Saturday, December 24, 2011
Twas the Night before Christmas 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
A morning in the life of uptight boy
Thursday, November 17, 2011
November.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Divination by Apples
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Travel time!
About 12 kms into the trip my dd2 asked "Are we there yet?" -and not for the last time either.
Only about 1200kms remaining!
By the time we reached our stop for the night, which was roughly halfway I was thinking about buying earplugs and maybe a plane ticket for myself.
We stayed two nights in my In Laws trailer/motorhome. The kids swam at the beach, my hubby went fishing with his dad and the kids and I hung out with their Memere (their grandma Sheila), which they always enjoy.
Then early Sunday morning we were back on the road. It was just after 8:30 when we cleared Montreal. We felt we were making pretty good time.
Winding through the mountains, we saw some beautiful scenery (as we blindly followed my gps down some bizarre side roads). It was gorgeous, but there was no where to stop to pee, or eat which is kind of a necessity when travelling with 4 kids.
We came to the border in Caanan Vt without barely any warning. It was a tiny little booth, with one car ahead of us and a fantastic view of the mountains which had fog curling around their tops-
The nice border officer let us use the toilet there (thank goodness!) We were out of Vermont within 2 or 3 minutes and into NH.
It was a while before we came upon the next thing resembling civilization- a store called LL Cote in NH. We ate at subway because we had no real option for anything else, and kept on moving.
It was about 5 when we were an hour away from the cottage, so we stopped at Target to buy some milk and food supplies. A short jaunt down the tiny little highway (can you even call that a highway?), a million cries of I have to pee ( now!!!), 89 kms later and we were there-
Totally worth it. Perched on a point out in the ocean, Port Clyde is a very picturesque area which reminds me very much of Northern ontario, but with ocean views, and lobsters and quaint towns instead of mines and lakes. We unpacked, and immediately hit the beach as the tide was out- sweet relief to be out of the car, believe me! This was our first view of the beach on our street-
Thursday, July 21, 2011
SAHM -synonym for lonely, or maybe acronym for Sits At Home Moping
I imagined myself with friends to hang with, bounce momtastic ideas off, our kids would be like siblings in their familiarity and comfort level in one another's homes.
Alas, it is not so. Finding friends is like dating. You have to attract them, have similar values and time availabilites.Thankfully you don't have to worry they will want you to put out at the end of every playdate.
I have lost more than one friend through their return to their career,(or moving away, or divorcing and moving away.) followed by the insane busy lifestyle that goes along with that.
It is hard not to worry that it is me and I am just unfriendable. The thin fancy moms have zero trouble finding a clique that wants to hang out a few times a week, hosting playdates, taking walks,joining school council together, or just doing whatever.
I have tried all the traditional mom meeting methods. Parks, playgroups, classes,school. My dd's jk class was almost exclusively bussed last year. Try getting to know other parents then!
The plain truth is I am so brutally lonely and my kids are never the right age group to ones that attend the same classes as us. Or they are only available evenings/ weekends, when I am not. Everyone else also seems to have great houses, cleaned to perfection. It is so discouraging.
I vow to get out to more things and stop living like a hermit. If I can get anyone to talk to me that is.I am running, working out, and hopefully getting the witchlike mole removed from my face, and who knows, maybe I will find some compatible friends then?
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Garden woes, this heat must go!
For the first time ever, we planted a little vegetable garden. We had the wettest spring I can remember. Took us until the end of May to actually be able to go outside long enough to dig the garden and plant it.
Things were growing along nicely when suddenly all the rain just disappeared. We woke up the other morning to a bit of dampness on the patio table so I imagine it rained, but I can't confirm it.
My zucchini are shrivelling and turning yellow. My pumpkins are wilty, carrots are not even growing anymore, and my potatoes, poor potatoes, they have the longest skinniest tops on them ever from the early extended rains when they struggled toward the sunlight. I don't even know if they will grow potatoes on them! My beans are finally creeping up the bean tower,but my peppers are stunted and suffering a bit now. My eggplants basically died under the jungle like cover that is my potatoes. My herbs aren't faring much better. The truly hearty lemon verbena and mint are gigantic, thanks to the rain earlier on, but the stuff we planted later is not growing. They look exactly as they did when my husband planted them after his birthday. Maybe not exactly the same, they were way healthier looking at the greenhouse!
