HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA. no

So I've just been informed that my husband would like me to purchase him a led hdtv in the 40-50 inch variety, for his birthday on January 13th.

Oh man, I've never laughed so hard!

I mean. We Do have a credit card, so I guess I could buy it for him, but ..uhm... no.

We have a perfectly good TV now and I am not about to go into debt for a TV for his birthday!!!

I was thinking more along the lines of getting him a game for his PS3 or a new hoodie. Something that can be bought without going into debt.

But hey, lets not tell him just yet, we can let the boy dream, can't we?

Getting an Education - Online

Right now, ANY job is hard to find, much less a good one, so it is important to keep what you've got. that doesn't mean that you cannot work to better yourself in the mean time, by getting more education.

More and more people are turning to online university educations becuase it is flexible - you do you work when you can, you work the nine to five or the night shift. Online education is a great idea for stay at home moms like myself too. I cannot afford the cost of a babysitter or daycare, but with the convenience and flexibility of online classes I could do my work load during naps or after the boys had gone to bed.

Western Governors University is a non profit university and it offers nationally and regionally accredited online bachelor’s and master’s degrees. WGU offers degrees in teaching, the medical field, technology and business.

I think that if you are looking to climb that next step, online degree programs are a great way to get an education the way you want it, when you want it!

*I was compensated for giving my honest thoughts about the online university program*

weird dream

OMG. The boys and husband were watching Octopussy on the TV, its a James Bond movie, for those who don't know, so I decided to go and have a nap.

When i woke up though, I had had the weirdest dream ever. EVER.

At least, the weirdest that I can remember!

I was dating James Bond, in my dream, much like how he "dates" women in his movies, and I was well aware that there were other women involved, but didn't care. It got pretty steamy between us! (I liked those parts the best!)

I had decided that the best way for me to show him that I didn't care about the other women, was to get him a gift from the hotel gift shop.

(LOL)

But what I wanted to get him from the gift shop...well.. you know those fuzzy things you can put on toilet seats? It was one of those, except it went on a suitcase, not a toilet, AND it was in the shape of an animal! I wanted to get him a tiger or bear or lion, something strong and manly, becuase, after all, he IS James Bond. Unfortunately, all I could find were carps, an iguana, a frog and a lady bug.

I was in my hotel room, crying my heart out over the injustice of not being able to buy him the perfect gift, when my step mother walked in. She sat on the bed and told me she had something to tell me and proceeded to tell me that while my mother was still alive, my dad had had an affair - with her son! This is when I woke up, so I never did find out which of my two step brothers my daddy had an "affair" with, but you can bet I will be giving them, all three, weird looks over Christmas.

Dreams are So weird!

14 DaysTil Socksmas!

Thats right! In just two more weeks Sockta comes to our houses while we sleep and leaves wonderful amazing socks under all of our Socksmas Trees! I'm so excited!

In between pricing ceramic tiles and tracking my new shoes - Which crossed Canada Customs at 2:38 Am this morning, I have been counting down, frantically, until Socksmas Morning! I know of at least six pairs of thigh high socks that will be waiting for me under the tree (becuase I bought them) And who knows, maybe my husband took the hint and there will be more!

Merry Almost Socksmas Everybody!

A Rant: Brought to you by the new Light Bulbs

So those enw light bulbs/ the swirly energy efficient ones that are supposed to last for ten years or some shit like that?

They are burned out. Not just one here or one there, but every month one or two die. And it isn't like you can run out to the store and buy the old kind and use those, oh no! Those light bulbs are no longer sold, you HAVE to buy the new ones, and they cost a freaking MINT.

I dunno if you noticed, but bathroom lighting is really important. Walking in to a darkish bathroom makes the whole room seem dirty and small and I hate it.

Two of the tree light sin the light thingy over the dining room table have burned out in the last week. Four of the seven in the bathroom have burned out in the last month.

I never, ever had this kind of problem when I was using the old bulbs, I could easily get six months to a year from them instead of the six weeks (on average) with the new kind!

/end rant

Progress

We bought the "big" item for Christmas.

We wanted to get the boys a netbook to share between the three of them. They all three like to play little internet games, webkinz, and the like, and Parker is now bringing home homework that must be done online* and I hate having to share my laptop while he does his work.

Also, having the netbook will give me a tiny bit of peace of mind in terms of if my laptop suddenly dies. I work online quite a bit, and am rather addicted to facebook, so if my laptop suddenly dies, at least I could check my crops and get my work done while waiting till we could afford a new one.

Its just a small thing. it;s blue - I forget the actual make of it, but its 10.1 inches big (screen size). It doesn't have enough computer memory for them to play PC games or store pictures, but it will be good for online play and even has a webcam so they can skype their Nana and Papa this winter while they snowbird of in Phoenix.

Its a great relief to have it bought and hidden, becuase now, no matter what happens, money wise, at least they will have one** great gift waiting for them under the tree.

*I do not think it is right to assign homework that must be done online. Not every family has access to the internet!
**we are actually about 99% done our Christmas shopping, but I meant to post this a week or so ago. My bad!

Happy Turkey Day

To all my friends online and in real life, I want to take a minute to wish you a very happy Turkey Day, to hope that you are safe, happy, healthy and surrounded by love.

And I wanted to ask you something, to which I hope you ultimately say "no" so that I can start feeling like a cool, hip, up with the trends type person again...


In the past month or so I have read about a product on three different websites and tehn, again, this morning on a link I clicked through VIA Yahoo.

Kettlebell

Yeah. Weird word eh? I checked it out and apparently its this ball exercise type thingy that is super cool.

Have you ever heard of it?

So Blue

Go ahead and read this post, no, really, go on, I will wait.

...

......

..


Back? Yeah. So now you can see why I haven't needed any appetite suppressants to keep me away from the last of the Halloween candy, huh?


Yeah. Much Suckage.

Know what doesn't sucks? This:



See, today was "Blue" day in Kindergarten. the theme of the past month has been oceans and marine life, and to end out the theme all the kids had to dress in blue. As per usual, I went above and beyond in the theme adding a whales and sea turtle button up shirt to the mix. He was, of course, adorable!

A First!

Well. a SORT OF first, In the summer we got a credit card so that we could reserve a hotel room for our vacation. We reserved it online with the credit card, but the cost of the hotel room never actually made it onto the card, we paid cash for that.

So I feel pretty confidant saying that I have finally, for the first time, used my credit card online. To be honest, I was quite nervous entering the number online but my husband said our card has some sort of identity theft protection on it.

I bought the Pioneer Woman's Cook book on Amazon.ca and it arrived just a few days ago. Its awesome! Ive made plans already to make the lasagna - minus the ground breakfast sausage becuase I can't figure out what that is or where to buy it!

Amazon.CA is much different from the US site. It makes me sad and kind of angry. I can get books, movies and video games on the Canadian site, compared to being able to get just about ANYTHING on the US site.

I wish websites would realize that Canadians like to shop just as much as Americans!

Random

Does anyone else wish that those wee mini chocolate bars for Halloween were really slimming pills in disguise?

Meh.

Logan hasn't had his hives in such a long time! He has an appointment on the 14th of December with the ENT and one on the 24th of December (YES!! Christmas Eve) with the allergist. I'm very excited for both the appointments, I sure wish time would fly just a little bit faster!

I need to make him an appointment to get his eyes checked though, he keeps complaining about headaches and I need to rule out vision problems before I push the matter with his doctor, who has so far, been unwilling to really dig for what is causing the headaches.

Seeing as me and Micah both wear glasses, and both of our parents also wear glasses (as well as our middle son) there is a very high chance the headaches are realted in some way to his vision!

Making Room

I wanted Blake to sleep upstairs so I could keep an eye on him better, but because his headache is so bad, he did not want to stay in the living room with all of the noise. Our solution was to pull out the trundle bed and have him sleep in Logan's room.

