reasons for choosing the decade you did and my heart goes out to you losing your husband with two small kids so close in age. I can’t even imagine and say that my girls are a similar age difference and not sure how I would manage, but god bless you that you not only managed, but thrived. And thank you also for co-hosting with us this week!! 🙂
Thanks Janine. No, I don’t think anyone knows how they would manage in any given situation really until they are going through it. However, I just knew my husband would be cheering for me to do my very best. God help me if I screwed it up!
Can I just say that I love you struggled with an FTSF that was your own idea? You are my type of woman! Game changers are the most difficult decades. I mean really, they never tell you in birth class that you will one day have to have “the talk” with your soon to be newborn!
Hahaha! Yes Kerri – so true! My niece just had a baby last week and I can’t imagine her having “the talk” with her little guy. No. But in a blink of an eye though it’ll be him talking about “condiments” … Yikes!
Condiments – ha! Love that. And I love all your reasons for picking the decade you did. That was a big one for me too – I feel like that was when I really came into my own as an adult. Great topic, Kelly – thanks for co-hosting!
Glad YOU liked the topic. Ha! Off to check out your hairstyles through the decades… after I brush mine of course.
HAHAH to condiments and relish!! Too funny!!!
Also, I can’t even imagine trying to do it all on my own when my son was 2 months old. You are strong and amazing for that – and I hope you know that.
Thanks Kristi – my kids think (well sometimes they do) that I’m pretty great for coping when they were little so that’s all that matters. Not sure what my son – should he read this post – will think about me spreading the condiments story mind you …
Thanks for co-hosting, Kelly! I think I mentioned before that my step-dad is also a McKenzie, a true Scot, and my mom shares his name. I did the perm thing too and you can see it in my ’80s collage on my post. People used to ask my brother if he had a perm, but he just had naturally curly hair and hated the girls asking him. 🙂 My Make My Saturday Sweet blog hop is live, if you’d like to link!
McKenzie with an Mc. Perfect. My late husband would be delighted that it is spelled the “proper” way! Thanks for the heads up about the Make My Saturday Sweet link up! Love to do that. Off to help my brother put in his garden this weekend so will do it next week. Oh those 80s perms. Mine was just horrid. Could NOT wait for it to grow out. I’ll go check out yours now!
Okay I am going with the 80ies. My dead straight hair was permed and tipped until it fell out in clumps. Neon outfits managed to distract attention from my bald patches and of course I met my hubbie in 1988.
On a serious note Kelly I admire incredibly your strength and ability to look back on what must have been an incredibly difficult decade with fondness and humour. You are one amazing woman.
Aw thanks Karen.
I remember looking in the reflection of the mirror to see abject horror on the face of my hair stylist when she got a look at my perm.
“Come back tomorrow and we can tweak it a bit.” Oh man it was ugly.
I agree with you, Karen. Kelly: you are an amazing woman. I’ve never met you, but I love ya!
Love you too Susan. You never fail to leave me feeling special.
I thank you for that.
Mine is this one, probably for the same reason that you liked the last one. The sex talk in 4th grade! Wow! Not here. I don’t think I got it until 8th grade. Granted we already had a girl pregnant so it may have been a bit late.
Yes, they do an intro sex ed class about grade 4 here. Maybe even earlier now. Can so understand why this decade is your fave. It’s such a fun, frustrating, busy, exciting time when the “littlies” are growing older. Enjoy!Off to check out your Feature Friday piece. Love the name …
I love that you had the strength and drive to not only carry on after losing your husband but you totally thrived. It sounds to me like your kids are very lucky to have you for a mom.
Condiments……. hee hee…..
Aw thanks Kat. I suspect that some days they would beg to differ … My husband was a positive energetic kind of guy. I just knew I couldn’t let down the team and I had to do my very best. He’d expect nothing less.
Wonderful post Kelly ! I am so happy to be one of your fellow soccer Mums who have become great friends ! I have always been in awe of your strength, you have done an amazing job of raising 2 wonderful young adults ! I am still laughing about the condiments ! Love your reasons for choosing this decade and I think I would also choose that, although mine would start late 80’s. I too had a rather wild perm , bt the way, that was quite the fashion decade, although who can forget the hot pants of the 70’s !
Thanks Jane. I am so glad we met on the sidelines. My life would be very different today had we not. Love to see pics of that perm of yours. Mine was really quite horrid.
What an amazing journey you’ve had. It is so reward when we can look backwards and see how far we’ve come. You’re an inspiration.
Thanks Jamie. It is rewarding when we can look back! That decade sure zipped by though!
I too wrote about a 10 year span that was the best in my own life, not a general decade. It would have been the 80s tho! I’m sorry to hear of the loss of your husband, but so glad to read about how well you’ve done since. 🙂
Thanks Jennifer. Yes to the ten year span. So you’re an 80s fan. Did you do the perm and shoulder pads. I’ll go check your site and see.
I did have a perm, but was not a big fan of shoulder pads. Still think they’re weird!
Hahaha! They have their purpose for folks who are short like me though. Made (yes or so I thought)me seem taller.
Oh dear – I read this earlier at the breakfast table earlier – I laughed hard about the salt and pepper pot! I loved the 1980s – probably looking back with rose tinted glasses though – no perm for me as I have curly hair – I’d spent the previous decade ironing it straight ( yes .. with a real iron!) ! The 90s were a foggy blur with 3 young boys!
Helen love that you straightened your hair! And with a real iron. Did you ever burn it?
Sometimes! Not a good smell!
Oh my.
My mom gave me some condiments on my way out the door for Spring Break my senior year in high school and totally jinxed any chance that I’d need them, I’m sure! Lol.
