Hunt Eggs!

When I was young, Mom used to charge into my bedroom Easter morning, jump on the end of my bed, and yell, “Hunt eggs!” I think Easter is actually my mom’s favourite holiday – she puts a lot of effort into hiding those little chocolate treasures.

But, let’s face it. I’m getting older and really, too much chocolate isn’t good for my training. I know dark chocolate is better for me…but it’s not quite the same. So, I’ve decided to skip my share of eggs this year and just focus on my sister. Oh sure, Mom will get me one of those big chocolate bunnies, so I won’t totally be missing out.

But the whole hunting eggs thing? That’s for kids. Younger kids.

It got me thinking, though. Why do we hunt eggs at Easter? I mean, I understand the real meaning behind the holiday, the resurrection of Jesus Christ and stuff. I just couldn’t get what chocolate had to do with it.

So, like Mrs. Kratky taught me, I looked it up.

Turns out, hunting eggs dates back to Roman mythology. Long ago, the Easter Bunny was called the Easter Hare, and hares are a symbol of fertility. Back then, children believed that the hares laid eggs in the grass. The Roman people believed that “all life comes from eggs” and Christian people considered eggs to be the seeds of life. So, they are considered to be symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus.

Makes a little more sense…

I’m just not quite sure how chocolate got involved. Whoever thought to make those little eggs wrapped in coloured paper was super smart!

Anyway, I’ve gotta jet. I’m helping make up the clues for the big Easter hunt. Mom says I can write poems and riddles to give my sister hints. Just as long as I don’t make it too hard.

Of course I won’t! <wink>

Happy Easter to you and your family. Now, go HUNT EGGS!

- Chase Superman Duffy

PS - Starting Monday, I'm taking part in the A-Z Blogging Challenge. For the month of April, I'll be writing a blog post every day except Sundays, with each day corresponding with a letter of the alphabet. So, Monday is A. My theme is: Things that inspire me. Follow me!

Spring has...sprung?

Spring has sprung, the grass is…buried in snow?

Yep, I don’t know about where you are, but I think it’s going to be quite some time before I see any green grass in my part of the province. It’s like winter all over again!

I think my Mom’s in denial, though. Since the first day of spring this week, Mom’s been filling the house with tulips, her favourite flower. They’re everywhere! In the bathroom, on the kitchen table, even on the coffee table – I have to keep moving the vase if I want to watch March Madness with Dad. That’s a huge basketball tournament, in case you haven’t heard of it.

Mom says flowers remind her that spring is coming…even when there’s two feet of snow on the ground. I’d hate to be Old Man Winter if her garden tulips don’t bloom this year. Last time that happened, she threatened to move our family to BC.

I know it’s just an idle threat, though. Come summer when the crops are in full bloom and the trees are filled with leaves, Mom wouldn’t leave Alberta for all of the tulips in Holland. (I guess there’s quite a few of them, there.) This year, I’m calling her bluff.

So, what’s happening in your house? Any signs of spring?

Gotta jet!

- Chase Superman Duffy

P.S. Mom will also be soaking her sweet pea seeds next week so she can plant them on April 1; she says a little snow doesn’t hurt sweet peas...Who knew?

My life on Earth

I don’t know what ‘s up with the weather where you live, but in my area, Old Man Winter is blasting us with one last blizzard of the white stuff. Well, I hope it’s the last one, but this is Alberta, and anything can happen. One year, we had snow in JUNE. Talk about spinning the Earth upside down!

Speaking of Earth, there’s a whole lot of stuff going on next week in celebration of our planet, starting with National Agriculture Day, March 19. It’s no secret my Grandpa’s a canola producer. Even though the ground is frozen and he’s a long way from planting seeds, there’s always work to do on the farm. Maybe take a minute next Tuesday to appreciate a food producer you know – I know I’ll be thanking my grandparents.