But first, I had to clean Logan's room. He likes to bring toys upstairs from the basement and within a few weeks it is impossible for him to have a clean room, simply becuase he has too many toys and no place to put them.

While he was in the bathtub I took a big black garbage bag into his room and bundled up a LOT of the toys and took them to the storage room to hide. While I was in the storage room I tripped over the suitcases, stubbing my big toe and finding out that the big suitcase in our set is ripped open by the zipper.

I'm glad I noticed this now and not the night before I tried to pack us for a trip, now I can search at my leisure for some good Samsonite luggage to replace our set.

The set is old, anyway, When I graduated high school, it was a gift from my father. (I took the hint and moved out)

Logan got out of the tub and he noticed his room was clean, but did not notice that more than half of his toys were missing!

The boys are both in there, and Blake is already asleep. I'm looking forward to not having to go downstairs in the dead of the night to check on him!

The Weather Man is Teasing Me

So today Micah comes home from work and you wanna know what he told me? That the weather forecast is for plus ten this weekend. Ordinarily this would be cause for celebration but now, when everyone is sick, this is the last thing I want to hear.

The warm up cool down, warm up cood down cycle gets me sick every single year. Without fail. Right now I am doing my level best not to fall prey to the children's flu germs, so the news that it is once again going to warm up only to cool down again is the Worst.News.Ever.

I think we need to look into some six month long orlando vacations. Pull the kids out of school, pretend to home school them while we visit all the sights Florida has to offer.

FYI : Florida is WARM, Saskatchewan is COLD.

And yes, I AM looking for pity. You better deliver

I am quite used to spending all winter coughing and sniffling and bowing my nose, but this? This is something worse. It started like a normal head cold, with a really bad headache and a stuffed up nose, now Its *just* a sore throat and an all over body ache. The worst of it is the absolute lack of energy I have.

I can't find the energy to do ANYTHING.

I want to hide in my bed with my nice mattress heater on, but, having three kids, I can't run off and hide in my room, you know? What I need is a heated blanket. I would LOVE to be able to curl up on the couch with a nice hot blankie instead of running to the tub three times a day for quick baths to warm up.

And no, I don't have a fever, or the flu, or the swine (oink) flu.

I'm just sick, adn need pity and a heated blankie.

Please.

October 31st, Destroyer of Diets

Have you seen all the wee, tiny, delicious, individually wrapped chocolate bars in the stores lately?

WANT.

October 31st. the day Most call Halloween, but I call The Destroyer of Diets is almost here. This year, I am lucky. Because of how the days work, Micah's payday falls on the Friday immediately before Halloween and I convinced him we should wait until then to purchase candy to give out to the ghouls and goblins who ring our bell.

Of course my REAL reason on waiting to buy candy is that this is the time of year where not even the best weight loss pills are going to help me.

I love, LOVE candy, but those miniature versions, they do something dark and dirty to me. It's like, "Hey! This chocolate bar is soooooo small, just one bite! It's not gonna hurt to have one" and I steal one from the boys bucket of candy. Then i take another and another, and ANOTHER.

I just cannot stay away from them. Tiny Kit Kats, Tiny Aero bars, Teeny Tiny Wonderbars! I both dread and look forward to Halloween SO much.

Thanksgiving

Today was Thanksgiving in Canada. I understand it is Columbus Day in the United States?

We had a veritable feast. Not just the usual fare, the turkey and the dressing with cranberry sauce, we had Greek foods and Japanese, we had spicy shrimp dips (I didn't try that one, I hate seafood). We had fresh home made rolls and for dessert, coconut cream pie, pumpkin, apple, chocolate pie and several different types of squares.

After just this one day of eating (which began at nine AM with crepes at my sister in laws) My belly is bursting at the seams, I need more than a fat burner, I need a miracle!

It's unfortunate that thanksgiving is followed by Halloween, which is followed by Christmas, becuase I have zero will power and can't say no to a second helping of dressing (with extra gravy) any more than I can say no to a miniature chocolate bar snuck from the kids Halloween buckets as they sleep!

By New Years Day I will be the size of a hippo!

Chgalugalugin' five miles an hour!

Please.

Ignore the title of this post! I went for a quick Slurpee run and this song was playing on the radio when I got home. I find that if I only hear part of a song, it gets stuck in my head faster than my slurpee can melt on a +30 afternoon!

AHNYway.

This morning Logan spewed all over the couch and some got on the area rug we have in the living room. I scrubbed it as best I can, but you can still see where it sprayed. Anyone know something I can use that is color safe, and will work on area rugs? We don't have a carpet washer thingy and I really don't want to go rent one because other than two area rugs we have no carpet in the house!

I'm not an anal person when it comes to my house and it being neat and tidy, but one thing I hate are stains on the floors or furniture. If I spill coffee on the floor and miss some when I wipe it up, it just about ruins my day when I walk back into the kitchen and see the spots, SO. I either need to get this rug clean or start looking for discount rugs. The rug we have there now is about five years old and shows it. With two dogs it gets hairy quickly and even though I vacuum it, pet hair seems to weave itself into things and you can never get it all out.

In any case, I would rather try to clean the stain than buy a new rug right now, it;s only 89 or so days until Christmas, you know!

Location matters!

Five times int eh last three weeks - not counting getting my stitches removed- i have gone down to the new medical center here in town.

I love love love having a medical center - complete with x-ray machine, here in town.

Before, I would have to travel into the city, which, with traffic, takes me about 45 minutes to get to. My dad used to be able to deduct medical travel from his taxes, but that was when he would have to drive her six hours to get to the BIG city for her treatments.

It was SO mice the other night to just jump in the car, drive a block and take Logan into the doctors (ear ache) just like it is awesome that I can get Parkers' prescription filled here in town now!

Location matters, you know. Two summers ago, Blake fell off his bike and cut the underside of his chin. It was deep and should have had stitches, but by the time we had driven into the city and waited through the long long ER waits, the cut would be too old for stitches so we bandaged it up and sent him on his way. He has a sizable scar now. If the clinic had been open two summers ago, we would have taken him there, quick smart!

Continuing my search

We are almost done the first month of the school year and hence, the first month of me being home alone bored all day long because all my kids are gone.

After searching my area's want ads. I came to the conclusion that without furthering my educations there are no jobs available for me.

For me, an online, accredited university is the only way to go. I;m just not a morning person. I cannot get up and be at a bricks and mortar university for an 8am class and be able to retain the information. An online school, like Gonzaga University, will let me do my work anytime of day. Which is good, because evenings are when I do best!

I think it's amazing, the technological advances that will let a person go and get Online master degrees! Online! Without leaving the house!

Gonzaga University is ranked one of ranked number 3 in the West by US News and World Report. it isn't often that you find top rated university's offering online degrees, which is sad because the convinced of doing it online in your spare time means that people with jobs, or like me, with kids, actually have the opportunity to further their education.

SO Freaking COOL

In the wide world of blogging you get to meet a bunch of new people. Some people, you will read their story and keep walking, never giving them a second thought. Others you will read, and read and then read some more, their stories will make you cry, or make you laugh. Some will give you hope.

When you blog, and read the same people every day, when you interact with them on facebook, twitter and other cyber areas, you soon become friends with them. When you friends are sad, you are sad with them. And when good things happen, their joy is enough to make you smile thousands of miles away.

Kat is an online friend. We've never met, and we probably never will. She lives in Florida and i live in central Canada. Quite a distance. Those miles don't stop me from being overjoyed and amazed at what has happened in her life the past 48 hours!

See, Kat was adopted as a little girl, and now, after years and years apart, she finally got to meet her siblings, ON NATIONAL TV no less!

Here is a link to the video, you will have to sit through an ad first, mine was on affordable health insurance, but it is worth it to hear the amazing story of how Kat and her three siblings finally connected.

In fact, the story is SO amazing, Tyra, from the Tyra banks show has reached out VIA twitter to Kat and her siblings to see if they will be on her show!