Now, I'm all for summer and warm weather, but it's getting ridiculous! By the time it creeps to 48 on Thursday with the humidex, I won't need to cook, I'll just be able to go out and butter my sad shrivelling veggies on the vine and serve them for supper!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Summer thrills...
It's all bittersweet to me these days. Each passing day, every moment of growth and discovery the kids make is another day closer to their own adulthood. Next September marks the start of SK for my youngest girl, and grade 10 for my oldest son. When their feet spring out the door that day, I will hear their steps echoing away into adulthood, and I am excited for them as well as filled with wrenching sorrow that their steps must necessarily carry them away from me.
However, that day is approximately 52 days away, and I will try to remain carefree and enjoy summer with them while I can.
So far the youngest ones have been enrolled in some classes at the early years, and we've been busy with dental appointments and Drs and all that thrilling stuff. We took a trip to visit my husband's family in the bustling metropolis of Cornwall, On.
The younger kids had good time, it was their first time camping, although we did that in my FIL's motorhome so I am not entirely sure it counted as camping. We got to go for a boat ride, visit a cottage, hike, visit 2 sets of their grandparents,stopped at the Big Apple in Coburg, took a trip to Prehistoric world, and BBQ'd it up with family.
All the kids got to see fireflies for the first time. There were so many it was really lovely.
The first morning we woke up after not really sleeping,and Zans was in a foul mood so we drove to a local Tim Horton's for coffees and a treat for the kids. We were going to take the ramp to the 401 to Cornwall, but then I spotted the East Montreal one...and off toward Montreal we went!
We didn't go all the way there though, just as far as Dorion. Bailey really had to pee of course, so we just popped into the golden arches. She thought it was cool to be peeing in Quebec, though she was disappointed in the lack of French flags. I guess we've done most of our travelling through the States, where flags are in abundance.
Now Zander keeps saying he wants to go back to "The Bus" as he called the motorhome, and the beach. Poor guy, doesn't realize how FAR it was, in traffic....
Bailey was excited to get to class the day after we came back. I naively thought she couldn't wait to tell her friends about the dinosaur exhibit or the boat ride/swimming in the St Lawrence. What does she say as she bolts from the car in excitement? "I can't wait to tell Lainey that I peed in Quebec! "
Of course that was the highlight of the trip. I guess when we drive to Maine in August I should find a lot of special bathrooms for her to stop in and impress her friends!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Drs make mistakes too apparently.
Sadly the dr couldn't do it. She wants me to see a plastic surgeon because she couldn't remove it without leaving a big hole. I did get her to remove one on my arm that suddenly turned black. I'm not worried about it, but my sister was pestering me about it so I got it removed. Everything was fine. At first. All through the check in, the waiting, the choppity chopping, here was the conversation, repeated several times, with several staff ending with the surgeon and her nurse "so, you have a latex allergy?" Me "yes". She whips the mole out and I'm done and voila I get stitched up leave the hospital. I come home for a bit, not feeling really awesome. Kind of feeling dizzy and weird, and no idea why. My arm is turning a really weird shade under the bandage wrap. I go back out after 20 minutes at home to pick up the younger kids then off to get my oldest up at the highschool. As I'm waiting in the car for him, the freezing is starting to wear off. It's been almost an hour since they finished me up.
I still feel strangely like I got high or something. My arm is mottled purple around the bandaid. I'm thinking weird, she didn't say purple, she said it will be white for a while.
I sit there looking at the see through bandaid. Super slow wheels turn in my head as I'm feeling weirder by the minute. My 4 year old daughter who I just picked up from school pipes up from the backseat, "Mom, how come your band aid doesn't look like my special safe (latex free) band aid? it looks like the old ones we had" And Ding ding ding, I finally know why I feel totally bizarre and why my skin feels on fire around the frozen zone.
Ripping off the bandaid, I see my skin is beginning to rash and look ugly under there.
No harm no foul overall, but what on earth is the point in telling them that you are sensitive to something, if they aren't really listening?
It is worth mentioning that the surgeon actually called me on my cell shortly after that, having attempted to reach me at home, upset because she had realized her error, and wanting me to come in and switch it. She had called my house, my drs office, (where my dr wasn't actually sure because it didn't say on my chart I was allergic, but she felt like she remembered something)to when she finally reached me, and I was able to say, everything was fine and I already taken care of it.
