There are so many things to celebrate this Sunday!

First off, it’s Father’s Day.

In my home, we have an awesome dad. My husband, Len, does more than his share of childcare and household chores. And last night he finished building our new deck – yeah!

I love it when Len picks outfits for our youngest daughter, Sophie, 7, to wear to school. You can bet she'll be decked out in a kaleidoscope of colours, patterns and textures that would make a fashionista cringe. But hey, he tries and Sophie’s happy. And that’s what counts, isn’t it?

This Sunday we are celebrating dad by letting him sleep in, bringing him breakfast in bed, and showering him with the girl’s artwork. Then we'll head over to Len’s dad’s house for a backyard bbq. (My own dad is several hours out of town and I will be honouring him a week later.)

This Sunday is also officially the first day of summer.

We have such long winters, that this season is definitely cause for celebration. We got a head start this week by visiting a farm on the Niagara Escarpment where we picked strawberries. There’s nothing like the sweet, fresh, yummy taste of homegrown berries to remind us that it's summer.  I encourage everyone to get out to a local ‘pick your own’ farm this weekend.

Happy weekend everyone!

How will you celebrate? CONTEST TIME: One person will win a Canadian Living cookbook!

Thanks to everyone for replying to my post on Canadian music. The winners of Royal Wood's latest CD, Lost and Found, are: Denise Nielsen and Deann. (Please email me your mailing addresses and I will get the CDs out to you.)

Speaking of great Canuck tunes, my neighbours went to see a wonderful live show this week: The Canadian Songbook: A Tribute to Neil Young's Live at Massey Hall. A diverse group of Canadian musicians (Holly Cole, Stephen Page, the Cowboy Junkies, etc.) recreated Neil Young's 1971 concert at the same venue.

I tried to get tickets but it sold out quickly. That's why I was so pleased to learn that the tribute concert will air on CBC Radio 2 on June 29 and July 6 (two parts) at 7 p.m., and on CBC Radio One on July 3at 2 p.m. I am definately going to tune in.

I love CBC Radio. Confession time: when I went back to work from both of my mat leaves, I'm not sure who or what I missed more, my babes or listening to CBC Radio all day long.

If I had to take only a few things to a deserted island ... one of them would be a radio. Oh, and I would demand said island had the frequency to listen to CBC Radio One and Two.

What would you want with you on a deserted island?

Talk to you soon, Kd

For me, one of the greatest pleasures in life is listening to music. Curling up in a wicker chair on our old screened-in back porch with a glass of crisp Pinot Grigio and some great tunes on my ipod, or in the CD player, is a real treat.

I also like to lounge on the couch by candlelight with my two girls by my side. We skip the Miley Cyrus and listen to Feist and Sarah Slean instead.

My love of Canadian music comes from my parents. They are avid CBC radio fans who introduced me to the formidable Gordon Lightfoot when I was a kid. I can still remember listening to the haunting sounds of  “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” on long drives up to the family cottage in Parry Sound, Ontario.

We’re blessed to have so many truly gifted musicians and songwriters in Canada. I think we rank no. 1 in the world when it comes to lyricists. One of my favourites is Hawksley Workman.

Of course, listening to music live is a whole other experience. Devine.

Recently, my husband and I had the chance to take in a live show of a newish Canadian artist, Royal Wood. His band is brilliant and Royal is a gifted and elegant performer, who writes beautiful songs.

His latest recording is “Lost and Found” and it’s definitely worth listening to. For a preview, you can visit his site www.royalwood.ca.  Read on for a chance to win this CD.

Sometimes I find a certain song, or lyric, will become a mantra or motto in my life that helps me make sense of things, or gets me through a rough patch.

Lately, it’s been the line, “Will they miss the rose if blind to the bloom?” from Royal Wood’s song, Don’t Fall Apart’ on the Lost and Found EP. In this crazy world, it reminds me to slow down and savour the small pleasures; pay attention to the details and little things so I can see the big picture clearly.

Who are your favourite Canadian musicians, songs and lyrics?

Let me know and you could win Royal Wood’s EP Lost And Found.

Thanks for sharing.

Wow. I can’t believe it’s been a week since we last talked. I find the last six weeks of the school year take me by surprise. There’s so much going on …

At our home, we celebrated Sophie’s 7^th birthday last Friday night and are now immersed in my older daughter, Liv’s, busy soccer schedule (her school team made it into the city finals – yeah!).

I’m trying to keep on top of weeding the garden (why do the weeds grow so, so much faster than anything else?) and get all of my annuals into the ground. I usually go for white flowers but after such a long winter I want my outdoor world awash in colour, so this spring and summer purple impatiens reign.

We’re also building a deck in our backyard. (Ok, my husband is actually building the deck while I play general contractor and monitor the progress).

With all this activity, I admit homework takes a backseat in our house. I was delighted when Sophie came home from school and announced her grade 1 teacher’s rule: No homework on lovely spring evenings. How very civilized.

I felt quite smug about my slacker attitude toward homework this morning when I read a report from Active Healthy Kids Canada. One of the key findings says: Parents should think about trading time spent doing school work for time spent being physically active with their children because research shows that kids who are active do better in the classroom.