So cool.

I wish Kat and her new found family many many years of happiness!

Summer Is over

Welcome to the first day of fall.

I hate fall. Fall means winter is coming and winter means it is cold and that I am going to have nasty dry itchy skin and the flu and catch colds and freeze my toes all day long.

All last winter I posted about how I wanted to lose weight, I researched online (and off) on how to lose belly fat , I bought work out DVD's and carrots and celery. I drooled over the bags of chips but (for the most part) did not put them in my shopping cart.

All last winter, my goal for summer was to be skinny. And here we are, On September 21st, the very first (calendar) day of fall and I am fat as ever :o(

So. What now?

Mondays and Wednesdays, Logan is in school and I have the house completely to myself. There is no one to watch me sweat and swear as I lumber through my videos. No one asking me for a cookie at 10 am making me want one too.

THIS is the winter I am going to lose the weight. I have scaled my goal down by a lot. I've decided that I need to give myself a reasonable goal this winter. You see. my goal ths winter is NOT to lose weight!

HA!

My goal is to fit into the jeans on my top shelf by the first day of summer. One size. that's all I want to lose and I want to do it without looking at the scale!

Wish me luck!!

Online Education

My youngest had his first day of school this past Monday and I was bored stiff. I thumbed through the paper classifieds and then some online ones for my area and quickly realized that I am not qualified to do ANYTHING outside the home.

It has been over ten years since I was last in the work force and everything has changed.

Since Micah and I only have one car, for me to do anything, in terms of ensuring I have the right qualifications for a job, I started searching for online courses, and that brought me to Masters of Science in Information Security.

Now, obviously I love computers, I'm on mine at home all day long, so this perked my interest. The fact that it is an accredited University that offers Masters Degrees is just perfect. There is an option to enroll on a campus, instead of online, but like I said, the car thing - and distance! The faculty you would be learning with is very impressive and the courses seem to cover a broad range of computer specialize programs.

I know that I am not the only one who is looking to further my employment opportunities, and while I am reasonably sure that I could snag a job as a waitress or gas jockey, If i'm going to work, I'm going to do something FUN!

With that in mind, here are some links that I think you would find interesting - if you are interested in online courses, anyway.

Information security courses: A 35-Credit hour program offering Computer organization, Data networking and many more subjects (even intrusion detection, response and recovery)

I'd never make it as a copy writer, so I;m going to quote a portion of the website:

Careers in Information Security

The Lewis University Master of Science in Information Security has been developed for individuals seeking to provide a more secure IT environment. Businesses, organizations, and government agencies everywhere need highly trained professionals capable of assessing threats and of designing and implementing counter measures in IT security.

And finally, here is a handy dandy FAQ to help answer any more questions you have!

(Pee Ess: Financial Aid is available for those who qualify!)

OMG. This BITES

So this morning I was Google'ing random things, like puffball kittens and Orange New Jersey cosmetic dentist, just your basic random searches, you know? Something to waste the last five minutes before my crops on Farmville were ready to harvest (ADD ME AS A NEIGHBOUR IF YOU PLAY FARMVILLE)(My farm is awesome)

So just as I am switching from Google to facebook to harvest my tomatoes, I crossed my legs. Or attempted to. The pain was unbelievable, which is odd, considering its been almost two weeks since my stitches and the pain was in my knee itself, not my stitches.

The pain was so bad in fact, I waited till noon for the clinic to open and went to see my doctor.

I just got home.

Turns out I took the doctor too seriously when she told me to "try not to bend you knee, the stitches may break open", and I have lost, she estimates, 35% of mobility in my knee and will have to see a physical therapist to regain the movement.


OMG.

Only *I* could do something like this over nine tiny stitches. OMG

Aw CRUD!

OMG we did it again!

Quite a while ago I decided that the only way for us to remember when to change our furnace air filters, would be for us to do it on GST months.

For those of you not in Saskatchewan, every three months we get a "GST" check, its a rebate check, based on your income for a portion on the taxes you spend over the year. Our checks come January, April, July and October.

It should be super duper simple to remember the air filter on those months because we also have birthdays those months! And yet, once again it is NOT a GST month and I suddenly realize we've forgotten again.

This is like the 9457923475th time in a row people.

From now on YOU are responsible for reminding me to change the filter. I expect a comment or ten reminding me to do it next November.

And yes. I AM serious!

Personal space

Dogs just do not understand personal space. Normally, this is a non issue. Is there anything better than wrapping your arms around a big, warm, furry animal and hugging it?

But sometimes, a person NEEDS that space. Case in point. Up there,^, at the word furry, I had to stop typing and scream, then cry a little bit and finally, ask my husband to pass me an ice pack because our dog was sitting on the couch beside me, watching me type. She saw something out the window and jumped up, off the couch to go see it.

The problem? She used my knee, the one I just got nine stitches in, as a starting board to push herself off.

Earlier today I had a similar problem with her. She likes to come up to us and when we start to scratch her ears or chin, she quickly turns so we scratch her back. The turning part, she crashes into our legs. Each time, until I made her go lay down in her bed, she would crash into my knee.

We have a bark collar for Smokey, but I think wee need to invent some sort of wireless alarms so that I can program it to beep and warn me before she is going to cause me this amount of pain again.

Seriously, my knee is ON FIRE right now!

Picture Proof

So we are home from vacation! I posted some pics on facebook, some on Bluepaintred, and some just a few minutes ago on Where Was I?.

However, there are some pictures that are NOT going to make online sites. Except this one, just to help "show" my problem.

I had a great time on vacation, But after the first day, when this* was taken, I pretty much refused all other picture opportunities where I was the subject of the photo. I took my laptop with us so that I could empty my memory card each night and was HORRIFIED to see this fat blob prancing around with MY kids, In MY dress.

*this :


Sigh. I knew, realistically, that I was gaining weight, and that because of the weight gain, I naturally looked different, but truthfully, I must be in denial when I look into the mirror because I DO NOT see myself like this. I see a slightly overweight girl, with a few problem areas, but not like this. Not this person with a huge ass and a pregnant looking belly. And when did my arms get so fat?

Horrified.

I need to get a weight loss pill that works, and I need to get ACTIVE.

NOW.

This has gone on way way too far.

What I am doing right now

Right now I am google'ing time zones, trying to figure out if Alberta is the same time as us right now.

After I make sense of the time zone thingy, I need to find a place online that will tell me what radio stations I can expect to pick up on the highways we will be traveling.

About the only thing I don't need to Google is cell tower and their placement because we don't have a cell phone.

I thought about buying an el cheapo cell phone, the kind you activate and then put minutes on with a pre-paid card, for the trip, but then I couldn't figure out the pre paid cards website, what kind of fees (roaming) that I would be paying using the cell out of Province.

You know, going on vacation is a LOT of work...but I am sure it will be worth it.

But for right now, I need to quit wasting time on here, and go figure out those time zones!

ZOMG

It's after ten PM here and it is plus 22 Celsius. In Fahrenheit, that's 71.6. It's very humid and very hot, and we do NOT have air conditioning.

Add the fact that I had to cook in the oven today with the fact that I have been washing, and drying clothes today, it's even hotter inside.

It's nasty.

I've been running from early this morning, trying to pack for a trip, getting the dogs ready for their vacation - yes we send our dogs on vacation, what of it?

I have absolutely zero need for diet pills lately, I'm sweating off all my extra weight!

And you know? I'm more than willing to deal with the heat, the sweat and the uncomfortableness, so long as it doesn't rain on our vacation.

Seriously!

Speaking of Perfect Shoes

How cute are these?


I bought these shoes last night. I just fell in love with them! I'm a tiny bit worried about the ears, bows, eyes and nose coming off, but it looks like they would be easy to re-apply with the help of a glue gun.

