Too Hot to Blog

I know I shouldn't be complaining about the temperatures, and I'm not really because I'm in my air-conditioned office. But good golly it's hot outside! The Real temperature is 31C and the Feels Like temperature is 43C, which converts to 87.8F and 109.4F respectively. I just don't think it's fair to live in a place that has such extreme climates - record breaking, bone-chilling winters (-23c or -10f) and then hotter than hot summers. An all-year temp of about 70F would be perfect for me. Maybe even up to 75F in the summertime. I guess this is sort of a complaint, isn't it.

I've decided to get highlights or something in my hair - mainly because it's a losing battle pulling out all the gray. Except my hairdresser hasn't called me back yet and I called her this morning. Which makes me think she might be on holidays and now that I've decided to get my hair done, I want it done like tomorrow. And I've also firmly decided not to get it cut (other than a trim) until just before we go to China.

I was going to blog (I typed in glob) about something else and in my head it sounded quite clever, except now I forget what it was. I think my brain has melted.

Look What I Found!

I was looking for a specific picture for my Dad's Memory Album - Yes, I found it, Thank you for asking, and I came across this handsome couple:



1,000 bonus points to the first person who can correctly identify the people in the picture, circa 1988.

We got the call from across the border that the friendly border guard let the trio across. Yay! No grumpy kid for the weekend! Let me re-phrase that - 2 grumpy kids instead of 3 grumpy kids for the weekend! No, they're not grumpy all the time - only when they don't get their own way. I'm about the appease the 2 remaining by taking them to Dollar*Tree*Plus because I really can't take the asking anymore.

More Headaches

Not a migraine today, just a tension headache that chocolate and caffeine should be able to fix. I've misplaced the boys birth certificates. And AJ is on his way to Chicago with the Grandparents. With only a permission letter and his health card. The last time we used them was when we went to Florida in March, and they are not in the special drawer which houses birth certficates and passports. My passport is accounted for but nothing for the boys, thus the headache. So we've sent AJ on his way anyway; Gramma & Grampa said if the border doesn't let him across then they will take him to London to GG's and we can pick him up there. Except I don't know exactly where her apartment is but I'm sure we'll find it eventually. But can you imagine how Grumpy AJ will be? OOooooo. Pass the chocolate coffee please.

Oh What a Wicked Web We Weave...

This morning I awoke with a headache. A migraine headache. I hate those. So I've spent all day in bed thus far...except I did get up after lunch, overdosed on ad*vil and watched the last half of Days. And now I'm feeling kind of out-of-bodyish. I guess that's why you're supposed to follow the directions on the pill bottle huh. My head is not pounding like it was, thank you for asking, the nausiousness is still there but not as bad, and thankfully it's starting to rain now so I don't have to look at the blasted sunlight seeping through my pulled blinds.

So the wicked web? Was weaved by AJ. I was in bed this morning (see paragraph above) and the phone was ringing every 15 minutes, as it does most days. AJ came into my bedroom and said that Great Gramma (GG from here on out) was visiting from the city and Gramma might take them all to Long Point to visit Uncle James. Cool. I had already decided that CJ and TJ would miss their tutoring session today and had asked AJ to call and cancel for me. Because I couldn't even stand up, let alone drive. So a little while later Husband came home and told me that he could take the boys to their tutoring session (ts) but I told him that Gramma was going to take them and GG to LP. To visit with Uncle James. Husband had AJ find everybody's bathing suits and we thought everything was set. Now comes for the wicked webbed having been weaved part. It was all AJ's idea. It was AJ who called Gramma and asked if she could take them to the beach - not Gramma calling to ask them to go. And when AJ came and said to me Gramma wants to know if the teacher can change the time of the ts for the boys. That was a lie. And now they're at the beach and it's pouring rain. And GG and Gramma and Uncle James are stuck with three bored boys. But me? I'm home alone in the quiet...and dark...with the stupid flies buzzing about my head. But at least they're not green.

Be Afraid...Be Very Afraid...