But seriously, what if my daughter hadn't said something? The weird way I was feeling, I don't think I would have put two and two together on my own, cause that has not happened before.
I do know that I can't use cheap toilet paper, or some mascaras, or cheap nasty elastic underwear or socks...Certain fruits cause me grief and I recently learned it was because they are often a problem for latex sensitive people.
Latex, definitely not my friend, and I clearly have to be more vigilant on my own behalf from now on!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Hey Neighbours!-You cutting your grass is a pain in my ...
He has "sensitve lungs" (AKA Asthma, though they won't call it that until he is older).
The latest round of grass mowings occured on Sunday. I gave him claritin, with no noticeable improvement. I estimate 8 or 9 people on my section of the street mowed their lawns. By Monday morning our little guy couldn't breathe very well. We dosed him with his inhalers , repeatedly.
Took him to the park, because I figured it's a plain park, lots of rocks, not too many plants.
Luckily for us there was a parks and rec dude there mowing the lawn, while smoking a cigarette and driving a smelly diesel tractor. We left and came home, he was getting worse quickly. He fell asleep (not normal) at lunch time. He woke up after an hour, with very laboured breathing, and he couldn't even climb the stairs without crying and having to stand there and catch his breath. Only 6 steps!
I took him to the ER. They kept us a while locally and gave him oxygen, and pulmicort, prednisone and ventolin. By 7 at night, he was a bit better, but still had low levels of oxygen, and everytime they took away the oxygen his levels dropped immediately too low.
They rustled up an ambulance and we were whisked off to another hospital that had a pediatrics unit.
More treatments, overnight observation etc...
Anyway, he was better until we went outside, and he started breathing in some freshly cut grass.
Laboured breathing again instantly. I will continue to monitor him, and hope he isn't that severe again. The specialist said it was likely a combination of his allergies and a virus attacking his system a the same time.
And now I'm the jerk with the A/C running though it is only 27 out-, trying to minimize the allergens in my home. So, next time you are mowing your lawn..again...please think about some of the people out there who could use a week off from your noxious fumes or freshly cut grass!
The dr said it likely combined with a virus at the same time. Yay, what luck for us! It was a horrible feeling seeing him getting into the ambulance. I hate sickess.
I'm crossing my fingers that he never have to go to back.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Rapture...or not.
I'm sorry, but really, did you think it was going to be that easy? Voila, poof, you are saved from this existence, so enjoy?
Well, in any event, I am glad that I err'd on the side of caution, planting my garden, paying my bills,and returning my movies to the video store on time! Maybe they meant 6pm PST.
Wait, I hear some kind of explosions, and I see lights in the sky!
Oops sorry, it's actually just my neighbours letting off fireworks, because it's Victoria day weekend.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Mommy Look!
Almost every minute or so , this is what my soon-to-be two year old says.
"Mommy look- i hop like a bunny!"
Mommy look-i crawl like a turtle!"
"mommy look- I play with puzzle." and on ..
A few hours into the day, I'm not always listening 100percent, like when I was making lunch Friday. A colossally bad day of bad days, involving no hot water, no hot water heater appointments available...and many more fun things.(but luckily for you, that rant isn't the subject of this post!)
Then in a vague way, I hear him say...
"Mommy look, abs' swim"
I'm in the kitchen cutting food up. I respond, "oh yeah? ok, good for the abc's, glad they like it".
Then my brain clicks into gear. Abs's (what he calls abc's for some reason) swimming? where? the only open water would be...the toilet. Of course. Where my 4 year old just was. Using the toilet. Awesome.
I ask, "are you in the toilet?"
He says
"Yes mommy, look abs's swim in toilet!
To which my dd pipes up from her bedroom, "well it's a good thing I remembered to flush this time isn't it mom?"
thank goodness for hand sanny. Because I had no boiled water ready, and cold water just didn't seem sanitary enough.
A lesson to be scrubbing that toilet on a daily basis i think. And a lesson to be listening a little more closely, no matter how many times a day I hear that phrase
"Mommy look..."
Thursday, February 24, 2011
You'd never see Obama stealing a necklace....
This morning Lindsay Lohan's name caught my eye.
She is apparently fighting a charge of theft, over a 2500 dollar necklace she stole.
