a little delay

I know it's been a while and you may be thinking "she's been gone, like, forever and this is what she posts when she gets back?" (or maybe not...) but I swear I have more to say, just not enough time right now.

Anyway...

TICK WARNING!
I hate it when people forward bogus warnings, and I have even done it
myself a couple of times unintentionally...but this one is real, and it's
important. So please send this warning to everyone on your e- mail list.

If someone comes to your front door saying they are checking for ticks due
to the warm weather and asks you to take your clothes off and dance around
with your arms up, DO NOT DO IT!! THIS IS A SCAM!! They only want to see you naked.



I wish I'd gotten this yesterday. I feel so stupid.

sea shells

"Mom! Callah took my sea shells!"
"Callah where are Matthias' sea shells?"
"In my belly."
"No really. Where are the shells?"
"In my belly." She points to her belly.
"Oh no, you didn't." I look at my daughter. "Callah, did you eat the sea shells?"
She nods her head yes.
I put my head in my hands and sigh.

This is my daughter.

fred the fly

Today we mourn the death of fred the fly who was brutally murdered by a 2 year old girl early this morning. It would appear that fred flew out of nowhere and scared the little girl who ran and got a pretty blue fly swatter and proceded to "fwap" poor fred until there were little pieces of him everywhere. Fred will be sadly missed by his hundreds of relatives.

*the reason this is so notable is that it's her first "kill". She was pretty excited.

the cereal game

I've been wanting to post this for awhile, but never did. Until now. Lucky you.

Every morning I have this breakfast routine. First I pour about 10 mini-wheats (preferably the brown sugar ones) into a bowl. Then comes a handful of Shreddies ontop of the mini's. Followed by another handful of Honey Nut Cheerios and a "sprinkling" of Fruit Loops. Now of course, there's a certain way I eat this concoction. First I dig deep for the mini-wheats and eat those. Then I carefully spoon out the cheerios and fruit loops. And finally I eat the soggy shreddies. How sweet it is. For a little adventure I have frosted flakes instead of the "o's".

I need a life.

no words

I'm totally getting hooked on this whole Facebook thing. It's addicting and as a mother of 3 I'm finding it hard to be addicted to much of anything (other than caffeine). While endlessly cruising last week I came across this one from my sister's "page". I knew Chris when he helped out with this youth retreat event that I was co-organizing like 5 years ago. He was a solid faith guy. I was instantly weeping when I read what happened to his wife and when I was explaining to Steve what Chris had written, I started weeping again. That's all I'm going to say. I hope the links work.

sorry for treating you....

There is a reason why I haven't blogged much lately. If you haven't noticed anything odd, then don't worry about it. It's because of my new neighbours. Of course not directly b'cos of them, but they've had a hand in my madness. You see when we first bought our house there was a super sweet 90 year old man living next door. He was the best neighbour you could ask for. He'd give us fresh veggies from his garden and bring candies and snacks over for the kids. He was a great guy. Then came the time when he felt like he just couldn't shovel the ol' walk anymore or mow the lawn. Time to sell and move into a seniors place. Life just hasn't been the same since. The people who bought the house were younger and so we were excited. Then we realized that they were making it into a rental house. Not good. Well I shouldn't say that, b'cos we were renters ourselves for the first 2 years of our marriage. So instead I'll say we were hopeful. That hope quickly turned to fear and hate. I won't go deeply into that 'cos that's a whole other story on it's own. Anyway, a year later (and 5 renters later) the house sat empty for a few months. We were glad. Then a few weeks ago, Steve noticed something stirring next door and sure enough a new family was moving in.

Now as far as I can tell there are 3 little girls (around the 5-6 year age mark) and a baby/toddler in there somewhere too. 2 women (one possibly an aunt) and they just got a puppy on the weekend. So far, they seem good. The girls are polite and play well with our kids. My only complaint is that they want to come over ALL THE TIME. We've told them numerous times that they're welcome to come over and play when our kids are outside. I guess that must translate into "keep coming over and knocking on my flippin' door and asking me if my kids can come out and play." Seriously they come over all the time. At least 2x in the morning and again in the afternoon, followed by a few more times around supper. And of course, they don't have "normal" sleeping hours like most children do. Oh no. Instead they're out playing on the grass (which is right outside our window, which is right by my head when I'm suppose to be sleeping) till 11:30 or so, laughing hysterically. I guess I should be glad they're getting their excercise. (??)