And I'm worried about the ankle strap. I don't think my ankles are ready for weight loss supplements quite yet, but there was one time I was shopping with BFF Kissy and tried on a pair of shoes with an ankle strap and the strap didn't fit! It did not go around my ankle with enough room for it to still be able to be buckled in.

Now. Those particular shoes might have just had a shorter than average strap, BUT, it will be horrible if I cannot fit these shoes when they come! They are too cute NOT to wear!

The Perfect pair?

Does the perfect pair of shoes exist? I can't see how it ever would. I mean. There are so many occasions, so many different outfits, so many different moods, so no, I don't think there is a perfect pair of shoes out there for a woman to magically stumble upon.

That isn't stopping me from trying though!

I posted a photo on Bluepaintred the other day of me in a pretty blue dress., I was worried that the top would be too..revealing... but according to the internet, the top is fine. NOW, I just need to find a good pair of shoes to wear with that dress.

My most important consideration in a pair of shoes is that they must be comfortable, I've spent a few hours today, literally, two or three HOURS searching women shoes online. I'm kind of looking for something in the wedge family, because the dress is right to the floor, it drags a tiny tiny bit and I would like to wear a wedge to ensure I am not stepping on my hem.

I'd also like something that's in the peep toe family because I really think my toes are quite nice and I don't mind having them on display. Plus, it's a great excuse for me to paint them!

So anyway, I saw some great shoes today. Buuuut. I'm not ready to buy any yet...not quite yet.

Little Reminders

I went into the bedroom this evening to make a call. I was ordering Chinese takeout for dinner. The number was busy, so I decided to call my dad and see how his day had gone. He answered the phone with "Joe's Morgue. You stab 'em, We'll slab 'em". I promptly told my dad that it is just way too soon for me to be hearing morgue jokes from him, seeing as five days ago he was very close to getting his own personalized toe tag!

He told me that he refuses to stop living because he almost died, and that in fact, almost dying has made living to him that more important.

I guess this is just one of the changes, besides the new diet and lifestyle changes, that I will be seeing in dad the coming months.

It's just that it was SO scary, to walk into that room and see him laying on that gurney. I honestly though he was already gone.

And all around me little things keep happening to remind me of that day. I want so badly to forget it but things, like when Micah snuck up behind me the other day, startling me, I yelped " You almost gave me a heart attack" or seeing a woman with a heart shaped pendant at the movie theater tonight.

When will little sayings, or glimpses of heart jewelry, or the sight of an ambulance rushing through traffic stop making me sad?

Tonight at the theater, Micah was putting the ticket stubs in his pocket and said "Oh look what I still have" and pulled out the parking ticket for parking at the hospital dated July Fourth. I almost cried.

It's done. It's over. My dad is home and on the road to recovery. He is more than willing to make the lifestyle changes the doctors want, he is gung ho to follow both the cardiac diet and the diabetes diet. He is getting exercises - slowly because he tires easy, and he is going to be FINE.

But I still flinch every time the phone rings. I reach for it wondering if it is going to be that call again.

When will it stop?

Little dusty round these parts!

Wow! I've been quite around these parts, haven't I? It's OK, it was me, not you!

Lot's and Lot's of stories to tell!

First up, the Story of Herman.

My In-laws have always had good timing, but they really out did themselves this time! You see. Every summer, they invite my niece S down for a week, and take my three boys for the week, and just spend the entire time, hanging out, doing kid related things with them. It's awesome for the parents, its great for the kids to spend quality time with Nana and Papa, and this time, it's been a life saver, an absolute miracle, that they planned their week with the kids for this week.

You see. My father had four heart attacks Saturday Morning, and instead of trying to lose my head finding a place for the kids, I was free to run to my fathers side!

I' was chatting with my inlaws last night and they told me about Herman. Herman came to the Pool with a Rash Guard shirt on that was designed to look like a tuxedo shirt, neon green swim trunks and a baseball cap. He was around my eldest sons age, and that was enough for Parker to go up to him and ask him to play.

Parker has a quirk. If he has not heard a word before, obviously he doesn't understand it, and will substitute another word in its place with no qualms. That quirk came in handy back when he was a LOT younger and we had been listening to a song that has the word "sex" in it. Parker did not recognize the word "Sex" as an actual word, and while singing the song, replaced it with "stuff".

So Parker walks up to Herman, and introduces himself and Herman resonds in the same manner, telling Parker his name is Herman and of course he would like to play with him!

My mother in law said Parker cocked his head to the side, but began to play. A few minutes later, Parker stopped and said" What was your name again?" To which the boy replied "Herman". She told me "Parker was quiet for a second. You could tell he was tring to make sense of what the boy had said, but no matter how he turned it in his head, "Herman" was just not a word he could process.

So Parker asked "Can I just call you Steven?"

And today, when my mother in law took the boys and my niece back to the pool to play, Herman was there, and when Parker yelled "Steven! Come play" He came immediately and the two boys played the whole afternoon, with my mother in law giggling every time she caught Parker saying "Steven".

The end.

I Need a keeper!

I'm Late! I'm late! I'm late for a very important date! ~The White Rabbit

Oye. I'm late. Always, it seems. Or at least lately! I used to pride myself on never being late, always early - at the very least - on time, but the past week, or three, all I have been doing is running behind schedule!

And you know? I've been watching this past week. keeping tabs on myself, trying to see why these past few weeks have been so different than any others, and i notice that I'm Procrastinating! For example, I need to leave my house at the very latest, 2:50 PM to get to the school in time to pick up my youngest boy. Instead of making sure I have gone to the washroom, had a drink and grabbed my keys by 2:50, I've been sitting at the computer, reading things that have nothing to do with getting to the school, things like blogs and phenphedrine review and movie reviews!

That annoys me to no end. I hate being late, yet I lack the gumption, the get up and go to change it!

Another example/ I head to bed every night at midnight. It's nearly midnight now. I should be taking the dogs out for their nightly constitutional, or feeding the fish. I could be washing my face and brushing my teeth, but instead, I am typing away at my blog, telling y'all how I hate to be late when the very act of sitting here, typing is making me late!

AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!

Day Three

Today was my third day taking Chantix (Champix in Canada). So far I haven;t had any side effects - that I've noticed. Maybe the increased gas output, but, I might just be hyper-aware of each "fluff" because I know it is a known side effect and am watching for them all.

Tomorrow is the big test. The first three days on Champix I take a half dose pill in the morning, on the fourth day I start taking a half pill in the morning AND one at night. I am hoping like crazy that the no side effects thing continues.

Going tot he clinic to get my prescription for Champix was only my second time there, I had gone three days before to have a mini physical. I'm having girly issues and was very impressed with my experience with the doctor there. So impressed that I was willing to make an appointment to go back just three days later and ask for the prescription to Champix.

Getting the prescription filled was the first time I had gone to the new Pharmacy in town. I have to say I was very VERY impressed. They had everything from prescriptions to stuffed animals, a make-up section, a row for for acne treatments and one for Feminine products, first aid supplies and even some snack foods!

I'm so SAD, but everyone expects me to be HAPPY

What I am about to tell you....well... I would rather go with a group of perky twenty year old cheerleaders with tight bums and flat stomachs to try on women's lingerie in a communal dressing room than have to tell you it.

My baby, Logan. He is four. FOUR. Today after lunch I sent him outside to play with a ring pop type sucker. (It was a soccer ball shaped one, not a gem shaped one, but I cannot find any pictures of it.) A few minutes after I sent him outside with it, he and his best friend K, who lives next door to us came rushing inside.

"Logan's mouth is bleeding! He broked his toof!" K told me. Since Blake had so recently chipped a tooth I got worried right away and made Logan open big so I could see. Logan had tried to bite the sucker, which is a really HARD candy, and his tooth was indeed bleeding. But worse. Way worse, was the ADULT tooth poking up through his gums underneath the bleeding tooth.