I'm sorry, but isn't she stinking rich? Aren't the majority of these spoiled, self centered, boo hoo, I'm famous so I have to steal/lie/cheat/drink/do drugs/ etc, rich, and so similar you could exchange them, and their petulant behaviours, without noticing? And aren't they a waste of good space and resources here on the earth?
Maybe I'm just jaded, because I'm struggling to get by, and have no time to go steal a necklace worth as much as my car, nor the Chanel wardrobe to wear to court...
It seems to me,as though a large portion of the people drawn to the spotlight are so addicted to the attention, that they will do anything to stay there, self destructive behaviour included. And don't give me the sob story that they have such tough lives, their jobs are hard, they have no privacy, etc...THEY CHOSE IT
And yes, guess what? a lot of people are in the limelight for various reasons, but they don't need to dress like they're hooking on hollywood blvd, do drugs or drink until they can't say their lines, or be insured by anyone in the business.
I'm sorry, but you are acting. ACTING. Not curing cancer, or dealing with dying kids. It's not the end of the world if you flub a line! Get some perspective.
And then go get a real job, if you hate being an insanely rich celebrity and icon for the masses.
Then you can see what a real life, with real problems, is like.You don't see Oprah tooting a little coke in the backroom of the studio. She keeps herself together, and acts the good role model 24/7 I think. Of course, I don't know, because I don't really follow celebrities, so maybe Oprah goes on closet benders or something, but if she does, that closet door seems firmly shut.
If Lohan can't afford a 2500 dollar necklace after all her successes, then her money manager is an idiot. I'm sure she can afford it, so maybe she just has such poor impulse control, that she couldn't resist? It's disgusting either way, the way celebrities just do whatever they want, whenever they want. Diplomatic immunity for celebrities is an accepted way of life, and it's not reasonable. They don't belong in a cushy hotel type jail. Stick them in with the regular people who commit the same crimes. Do the crime, be treated like the criminal you are, not a celebrity, because that's a status that is undeserved when this immature behaviour occurs.
And L.L is by no means the first, or the worst celebrity to do stupid things.
I heard on the radio this morning that David Arquette has battled alcoholism since age 4 when he had his first beer. And by 12 he had a full on addiction. Seriously?! WTF was wrong with his parents?
You know, being a household name doesn't have to go hand in with poor judgment, bad behaviour and drugs. And I see you shaking your head,because most people just accept it as the norm, but it's not.
I bet you'd never see President Obama out there stealing a necklace. And he is under tremendous pressure and the constant scrutiny of the entire American population (and a lot of the rest of the world too), so if he can do it, without making the millions these spoiled stars and starlets are making, then really, they can do it too.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Weekend of bad luck at the NavCan
On our weekend trip to go to a birthday party for my MIL, I managed to...
knock over a stack of cups in Tim Horton's, then spilt my iced cap backwards over the counter, into their sink, and onto the floor-
Then I scraped my leg so badly on the edge of the hotel's crappy cot, before drifting off into a near doze, wherein two of my children cried, kicked and fussed all night.
It was crazy cold in the room, and turning the heat up, didn't seem to help, it seemed like it was a tiny bit warmer, that's it. (My oldest daughter ended up sleeping in her winter coat, it became so progressively cold during the night.).
The next morning I managed to drop and smash a glass in the cafeteria.
So, that was more me, 4 uncommonly clumsy things I did basically in a row.
I didn't continue on to become more injured, or ruin anything else,though some other annoying things happened. Had my son choke and throw up in the hotel restaurant eating the nasty crap that was supposed to be the breakfast (seriously wish i'd seen it before we'd had pay for it), and we had to book a second room the second night, because we really couldn't all sle5ep in the room my dh's sister booked for us. ..6 people, and a "suite" that was a sofa bed, a roll in cot, and a double bed. no door between the rooms, a bathroom that made me feel claustrophobic.
Night two involved both my little ones falling out of bed, and subsequently me getting no sleep. My husband and eldest son slept in the next room, which was also painfully small.
If I ever have to go to a family thing in that town again, I won't be wasting my money staying at the NAVCAN. I'd have better luck at the super 8 motel I bet, and that is saying something!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Sick is a 4 letter word!