You really accomplished quite a bit in your game changing decade! Congrats on that. I really mean it when I say my favorite decade is the one I’m living in right now.
What a clever mom you have – passing out the condiments like that. Impressive. Did she do it with relish?
Oh, Kelly, I love your take on this sentence! And please accept my sincere apologies- I am so scattered that in the past 4 months, I’m sure I’ve only successfully referenced our co-host twice on my blog post. 🙁 I’m so sorry! I had to laugh at the apoplectic vet assistant conversation, and of course, condiments! 🙂
No worries Stephanie. I’ve failed at not always including your co-hosts too! And that poor vet asst. I still remember her shocked face. She was so excited to share her idea and I shot her down before she could get all the words out. Bad Mommy!
First of all, I am so sorry for your loss. Second, I can identify w/ the Pooh bear graphic. I feel that way when DH takes care of my son at night & weekends. It seems like the “zips” were a great decade for you. I only hope to have a fruitful decade myself once my son is in school.
The “zips”!love that! Oh you will enjoy it when your little man is in school. So many people in the same boat and they instantly “get you.” Enjoy!
Awesome! I’ll take that over the judgmental mamas I’ve had to deal with!
Love your sense of humor and adventure. And the condiments story just made me laugh out loud. You’re a brave lady!!!
Thanks Marcie. It really helped knowing that my husband would expect nothing less. Yes I have to say the condiments story is one of my faves. Just classic.
LOL! We had bananas in our sex ed classes when I was a kid, but we certainly didn’t have relish.
LOL. You are hilarious!!!!!
Oh just another typikel experience for me. Life is NEVER dull …
Hahahaha! Yes my son did a demo on the banana for me too with a glove. Quite something. He relished showing me actually …
Condiments, I LOVE it!!! So many wonderful life changes for you in that decade (I like to call them the ‘aughts because it makes me sound like a stuffy old historian).
congrats on hosting this week!
The ‘aughts – good one. Someone also called them the zips. Yes condiments will always be our family’s special name – I can’t call them condoms. Lacking in relish perhaps.
I laughed PROPERLY at ‘condiments’.
And I think you did well. I enjoyed this prompt, in spite of other people whining about it.
I love your .gif of Winnie the Pooh. I could almost feel the relief at your 6 hours to yourself.
Oh those six hours were pure magic!
Condiments! Love it. Right up there with my friend’s son (now in his 30s) explaining to his friends (right outside the open kitchen window so we could easily hear) that a mom gets pregnant because a dad puts something in her vermicelli. Pasta has never been the same. And now condiments.
Favorite decade? I think I’d have to say right now. Life is better than ever. 🙂
Oh that’s classic. I’m emailing my two right now about the vermicelli! Bless your friend’s son.
You sure picked a decade, Kelly. It looks like none of us miss the sex ed decade. Yep, I have a story too. Grandchild learned about how it happens. Shocked, she says to her mom, “So does dad pee in you too?”
PS I said it above under Karen Main’s comment–you are an amazingly inspiring woman, Kelly. I now know what stepping into widowhood with two young children with strength, humor, and humility looks like.
PSS Go swimming olympics with you on the announcing mic.
Oh that is a gem. Good on Emma. I shall pass that on to my two(minus little Emma’s name). Classic. And thank you for your kind words. It really helped knowing that my husband would expect nothing less though. He’d come after me if I messed up our two. Somehow!
Love your decade, love your post, and most definitely love the condiment comment.
Thanks Deborah. It is a classic line, no? I told myself never to forget it and so far I haven’t. Mind you I don’t think his sister would let me!
You are an amazing woman, Kelly. I know how difficult it was for me with just one child. I can’t imagine doing it alone with two. Thank goodness for our friendly support systems. How would we survive without them? My favorite decade? The 80’s. It was a defining time for me that has helped shape the rest of my life.
You’re so right. We are blessed if we have good support.
Personal growth was one of my determining factors for my favorite decade as well. Thanks for hosting!!
I’ll go check yours out Meg! Thanks for commenting.
Thanks for sharing the condiments story – it’s so hilarious! It’s actually sad that this decade doesn’t really have a name. It wasn’t one of my favourites though, with the growing up and all.
Yes sad and a bit odd that there doesn’t seem to be an official name for this decade!
You are a fighter, Kelly and yes blogging helps in many aspects cause we tend to write out our emotions, thus avoiding it’s build up in our system.
I am blessed to have come across you and wishing you another happy and content decade, my friend!
And wishing you a happy and content decade Ruchira! Thank you.
I love this so much! It sounds like the decade was awesome for you and only getting better. As you know the topic was fairly easy for me 🙂 But I really love the way you talk about the way you and your children grew. It really sounds nice, someday….
Thanks Jen.
Aw, this was sweet. You’re a great mama. But I laughed out loud at condiments…hahahaha! Yeah. Pass the relish indeed!
Oh those condiments …
Oh, I had to laugh. This year I was excited to gain approximately 6 hours a week while my oldest hit k, the middle two hit long day pre-school and the little one hit three mornings a week. But I never took into account the driving! Or the vacations that don’t line up. I’m on my fifth week of miserable weather and no kid-free time. When I finally get coverage to sneak off for a short run I find myself gasping and yelling “Ah, ah, augh!” into the ether for the first half mile as I try to find my spirit. (So glad Perfection Pending hooked me up with you. And thanks for reminding me that this too shall pass!)
Yes to “this too shall pass! It will. At some point. Oh Jennifer YOU made me laugh! Brought me right back to those days of miserable weather and no kid-free time. And the “windows of health” when, miraculously, everyone was healthy. At the same time! Here’s hoping you get to sneak in more sanity inducing runs! I’m pulling for you!