And since his tooth was barely in there, I asked him if I could take it out. As sad as I was, I did not want him to lose his first tooth at school, away from me. (School starts for Logan at 12:30, this all took place at 12pm. I feed him lunch at 11 to make sure he is done without having to rush through it)

He said "It might hurt", and I told him, "Yup, it might, but just a little". Then he said "OK. You can take it out." and I did.

(You can't really tell, but he is holding his tiny baby tooth in his fingers in the picture)

HE IS FOUR YEARS OLD!

Kids are supposed to lose their teeth between five and six years of age, NOT four. And if you remind me that he will be five in one month less a day I will slap you through the interwebs! And if you point out that he began getting his teeth at two moths of age, I will KICK then SLAP you through the interwebs!

Please. Don't tell me to be happy, or excited for him. As far as he thinks, I am the proudest most happiest mom, and think he is super amazing because he lost his baby tooth. The kid is walking around with his mouth wide open so everyone can see, and when we got to school he was shoving his open mouth into all the kids faces telling them what he did.

So yeah. For his sake, I am pretending to be excited. He is so proud of himself that I will not let my sadness ruin it for him.

But you know what? When I tell you face to face, adult to adult, that I am sad about it, don't giggle and say, its so exciting, so neat he lost it this early! When I go on Twitter and pout about it, don't tell me to "buck up princess".

I KNOW it was going to happen eventually. I KNOW it is silly for me to be this sad about it, BUT that does NOT make my feelings on the matter any less valid.

Odds and Ends

• Recently we bought a box of Swiffer Wet Cloths, refill. we chose the "Open - Window Scent. I washed the floors today and went outside to have a cigarette while they dried, and when I walked in, the house did NOT smell Open-Window Fresh, instead, it smelt like three day old beer. I've got the doors and windows open, as well as three fans going, but ALL I can smell is stale beer. YUCK!
• In February our town got a medical clinic. I think it is wonderful. Should the boys fall and break a bone or need stitches, its a two minute drive to the clinic. (vrs. a 40 minute ride to the city hospital) The clinic has a phlebotomy lab, an x-ray as well as three over-night rooms for people who need to be observed. I called to make an appointment this afternoon and they will see me tomorrow at two PM. I'm scared.
• I'm scared because this is a brand new doctor (a female), and a fresh start for me. I am determined to not let the medical field toss my fears and concerns out the window. I am determined to find out what is wrong with me. However, I am NOT good at standing up for myself. Not at all. The appointment tomorrow is a "lets get your medical history and discuss what issues you want looked at" Ive never had a doctor who wants to actually spend time asking me what my problem is. They all want me out to door ASAP. I am cautiously optimistic, but still, mostly terrified!
• Yesterday I was laying on the couch in my pajamas with my hair "out to here". I had gone to bed with gel in my hair and so there was no way I could go out without washing my hair. Or shaving it all off. So imagine my reaction when the school called at 9:09 am telling me there was a bike rodeo and my seven year old wanted me to bring his bike and helmet to the school - oh, and be here before 9:30! I yelled to Logan who was just in his underwear "Put some clothes on, I don't care what clothes, grab anything and get dressed!" I washed my hair in the sink, grabbed some clothes and we sped to the school, arriving at 9:24 to sign a permission slip. It was rushed. Very rushed, but the happy smile on Blake's face was worth it!
  
• We have a very expensive automated litter box for our cat. The way it is supposed to work is she goes potty and a rake thingy goes in after her, sweeping her mess into a sealed box. We have had the litter box for 18 months now and have yet to find a litter that works for it. I needed paper towel, and had a vague memory of the grocery store in town having a type of litter that is very light weight and kind of like crystals. It was definitely not clay though, and since up to now all we have been using is clay, and the material is too heavy for the rake, I though I would try it. Except, I went down the cat supplies isle and they had only the clay type in stock. I will try and locate it in the big city store next time I go in!

Annnnd. I guess that about brings you up to speed! I will fill you in on how my appointment goes tomorrow evening! Wish me luck!

The New Car

Recently, my in-laws traveled to Alberta to purchase a NewUsed car, a Ford Focus. My inlaws like to keep two cars at all times so that they are never stuck at home if they need to be somewhere.

Case in point, my father in law just got home last week from a week long trip up north hunting bear. While he was gone, My Mother in law used the new Focus to go out with her sister a few times, as well as taking my boys to and from school.

It's kind of cute how she is acting with the car. It's like she is a teenager again, like her children, her grand kids, worry about hair loss treatment and even the furor over Y2K has never happened.

She literally squealed with glee the first time she showed me her new car!

Actually, I recall MY excitement when I was 17 and my father put-put-puttered into the driveway in a beat up heap he called a car, and handed me the keys.

Men + exasperated Sigh, part two

For another look at what I am talking about, be sure to scroll down and read my post about Micah and the barcode scanner addiction he has.

A few nights ago I wrote on Bluepaintred that my husband was finally going to the doctors to get his foot x-rayed. he fell down the stairs four, FOUR, moths ago, and finally gave in and decided that it should be looked at by a professional.

Yeah.

Why do men DO this? Their obsession with doing things all by themselves, accepting no help, it boggles the mind!

"Naw, I'm not going to stop and ask for directions, it's around here somewhere"
"Hell, I can bag my own groceries twioce as fast as they can"

My husband will sit and moan about a headache, and when I suggest he take and Advil or Tylenol for it, he is all "Nah, it will go away on it's own". Dude. If the pain is bad enough that you have to bug ME about it, take the damn pill!

And this, this is the icing on the "Men!" cake. This is a perfect example of a man who won't accept help:

Nearly ten years ago, my husband was working as a cook in a restaurant in town, Moxies. It was late at night, around ten PM and he was cleaning out the deep fryer at work. There are two sizes of deep fryer there, a big one and a small one, and thus, two sizes of metal rods that are used to push through blockages in the deep fryers. My husband picked up the small sized one and shoved it into the deep fryer. Because it was not the proper size, he shoved his hand, up the the wrist in HOT fry grease.

His co-workers sprayed some stuff for grease burns on his hand, and gave him a bucket of ice to put his hand in. He drove across the street (after telling his co workers, no, I don't need a ride, even though he was driving a stick shift vehicle at the time - those take two hands to drive, by the way) to a medical center.

The medical clinic across the street was closed, and instead of heading tot he nearest hospital, he drove across town to join me and some friends for coffee. We peered into the bucket, and upon seeing the chinks of flesh that had peeled off his hands and fingers floating in the bucket, we insisted he go straight to the hospital emergency room. It took me and two other friends almost half an hour to convince him that he HAD to go.

He had second and third degree burns on his hand, and we had to go back every day for weeks for them to peel more dead skin off, apply cream and re bandage his hand. AND YET, HE WASN'T EVEN GOING TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL~!

Men!

(Now we joke about the incident; "they asked for Chicken fingers, NOT fingers!")

Things a Mom Worries about

This is absolutely NOT a full list. Were I to list fully the things I worry about, I would fill up the entire internet and then some.

I worry a lot about the foods my kids eat. I try my best to make sure they are eating a wide variety of foods, and a healthy assortment of those foods, but it seems that no matter how good I try to feed them I run into problems. Sometimes it is a simple matter of my children not liking the food, other times I switch to product B, from Product A becuase of news reports only to find out that I should have been serving Product C!

I worry about weather a lot. And I mean a LOT. Right now it is cold, cloudy and wet, but soon enough the hot temperatures will come. Then I get to worry about Skin Cancer from the sun, and storms. Storms are a big worry for me. If there is lightning, I cannot sleep. I lay awake, watching the weather channel on mute, reading the alerts on the bottom, ready to grab my boys and run for the basement as soon as the station reports a tornado. Want to know how many tornadoes have hit a town we've lived in, in the ten years that I have been a mom? NONE. and yet, I still stay awake, too scared to sleep.