March 20 is Earth Day, and on Friday, it’s World Day for Water. I guess we’re pretty lucky to live on a planet that even has water – though my Grandpa says so much is wasted. Sometimes we take things for granted, which is why during Earth Hour on March 23, I’ll be turning off my computer, the lights, and everything else that uses power from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

In the meantime, I plan on using this new snow to my advantage. It’s almost the end of snowshoeing season and since it’s my new favourite sport (next to track and field, of course), I want to get in as much as I can before the green turns green. Mind you…the way the weather looks right now, that might not happen for a long time.

Gotta jet!

- Chase Superman Duffy

Celebrating the special women in my life

Today is International Women’s Day and although I don’t fully understand what it’s about and why we have been acknowledging it for a very, very long time (since the 1900s!), I do understand that I’m surrounded by some pretty special women.

Like, my Mom and my Grandma, my two favourite women in the whole world. I spend a lot of time at Grandma’s house, usually hanging out with Grandpa or running around his canola field for track practice. But there’s nothing I love more than heading inside for one of Grandma’s special baked goodies. 

If it wasn’t for Grandma, I wouldn’t know as much about healthy eating as I do – with Grandpa having diabetes, she has to be careful about what she cooks. She cuts back on sweets, too. All of this is great for my training. Plus, she taught me how to make delicious smoothies!

Grandma also taught me about responsibility. I help Grandpa with the chores around the farm, and I’m pretty good at doing dishes, too. I don’t like it much, but Grandma says it’s polite and responsible to help out. I never complain – which is why I usually get a chocolate chip cookie after dinner.

Then there’s Mom. She’s awesome. I know, everyone thinks their Mom is the best, but mine really is. She never forgets to pack my lunch, and sometimes leaves me little notes reminding me that she loves me. Plus, she helps me with my Math homework all of the time. I’m not great at Math. My Mom is super smart. She has a great career, and her staff members say she treats them like gold. I don’t doubt it! I think it’s amazing how Mom can work full time, take care of my sister and I, and still have time to do some of the things she loves – like exercising or hanging out with friends, or even going on “date nights” with Dad.

My teacher, Mrs. Kratky, says that my Mom is an example of how much the role of women has changed in society. In the old days, women mostly stayed home, and didn’t work. They cooked and cleaned – kind of boring, if you ask me. But now there are women Prime Ministers, astronauts, and professionals working in all kinds of careers, even the trades. But Mrs. Kratky says society unfortunately still has a long way to go before women are treated truly equal to men.

I don’t know what’s wrong with society because in my mind, my Mom and Grandpa are invaluable. This weekend, I’m going to make the special ladies in my life a great breakfast to show them how much I love them.

What are you going to do?

Gotta jet!

- Chase Superman Duffy

Spring cleaning my nutrition

March is National Nutrition Month – not to mention the start of my favourite season (losing that hour of sleep on March 10 is totally worth it). So, Mom and I are doing some Spring cleaning – starting with my nutrition.

I admit, I’m not the best eater throughout the winter. It starts at Christmas, when there’s so many goodies everywhere, and then continues throughout the season when I exercise less (because I prefer training outdoors and not in the gym) and eat my way through to the Superbowl.

Sure, I’ve been making better choices, but if I want to be a top athlete this track season, I need to make even better choices when it comes to fueling my body.

Mom says we should follow Canada’s Food Guide, for starters. It’s pretty balanced, as far as I can tell. Check it out here.

According to the guidelines, I should be eating 6-8 vegetables, 6 grain products, 3-4 milk or alternative products (such as soy) and 1-2 servings of meat products or alternatives, like tofu. Oh yeah - I should also be having 2-3 tablespoons of an unsaturated oil like canola every day, as well. That shouldn't be a probably.

It's actually quite a bit of food.

It’s not that I haven’t been eating. Believe me, I have. But, I admit, it hasn’t been the right foods.  That’s going to change starting…now!

Gotta jet!

- Chase Superman Duffy