Now my son has Scarlet fever. Seriously. I didn't even think that still existed, but it does. It comes with an awesome high fever, and a red bumpyish rash, that can be all over them, except it leaves a white ring around their mouth. Untreated, it leads to rhuematic fever, heart, kidney issues, etc. Treated quickly with antibiotics, the rash goes away pretty quickly, along with the child's non-stop screeching.
The ER dr asked me if I have other exposed children. I said yes ages 4-14. I asked "is it a risk?" She responds, "yes mostly just for ages 4-17".
Well, oh goody. Now we just wait and see if anyone else gets it. Hope not!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Time to wean!
I'm so tired I can't even go running anymore. Heck, I can't even get motivated to go to the store for toilet paper.
I'm in danger of falling asleep every second that I am seated. I regularly fall asleep during conversations with people at home. It's not great.
But, starting out this exhausted, makes me not that interested in trying other options to get him to sleep. My husband works seriously long hours, so he can't go to work at 5 am, for a 2 hour drive, with broken sleep. He doesn't get home until around 7:30 at night, so that's just not fair to really deprive him of sleep as well.
I'm at a loss. I had hoped the baby would wean himself by now, but he hasn't.
I wish someone could wave a magic wand over him and make him decide he is a big boy who only wants to eat big boy food, etc.
But then at the same time, he is the last baby I'm ever going to have, so is it really that bad, not getting any sleep?
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Sylar the saviour?
Anyway, whatever, tv producers screw us watchers all the time. Sorry, not profitable, too bad, no closure for you! I'm at the part of season 4, where Sylar is trapped in his mind, and Peter petrelli has joined him to free him, so they can get to the carnival and help Emma. Is it just me, or is this turn around in Sylar's character a bit much? He's sliced and diced people up and down the continent for the last few years. A short stint as Nathan, and suddenly he can't stomach being awful anymore?
I'm not sure I'm buying it. Possibly this is why it got cancelled.
I don't care, I always knew that Sylar had it in him to be a hero, rather than just a killer. I secretly love Sylar and hoped he would turn to the good side one day.( i guess that isn't a secret now is it?!)
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Who has time to blog?
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Only a few months till Spring!
It's going to be -18 tonight, a high of -10 tomorrow. blech.Thank goodness spring is only a few months away!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Were the Mayan's off by a year?
The stalled weather system that brought snow to parts of the lower United states, for the first time since..well, ages, couldn't that be to blame? Freezing cold temps, where the animals aren't used to it?
I'm not sure about the dolphins, or the fish, but it does seem more than just a bit weird, all these animals dying with a week of one another. I'm certain it's not related to pollution, or anything we've done to wreck their habitats or anything along those lines...naturally not our fault!
Scientists can claim all they want, about how it always has happened and we didn't know, and how the internet has made news from around the world available simultaneously, so we are simply noticing it more.
Really? I'm not buying that, because the internet has been around now for about 17 years, in usage wide spread enough, that I have had it.So, this happens all the time, just not in the last 17 years?
And what about the increase in devastating weather, earthquakes, etc?
Ok, now that I am willing to believe is more noticeable due to the fact that we are more numerous ourselves, and taking up so much more physical space. I mean, if there was a hurricane wiping out parts of Lousiana, say...600 years ago, would anyone have noticed? Not likely, because no one was there.I mean there was a big hurricane that wiped out an island of Texas 100 years ago or so (and who even knew there was an Island there?!)
So, ok, maybe I'll give the scientists that one. But the Mayan's predictions for 2012 are looming nearer, which certainly lends credence to these doomsday scenarios that people are so fond of, doesn't it? Even google has gotten in on it,http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=201817256339889828327.0004991bca25af104a22b
What about the predictions that stated it is 2011 that is the end of the world?
Could that be correct? I don't know. I do know that according to my daughter, if i don't open the baby gate for her to get up to the bathroom RIGHT NOW it will be the end of her world, so I guess i'll muse more about this later!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Jan 6 2011
I resolve to...uh... do....umm...
ok, I resolve to try to come up with something and make it stick! Nah, not really. Resolutions are just so darn hard to keep up with. Life seems to get in the way.
I do resolve to write a new post later on today or tomorrow, likely about the weather doom and gloom, and all the disasters that seem to be making headlines.
Is it the end of the world?! I'm going to guess no.
Is there some nefarious evil villain at work destroying our planet's eco systems, or causing the planet to spin off it's axis or something, making things go awry? Stay tuned to find out!