I worry about the school the boys attend. It is an older school, (although not as old as some of the schools in our district) and it seems that every time I walk the halls to pick up my boys from their respective classes, there is at least one ladder up to the roof, ceiling tiles pulled aside for work to be done. I worry it could be asbestos (Asbestos causes mesothelioma). I know that the chances of that are very slim and that it is most likely a roof leak - especially as the school has been accepting bids for a new root this year. I worry that the teachers won't be able to teach the boys all they need to know academically. I worry about guns, and bullies and girls and ...

I worry about people on the streets taking my children. I worry about them every time they get on their bike, that they may fall. I worry that the trampoline is a cleverly disguised death trap, I WORRY.

I never used to worry. Not until I became a mother.

"But it saves Time"

That's what my husband always says when we go through the self check out at the grocery store.

I disagree.

Both the self check out and the manned check out counter have the same barcode scanner thing-a-ma-do-dad, but the self check out lane also has this scale thing. If the food (or what have you) is moved too slowly or to quickly or even JUST RIGHT, the whole thing shuts down and we then have to wait for a cashier to come figure out why the machine is having a hissy fit.

(and don;t even get me started on how my husband bags the freaking groceries! I have bought 937598723895 MILLION of those reusable grocery bags and we bring them ALL in when we go grocery shopping. there is NO excuse for putting bananas with shampoo and toilet bowl cleaner, canned goods on top of eggs. NONE)

Every time we go shopping we end up having the same argument. he want's to use the self check out, I want to go through a manned line, and every time, he gets a stubborn look on his face, I can almost SEE his little foot stomping like a two year old, and we go through the self check out. I then have to re-bag every single thing he tries to pack, and place them in the cart while he is arguing with the cashier who has come to unfreeze the machine that he "was doing it right and the machine must be broken".

Hubs has suggested we time it. One week go through the self, one week, go through the manned. It's obvious to me this won't work becuase we don't buy the same things or amount of things each time, and even if it DID save time, the manned line saves my SANITY and whats time when a mind is at stake?

On hopes and dreams

Most nights while I lay in my bed waiting for sleep to claim me, I make plans. Some are small. I make plans to work out. I make plans to say NO to the cheezies that call my name round two in the afternoon. Some plans are big. I make plans on how we will dig up the grass in the backyard and lay the patio stones we have still not bought. I make plans about renting a specialized machine to flatten the ground to make the laying of the stones easier.

I make plans, big or small all the time.

Invariably, my plans never come to fruition.

My plans for working out this morning were dashed by the site of a small boy on the couch complaining of a tummy upset, and wanting to watch cartoons while curled up with his puppy. I end up listening to the drone of cartoon voices while dreaming about a quick fix to my tummy - like a Slimquick Cleanse.

My plans for the back yard are still more of a dream than a plan now that i know that the paving stones will cost over 100.00 just for the stones.

It doesn't matter though, becuase when I lay in bed tonight I will still plan and dream and wish and hope, and on the morrow, whether they come to life, or fade into the past, my dream, my hopes, it is what keeps me going.

It is what keeps us all going, I think.

As Promised!

Please head over to Where Was I? for pictures of the completed PupCakes!

Dogs who are all bite and no Bark

The pictures you see was taken for this blog post.

The Westie cupcakes on the cover are my project for tonight/tomorrow morning. My dad's birthday is today (May second) and we are heading down to help him celebrate tomorrow.

I've already got the cupcakes made, and cooling on the counter. For this recipe, you need to make regular size cupcakes and small mini cupcakes. I was going to make them up entirely tonight but have now decided to wait to decorate them until the morning seeing as the nose and ears are marshmallow. the very last thing I want is to bite into a cupcake as nummy and diet pill inducing as this and fine rock hard, stale marshmallows in my mouth!

I sure hope they turn out OK, and will be sure to post pictures after they are done!

I Has a Hungry

Check this out :

Looks pretty nummy, right?

Well, I wouldn't know about that! At two thirty we were called into the Pirate room at the Fun Factory. We are here celebrating my seven year old son's birthday, I was busy taking pictures as the "helper" passed out plates and cupcakes and so I got NONE. My eldest ate three of them, so I assume he found them to be tasty, but holy hell! I'm STARVING. Right about now I could use an appetite suppressant! My whole body is shaking from hunger and I am starting to get a headache.

I'm seriously considering paying 5.95 for a basket of french fries! or maybe 7.50 for a burger! And a very very very cold glass of water would be awesome too! I chose to wear a long sleeved shirt to the Fun Factory - after all, I'm not int here running and playing, so what could it hurt? WRONG! the joint is absolutely packed right now! I'd hazard that they are very close to full capacity, so it is extremly hot in here!

*dying*

Hubs just told me that we should think of heading home soon, as it is almost 4PM, and I absolutely agree! Home, a drink of water - a VERY LARGE one, a quick sandwich to tide me over and then an hour long nap. That's my plan anyway.

DS(i) update

So, the last time I was here, Parker had just broken his most prized possession, his Nintendo DS Lite.

That same night, hubs and I went out and bought him the new DSi. Basically, the DSi is a DS plus. It has so many awesomely cool features.

Parker is very pleased.

Check out these pictures, Parker took them on the camera (there are two cameras in the DSi)and edited them on the DSi as well.

Here is one My husband took and edited :

And this is one I did, of our cat, Tigger:

The one where Life is NOT FAIR

I have three boys. Each of them has their own Nintendo DS Lite. Out of those three boys, My eldest, Parker, takes the best care of his. he has the original stylus for it. he cleans it, gently and thoroughly at least once a week. He does not drop it, he does not leave it laying around - he LOVES it.

And still, this happened :



That Pokemon you see there? That's a DS skin that He saved his own money to buy. True, the DS is well used, he plays it most every day - more than the other boys do, for sure, but its NOT fair that his is the one to break! Blake drops his DS every single day. The screen on his even has a chip out of it! I often pick it up to find it sticky and gross from his dirty hands - yet his works fine.

Poor Parker. He is so upset.

His brothers have both offered unlimited use of their game boys to him, but it isn't the same.

Oh what I would not do for an extra $169 right now so that I could go out and get him a new one. It would be different had he misused the machine, you know? If I saw him tossing it on the counter instead of gently putting it up. If I found it on the floor or if he kept dropping it, but he doesn't!

And he is so so very sad :(

Success

A few weeks ago I made "Cupcake Bites".

The Bites were my very first foray into candy making. I guess not candy, but chocolate. I was very worried that it would be hard, the packages are covered with warnings about over heating, about how to keep it warm so you can work with it about how the slightest bit of moisture will ruin the candy, and it was just...scary.. But, at the same time, I really, REALLY wanted to try to make them.

And so I did.

And you know what? It was time consuming, but it was not that hard. I melted the candy in my microwave on "defrost" becuase I do now own a double boiler. In fact, I am uncertain what a double boiler is, exactly.

The bites were cute, and fin, but I was not a fan of the cake inside. According tot he recipe, I had to bake a cake, then crumble it, then mix in a tub of store bought icing to make the balls. For the icing, I used a store brand that I knew already was not a very good tasting one, and that might have caused the problems. I will be making them again, for Blake to bring to his class for his birthday, but I will be using the "good" icing (and a white cake mix, the chocolate cake covered in the chocolate was just too much chocolate!)

Because of my cake Bite success, I felt confidant going to Michael's and picking up more meltable candy and some molds to play around with. I decided to try my hand at some Easter themed chocolate suckers. I was pretty taken with the Horse mold they had (it would be so fun, and challenging, to try to "paint" the candy for all theequestrian apparel). Another mold I fell in love with was a race car mold. The picture on the package showed sweet fire and lightning designs painted onto the cars!

In the end though, we just picked up the Easter mold and left the decision of what to make for next time. Besides, just becuase the Cake Bites were a success, does not mean I will succeed with the Suckers.

Except... I was!





I had So much fun making these, and after the first set, I invited the boys to help me make some too. Since we only bought one mold, I was only able to make nine suckers at a time, and since after each color is "painted" on, the mold has to be refrigerated to set the chocolate, it was a very time consuming activity, but OMG was it ever fun.