Whatever.

So all this to say that I haven't had a good night's sleep in almost 2 weeks. Therefore I've been a grumpy ogre, storming at my children and freaking out at the hubby, wanting to hurl things across the house and maybe hit something along the way. Which brings me to the main brain attack. Mother's Day 2006. We went to a friends house to watch the Survivor finale and they had bought a DQ ice cream cake.
This is what they had written on it. At the time I couldn't fully comprehend the statement. But now I know quite well what she was thinking. A few days ago I was thinking that if this were a real job, I would have quit long ago. Fortunately (or un- depending on how you look at it) this particular job I can't run away from. The perks may seem few and far between some days, but they are there. You just have to look for them. Now I need to listen to my own advice and look for a perk before I lose my sanity for good.

finally...

..ha ha just kidding. Hot off the press, here are a few shots of our exciting Mom's Nite Out 2nd Annual Golf Nite. If you have any complaints, write to her. I don't remember if I mentioned anything about the actual night itself, but it was a blast. It always is. There's nothing more therapeutic than hanging around, kid free talking to a bunch of other Mom's about stuff that your children have done. There were anatomy stories and bowel movement stories and your everyday good kid stuff stories. I loved it!


I also just noticed that our Galaxy Cinemas has started the stars and strollers program, where you can go watch movies with your babies. I don't know how long they've been doing it, but I can remember seeing an ad for it a long time ago and then finding out that it's not offered here in PA. So anyway, now it is! You can check it out here for details.

Today...

...is a day that I wish I could just start over.

drool

Did I mention that I seem to have a problem drooling out of the left side of my mouth?

tick...tick...tick

It's amazing how slowly time seems to slip by when you're laying awake in bed listening to the partygoers down the street. Before you know it it's 3:37 am and you've decided to give in and phone the cops (who were already on their way for the 3rd time that night!!).

All is quiet.

KAW-KAW-KAW! Apparently every crow in a 5 mile radius decides to catch up on the latest news...in the tree right outside your window. 4:13 am.

5:07 am and Keziah starts getting fussy. Feeding time!

6:24 am you finally crawl back into bed, hoping to catch a few zzzz's before the alarm goes off in just over an hour and your hubby starts snoring. The kind of snore that sounds like one of those toy noise makers they give to little kids at parties. Only this noise maker has been stepped on a bit so it's really low and super wheezy.

7:32 am the alarm goes off. You hit the snooze.

7:37 am the alarm goes off. You hit the snooze.

7:42 am the alarm goes off. You hit the snooze.

You finally leech out of bed (at the promise of bacon & eggs at A&W) and begin your day.

I

love

summer.

note to self

I watched Oprah today (for the first time in a long time) and saw a clip from a previous show about forgiving yourself. The clip was about a woman who was driving home with her 6 small children in the car and she fell asleep at the wheel. The van (I'm guessing) hit the side rail, flipped and slid down a deep bank landing in a river or lake. She was able to free herself and one child and paramedics freed 2 more, 3 other children died. I can't imagine that. There's been times when I've been driving on the highway and my head has dozed. I've had to stop the vehicle and get out and stretch or stop somewhere and buy something to snack on. I just can't imagine what might've happened. Something we need to remember. Wherever we're going is not so important that we need to take such chances. Note to self.

snipits

I hate days that involve alot of poop that's not my own.

What's the difference between a cabin, a cottage and a house that are all at a lake?

I wonder what babies think/dream about? Giant boobies?

I watched this movie last night while Steve was watching the Stanley Cup playoffs called Griffin & Phoenix. Highly enjoyable. Highly recommendable. Total chick flick. Have kleenex nearby kind of movie.

The previous obituary was comical b'cos Steve is a total Chuck Norris fan. He always goes to this one website and gets these ridiculous quotes.

I was thinking about my life list and thought of a couple. Backpack across the UK. Hang glide. Rally race. Go to Spain and take part in Tomatina. Camp out in a hut on a beach. Go on another mission trip. There's just a few that I've thought of so far.

Whenever I spend time with another couple I'm reminded of how much I love Steve. It's not that the other couple is bad, but I see how well I don't "fit" them and how well I fit with Steve.

We just came back from a weekend with the Mother-in-law. I'm feeling nice at the moment so I won't be too negative. But I will say it has got to be hard to be that negative towards other people.

I love garlic bread.

sweet

'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

May Long

Ahhh...there's nothing like a May Long Weekend. Sitting out on the beach, with blankets wrapped around your legs, toque covering the head and mitts on your hands enjoying the beautiful SNOW falling on the ground. Gag!!! Snow! I can't believe it's stinkin' snowing!! My furnace just cut in, I'm freezin!

This is so not how a long weekend is suppossed to be!!

girls week

This week is officially my girls week out. Meaning just Keziah and I are home right now. So far, it's had it's ups and downs. It appears that neither of us sleep very well when Daddy isn't here with us and we don't eat very well either. Actually I suppose that depends on what you call "well" as I am eating my 2 favourite things: ice cream cake and macarooni.

Thankful

Lately I'm becoming more aware of things. More aware of how fortunate I am to have 3 happy, healthy children and the fact that I had no problems getting pregnant and delivering them. Last weekend I was at my brother's place in Melfort and Jill, my sister-in-law, was telling me about this little guy that she knew who was born with some sort of bone disorder. I don't know exactly what it is, but she said that his bones are very brittle and brake at the slightest movement. Shortly after he was born his parents couldn't figure out why he kept crying. After numerous tests they found out that he had broken his leg and arm. So they had to go to Regina to set them and on they way back from the hospital he broke his other leg. Jill said that the mother can't nurse the little guy or burp him or anything. All they can do is lay him on the floor and just watch him. How sad. My heart aches at that and all I can do is pray for them and the little guy.

A friend of mine has 4 children and her youngest is named Elisabeth. This is the latest e-mail from her...

Hey there. I don’t know if most of you remember about a year and a half ago I sent an email about a heart condition Elisabeth has, it’s called an Atrial Septal Defect. We have been for 2 check-ups since then and yesterday the doctor told us that open heart surgery is the only option and he wants it done this year. So we will be going to Edmonton Children’s Hospital to get this done probably late summer or fall. We have been praying for healing constantly and will continue to do so. So if you think of her send up a prayer. I know God has protected her throughout her life so far with this condition. Most children have recurring chest infections, she has had none. And there can also be problems with growth etc. but she is a very healthy girl. So thank you for the prayers sent so far on her behalf and we will keep you posted as to the exact time of her surgery. Thanks for your prayer support. God is in control, I know that and trust that He is with us and will be with the doctors through the surgery. Thanks for your prayers.

Elisabeth will be 4 in September.

NOW

Awhile back I saw this ad on TV for this NOW show. It was hosted by Phil (from Amazing Race, which is one show that I would LOVE to be on and I think Steve and I would win, or at least come in top 3. Aim big right?) and I just think he has the coolest job, so I thought it would be neat to check it out. The whole idea stems from a near death experience and how we should be thankful that we are alive and therefore not "waste" the time we have. N.O.W. (No Opportunity Wasted). The fact that it's coming to Canada I think is the coolest, 'cos so rarely do these shows allow Canadians to apply. I'm just excited.

Anyway, so after this near death experience Phil made a list for life (which I'm sure you've heard of in one form or another). I just spent a few minutes checking out the site and now I'm wondering what my biggest fear is? If I had 72 hours to do something for someone (or the world), what would I do? What would I put on my list for life? I was reading one and I kinda chuckled. This woman's biggest fear was dying before she had the chance to model. Yeah....... But I guess it's her fear, however whacked it might be.

So I'm going to think about this for awhile and I'll get back to you. In the meantime, what are some of yours?

better

After my last post, I fed Keziah again, then went for a run. The last song on my MP3 player was one of my favourites. It was just what I needed.