DUUUUDE!

So, we did our taxes. And by "we did our taxes" what I really mean is "we took them to a professional and let him do our taxes".

We used to file our own, you can pick up ( at least in Canada you can) forms at the post office that detail how to file, it's actually quite easy. Then, on year, hubs sat down and did our taxes and we ended up owing something like 14,000. Which, of course, is NOT right. She he did them again, and again , and AGAIN. each time he got the outrageous owed amount and we gave up.

We took them to a professional. Sure, it cost us 140 dollars to do them, but when the professional did them, we ended up with a refund (it was just big enough to cover the cost of getting them done LOL)

But, anyway. We have been taking our papers to Edmund for about three years now, but going to his company for about six. Edmund gave us the super awesome news that we will be getting a great refund!

Great as in we could go out and buy new living roomfurniture. Or Micah a top of the line laptop. Or a super huge LCD tv. Or go on a kick ass vacation!

We picked vacation. Now, we've gone on vacations before, but our vacation was camping. And yeah, camping is fun, I love it, but it's not really a vacation, you know? This year, this year we are going on a real vacation, and I could not be more excited!!

T-Day

Well. Here we go. Friday is T-Day.

Taxes.

So far our family vacation to Alberta is right on track, but it really ALL hinges on the amount we get back from taxes. Now, becuase we have arranged to stay with family on the trip It's like getting free hotel rooms, you know? So we don't have to worry about that bill - and normally, the hotel bill is the most expensive part of the trip. unless you are flying, then its the airfare LOL

Anyways.We are all pretty excited about the trip, despite recent happenings in our family. It will be...awkward, to say the least, to be vacationing when I am a gazzillion months fat, but hey, other than not being able to go on the rides at Calloway park (yay! I hate rides - this is a ready made excuse!) I can't see how anything but the amount of bathroom pit stops we make will change!

This made me Laugh

We piled in the car last night on the way to the city to pick up tickets for Monsters Vrs. Aliens. Logan was at a sleepover so we only had the two oldest boys int he car, Parker who is nine, and Blake who is six.

Parker : Blake did you know that race car spelled backwards is still race car?
Blake : No it isn't
Parker : Yes! See r-a-c-e-c-a-r is race car and backwards it's still r-a-c-e-c-a-r!
Blake: Cool!
Parker : what's tat called? When a word is the same backwards and forwards?
Me: It's called a Pal-
Blake (interrupting) : It's called HOTWHEELS

ahh consumerism, it always strikes when you least expect it!

Blake is either going to be one of those late night infomercial hosts or he will be the guy sitting at home, wide a wake at 2 am, phone in hand watching the Shop At Home network!

Blake LOVES the ShamWow commercial - he can do it by heart. My mother in law and I even joked a few days ago that we should get him a set of ShamWow cloths for his birthday at the end of April!

I can still remember his excitement - this must have been two years ago or so, when he saw a "Tide ball" (I can't find a link, but it was a ball you fill up with detergent for your washing machine) Blake was so excited when he saw it in the store, he started reciting the commercial to me exclaiming that I HAD to have it! that it would make my Laundry so much easier.

And whenever Sea World starts playing their commercials on the television, Blake begs us to check out San Diego hotel, and sings the Sea World Theme song.

Yep. Blake is going to have issues when grows up!

Home Helper Tip 101

My eldest son recently went to the dentist for a regular check up, each time we go to the dentist, we get a new toothbrush at the end of the visit. I love that!

But what do I do with my old toothbrushes? LOTS!

I keep one in my kitchen to use on the rim of my sink. now, I wash, with a cloth, the inside of my sink and around the edge of it every time I finish washing a load of dishes - and with five people in our family, dishes are washed a lot!

But, no matter how often I run my cloth along that edge, crap gets stuck under the rim of the sink. I hate it. If I had the chance, I would buy and install an undermount sink, that's the kind where the edge of the counter goes right up to the opening of the sink, there is no rim for crap to get stuck in.

SO. Do not ever through out an old toothbrush - they work on sinks, the runner that the windows are in, I even keep one separate for helping me scrub dishes! (A toothbrush will clean a cheese grater in seconds!!)

The Post In Which I Gross You Out Just a Little Bit

My husband has a watch.

It's a cloth band, digital black watch. It has the time, the date, and a few little features like a stop watch, waterproofing, and other crap like that.

My husband wears his watch every day. All day long.

He wears it to work, he wears it to bed, he even wears it in the shower.

My problem is him wearing it in the shower.

Let me back up a sec. Have you ever been busy and left a load of lau - brb gonna go change the clothes from the washer to the dryer - back - sorry about that!

OK, have you ever left a load of Laundry in the washer, forgotten allll about it, and then when you Do remember, you open the door to the washing machine and that unmistakable odor of sour clothes blasts you in the face? At that point, your only option is to re wash the closet - sometimes it takes more than one wash to get the smell out!

ANyway. That's what his watch smells like. Sour clothes. Not all the time, but for a good two hours after his shower, I can smell it if I am less than ten feet away.

I can smell it right now.

AND IT"S GROSS.

It's caused, of course, becuase he wears it in the shower, the band gets wet and then it drys very slowly because it is stuck on his arm instead of laid out to dry.

He likes his watch and, even though I have offered, he does not want me to get him a NICE watch, like a Patek Philippe. Something that he could TAKE OFF when he showers, something nice looking.

But Noooooo! He likes the conviniance of a watch he does not have to take on and off. AND he said that if he started taking his watch on and off, he would lose it, like the six watches I've lost.

Well you know what buddy? MY WATCH STRAP MIGHT BE LOST, BUT AT LEAST IT DOESN'T STINK!

So. The point is. His watch smells. I don't like smelly things. Short of cutting off his arm to remove his watch, is there ANYTHING I can do (and by "I", I mean him) to get rid of the smell? (the smell, by the way, does not bother him at all!

Need your advice

Tom and Sheila have a GPS device. They use it to go geocaching.

I'd like to go with them, but they've never invited me.

And I live 23 hours (by car) away from her.

Now, I have no idea what GPS device Tom and Sheila have, but I do know it's a little old. it was bought before Windows introduced Vista. Yesterday Tom tried to hook the GPS up to his new laptop to put in some coordinates, but nothing was working. Tom's Laptop runs Vista.

What are the options here? Do they need to go out and get a whole new GPS device? One that is up to date, or is there away to upgrade an older system so that it runs with Vista?

Anyone Know?

The Early Bird gets the Worm!

We know what Santa is bringing the boys this year!

I know, I know, it's only March, but I just had to tell you!

This year, Santa will be bringing the boys their very first joint gift, a notebook computer.

I *THINK* that's what they are called, anyway. We are going to get them one of those teeny tiny laptops! I've been talking to different people on twitter who have bought them and like them, and I just think it's an awesome idea!

My husband was worried becuase he had heard the tiny laptops were only good for going online and nothing else, but the one I am looking at has Windows, and if it has Windows it will have a word program of some type which means Parker will be able to use it for school. Right now, Parker is sitting at the kitchen table with - no exaggeration - 40 pieces of paper I have printed off the school website working on his grade Four Saskatchewan Research project.

It was either print it out or lose the computer for hours and hours at a time while he works on his project, and we all know how addicted I am to the computer!

BUT!

After Christmas, when they have their own laptop, Parker can work right off the internet without me having to waste time (and money) printing out the pages. Plus, I've checked and the notebook memory and storage they have available will well suit their needs.

Right now, other than fooling around on a few of my Facebook apps, or playing at MiniClips, the boys don't really go online, the pictures the boys take are stored on my computer so they won't take up space, and with a flash drive (or large memory card) Parker can transfer his projects to my laptop after they are done, freeing up space on the tiny one!

Honestly, I thought it would be harder to convince Micah that this is the direction we should go this Christmas, but once he took the time to check out the notebooks I found online, he is now in agreement with me.

Of course, we won;t be actually purchasing it until closer to December for two reasons : 1. to take full advantage of the Factory Warranty, and 2. becuase I have a hard time keeping secrets from the kids and I just know that I would spill the beans if it was shit up in my closet for months and moths waiting for Christmas Morning.

I'm SO excited!

BED TIME!

I love bedtime. Wait. Strike that. I'm not a huge fan of ending my night and going to bed, but hot damn, once I am IN bed, I never want to leave it! Crawling into my heated bed (We live in Saskatchewan and get -50 or lower temperatures six months out of the year, so a heated bed is a MUST)sliding in under my Sferra sheets (Is it just me, or is the best smell in the world freshly laundered bed linens?) MMmmmmHM I love bedtime!

My ONLY problem with bedtime is my blanket. You see, I want it to smell fresh and clean, but it's HUGE and, sure, it fits in both my washer and dryer, but it is a pain in the ass to launder. PLUS, it's fuzzy, and the dog sleeps at the foot of the bed, and the cat sleeps where ever she pleases on the bed, so not only will the washer be attacked by the fuzz, it gets full of both dog and cat hair as well.

Last week I washed our blanket, and the next load I washed, the machine sounded...weird. I talked it over with my dad and he suggested running an empty load to clear out the dog hair, that maybe the hair was clogging it up. Well. I can't wash an empty load, my particular machine won't run if there is nothing in it, so I took some clean sheets from the linen closet and washed those.

Sure enough, after a hair free load, the washer went back to sounding normal.

I'm thinking about taking our blankets to the laundromat from now on. I know we have one in town... what would you do?

ZOMG YESSSSS!

A few weeks back, a bunch of people were discussing a type of ear bud called the "Skull Candy" Apparently they are "ALL THAT" and everyone should have them and blah blah blah.

Nothing is EVER as good as other people make it out to be, ya know?

In any case I followed their links and ended up on an amazon site - which - suckage people, amazon.com refuses to ship to Canada, they just redirect you to the dot CA site, and the CA site has NOTHING. Well. Nothing good, anyway.

I decided that for the price, I might as well order a pair though. To order, I have to find a US resident (Hi Sheila!!) who was willing to let me paypal her the money and order them for me! She even had them shipped to her home so that shipping was less. Sheila rocks!

Today a package from sheila came in the mail. It was filled with Fizzy Socks, weird Japanese gum, a kickass shirt and the ear buds.

As soon as I had a chance I ripped open the packaging ( I only cut myself twice!) And popped those suckers in my ear.

My first reaction was to rip them back out of my ear just as fast - the things sucktion into your ear!! I put them back in and reveled in the sudden absolute quiet. The dogs were barking, the kids were playing and Hubs was on rockband but I was off in my own little world of QUIET.

I would buy these just to use as EAR PLUGS!

So I hooked everything up to my iTouch and pushed play. Bad decision. I had been using the iTouch earlier int eh afternoon and had my volume set to high, where I normally have it, and with my old ear buds, high was fine. With the Skull Candy high was eardrum blasting PAIN. I turned the volume right down, right down people, and pushed play again. HEAVEN!

And the big thing? Not only are they comfortable, once you get past the suction feeling, but they do not fall out when I move my head, or walk around with them in.

I got the metallic blue ones, but here is a link to some pink ones on Amazon. I've heard, on twitter, that you can also find these in your local Target store - wouldn't know about that, we don't have Target stores here :o(. According to twitter the ones at Target are a wee bit cheaper. So go forth people! Find the Skull Candy.

No need to thank me!

WANT

Sooooooo.

So.

I'm teetering on the edge of a VERY slippery slope right now.

You see I have this camera. A Kodac EasyShare DX7590. It's a very nice camera, I can use it as either a point and shoot or turn it to manual and use it like an SLR. The slippery slope I talk about is this. I found lenses that fit my DX7590, and I want. WANT.

Now, the wide angle and telephoto lens are each only 150.00, which is not very expensive, when you think of it. BUT, and it is a BIG but. what if I fall in love with lenses and need them like a junkie needs crack? From my research, the wine angle (drool) and the telephoto lens are the only two that fit my camera. After that I would need to venture into the world of Cannon and Nikon. And that, my friend is where the real $$$ comes into play.

In any case. My Birthday is In July, and I think I will buy a lens in celebration. I'm not sure which one yet, both of them are all kinds of drool worth for me, but I have five months to decide....

In one way, I want to love the lens, I want to be able to take pictures in a new way, but in another way, I want to hate the lens. I want to hate that I have to thread it on to take the shot, That I can't just point and click. Because If I hate it, I won't be tempted to buy more. KWIM?

I Has A Happy

My In Laws came home last night.

They left Boxing Day to go to Porta Vallarta, Mexico, and they just returned home last night.

The eldest two boys and Micah met them at the airport to bring them home, then we let them rest and unpack for two hours before the five of us ran over to mob them.

It was So good!

And you know, people think I am excited about this because my babysitters are back and i can finally go out ALONE with hubs, and yes, that is a part, but even knowing that they cannot possibly take the boys for another full week ( school, etc, gets in the way) I was just so happy to sit with them and shoot the shit for hours last night.

we finally bundled the kids up at midnight and left, my mother in law was pretty much falling asleep in her Berkline lounger as we talked, but OMG. I am So happy right now!

I had asked Micah to take the camera to the airport with him to try to caprture the boys faces when they saw their Nana and Papa for the first time after 2 months, but he forgot the camera at home. That made me sad, but OMG, its nice to have them home!!

Timing Is Everything

A few weeks ago, My husband brought home a nice bonus from work. with that bonus, we went computer shopping. At the brick and mortar store in the city nearest to us, they did not have the kind of laptop my husband wanted, so we left empty handed. I thing found another laptop on Buy.com that seemed to fit his bill, but voted no to it based on the fact it looked exactly like mine and we would "get them mixed up".

Yeah. Right.

In retrospect, I am glad he has not yet bought a laptop becuase last weekend my glasses broke. and I am totally BLIND without my specs. The money set aside for his laptop became the money to pay for my glasses.

Now, hubs gets reimbursed for eye wear through his work insurance, so if he ever remembers to bring home the insurance papers for me to fill out, we can put in to get that money back. In the mean time, I am still window monitor shopping up a storm for the perfect laptop for him.

I've bookmarked the Sony Vaio , which I again found on buy.com (What can I say? I really like that store!)generally, I find and bookmark three or four laptops a day for hubs to look at when he gets off work. He then keeps or deletes as he sees fit, and hopefully, by the time our reimbursement gets back, he will have narrowed his choices down to one!

Midnight Cravings

Our car is "broken" right now. There is something wrong with the fan belt and until My father can get into our town, from his town, on Monday, we are under strict instructions to not drive it anywhere.

We are not stuck at home by any means, My husbands parents are out of town (Mexico) and have given us free use of their car while they are gone. I use it Monday to Friday to take the boys to school.

If for some reason my dad cannot get our car running on Monday, Hubs can use his parents car to get to work, the boys are on Spring break for a week anyway.

What I cam online to post, however, is not that the car is a piece of crap that needs a good kick in the tires, it's that at 11:33 all of us ( the boys, the older ones at least, are up watching a movie with hubs) had a snack attack unexpectedly. Unfortunately, hubs and I neglected to pick up any sort of snackage, there is not a single chip or cookie in the house, and with the car broken ( not to mention all of our towns stores close by 11) there was no way to GET snackage!!

People, the internet is a wonderful thing!

I found this recipe online

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all, bake at 350 for eight minutes (do not overbake) cool on pan one minute, transfer to wire rack

By 12:05 I had the last of the two dozen cookies out of the oven and on a rack. The ULTIMATE of quick cookies people!



(I added the chocolate chip smiles face all by myself!)