Video by India Arie
Sometimes I shave my legs and sometimes I don't
Sometimes I comb my hair and sometimes I won't
Depend on how the wind blows I might even paint my toes
It really just depends on whatever feels good in my soul

I'm not the average girl from your video
and I ain't built like a supermodel
But, I learned to love myself unconditionally
Because I am a queen
I'm not the average girl from your video
My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes
No matter what I'm wearing I will always be India Arie

When I look in the mirror and the only one there is me
Every freckle on my face is where it's supposed to be
And I know my creator didn't make no mistakes on me
My feet, my thighs, my lips, my eyes; I'm lovin' what I see

I'm not the average girl from your video
and I ain't built like a supermodel
But, I learned to love myself unconditionally
Because I am a queen
I'm not the average girl from your video
My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes
No matter what I'm wearing I will always be India Arie

Am I less of a lady if I don't wear pantyhose?
My mama said a lady ain't what she wears but, what she knows
But, I've drawn a conclusion, it's all an illusion, confusion's the name of the
game
A misconception, a vast deception
Something's gotta change
Don't be offended this is all my opinion
ain't nothing that I'm sayin law
This is a true confession of a life learned lesson I was sent here to share with
y'all
So get in where you fit in go on and shine
Clear your mind, now's the time
Put your salt on the shelf
Go on and love yourself
'Cuz everything's gonna be all right

I'm not the average girl from your video
and I ain't built like a supermodel
But, I Learned to love myself unconditionally
Because I am a queen
I'm not the average girl from your video
My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes
No matter what I'm wearing I will always be India Arie

Keep your fancy drinks and your expensive minks
I don't need that to have a good time
Keep your expensive car and your caviar
All I need is my guitar
Keep your Kristal and your pistol
I'd rather have a pretty piece of crystal
Don't need your silicon I prefer my own
What God gave me is just fine

I'm not the average girl from your video
and I ain't built like a supermodel
But, I learned to love myself unconditionally
Because I am a queen
I'm not the average girl from your video
My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes
No matter what I'm wearing I will always be India Arie

nothing

Nothing is more depressing than having nothing to wear. Then in a moment of defeat, going to a store to try on clothes 2x bigger than what's all in your closet, and still not finding anything that fits.

I think I'll go on a starvation diet for the next year.

da do run run run da do run run

Last Thursday I hauled my lazy, sluggish bottom out to Summit Physiotherapy to join a Learn To Run class. Once there I was quite glad to see 5 (including myself) Mom's from Mom's Morning Out. Last fall we had a session at Mom's about fitness put on by some of the staff at Summit and they put a plug in for this Learn To Run class. So, whether or not they were there b'cos of that class, I don't know, but I secretly (altho' I guess not so secret anymore) took a little pride in the fact that I, at least, would not have been in that room full of women, if it had not been for Mom's. Cool.

The class itself was alright. I think it should be interesting as the weeks go on. I'm glad I have some knowledge of breathing techniques and posture that I've oozed off of other people in the past. That's right, I used to be in peak physical form! You can't really tell by looking at me today (especially in my jazzy, new running pants I bought on the weekend - eek!!) but back in the day (over 10 years ago) I was firm in all the places I'm not now. In highschool I was on the soccer team and my french teacher was a long distance runner, so she would take us out after school for cross country runs (and I mean cross country! Those runs went FOREVER!!!) and give us pointers on breathing and posture, so that we wouldn't tire ourselves out. For some reason I can remember eating Oh Henry bars every day before I ran. Oh to be young again... Then I got interested in cycling. I'll add that I got more interested in cycling b'cos of a hot guy after I was already interested. So you can't say that I did it for a guy, b'cos I didn't. That was how I got interested in guitar (which is a completely different story). And at the height of my cycling "career" I was training with the Sask Team for the Junior Canada Games. We went to Utah and rode hills in the rain. I'd like to say it was awesome, but instead will settle for "it was an experience". As we all know, coming down was way easier than going up. Then to top off my physicality, I decided to try out for the RCMP. Passed the first written exam but when it came time to get my sight and hearing checked, having failed both and not having the $5000 to fix it, I dropped out before actually taking the Physical exam.

After that I got married and had little time (or need ha ha ha) for cycling, running or any sort of weight training. Shortly thereafter I had children and had even less time. Until now, and for some reason, I have even less time, but the "lipids" (as Steve likes to call "fat") on my belly are growing and stocking up and so I feel that something must be done and done soon. So this Thursday I will return to my running class, having done my homework (of running 3x a week) and I will feel great for it!!

At this time I'll post a picture of me standing on a hill with my hands on my hips wearing my jazzy new pants with a cape (b'cos that's cool) blowing in the wind.

But I don't have one.

Lucky for you.