Ever wonder what happens when children are left alone without adult supervision because adults are busily working like beavers and children get bored and think of thinks to do? They turn into the Hulk:

Exhibit A:


Exhibit B:


My Sink:


The sink doesn't look as bad as last time...apparently the green happens when you mix shaving cream with food colouring. Learned something new, didn'tcha! You're welcome!

Wacky Weather

I was going to do a Pictorial Essay of Yesterday's Weather for you because the sky was a really pretty dark gray/blue colour and the clouds were kinda cool looking, but blogger isn't cooperating. So you'll just have to close your eyes and visualize it in type-written form. I'm sure you could do both - close your eyes and read - if you tried hard enough.

It stormed. The end.

Actually there were tornado warnings out and Husband called me to turn off the computers...so I was forced to do some scrapbooking. I wasn't able to find a sitter for the boys yesterday to enjoy the much anticipated Ladies Tea and I was half-thinking that maybe AJ could babysit for me...except when I asked him he said no and when I mentioned it to CJ he started screaming and crying no. Apparently AJ is mean. And then when the tornado warning came out, I just couldn't leave my babies. I was watching the weather network yesterday to see when the storm would pass, and someone had sent in some video from the town 5 minutes to my left (or west depending on which direction I'm standing) and the clouds were doing some kooky things. And there was unconfirmed tornadic activity in the town 40 minutes to my north. And ya know what? We're in for some more this afternoon! Except I don't think we have enough humidity in the air for tornados. But what do I know - I haven't even been outside yet today.

So Muther called me this morning to get some measurements of AJ - his birthday is coming up - and she said she'd be Eternally Grateful. I kind of chuckled (come one - Eternally Grateful??) and she said Someone had to make me laugh - I'm too serious. Me? Serious? We've just been under a teensy bit of stress here in Crazyville for the last little while and we (Husband and I) haven't had a decent nights sleep in months. And it's wearing on us. Muther has been off work since April and I can count on one finger the times she's come over to visit. I work full-time so I'm not able to just pick up and go, especially with kids in tow, especially with my kids who obviously aren't well-behaved...oooh now I'm ranting...anyway, this isn't your problem. It just kind of bugged me because I don't feel like she knows who I really am even though she thinks she does. Actually, if she knew who I really am she would run away screaming...bwahahahahahaha...

Indiana Jaj

Do you think it's a bad thing that my boys are now addicted to Indiana Jones? CJ especially. Like that's any surprise. I was a little concerned when I saw his little brother tied up with a telephone cord and CJ was behind him with a sword (it was plastic) and they were marching along... The other day TJ came up stairs from the basement and he had on a black cowboy hat and was carrying around a rubber snake - beyond cute - except I didn't get a picture because Grampa was here waiting to take the boys for a sleep-over so we had things to do. You should see my basement though. It looks like an obstacle course of some sort - they need to hide behind things apparently. Boys.

The fish seem to be getting along better. The boys are enjoying watching the Fish Channel. I was watching them last night for a bit (the fish, not the boys) and Harry, the big one, would swim up to the top of the water as fast as he could and then just fall to the bottom of the tank. He did this about 3 times in a row. And then later on, he swam to the top of the tank and swallowed a big gulp of air and then burped it out all the way to the bottom. At least that's what it looked like because these big bubbles kept escaping him. Larry, the middle fish, tried the same thing but seemed to chicken out about halfway to the top. He would swim up and then kind of stop half-way up and come back to the bottom. So I think Larry is now in awe of Harry and his abilities and Larry just seems to follow Harry around without biting him. Garry seems to keep to himself on the other side of the tank. Fish.

That's about it. I'm supposed to go to Muther's this aft for a Ladies Tea. Woohoo. When she mentioned it I told her I didn't know if I could come because of the boys...she didn't offer that they could come and play outside so I guess I need to find a sitter. I do actually want to go because a friend who is visiting from out west will be there. And it will be nice to visit with her. But I have a lot of bookwork to do before I go, if I go, as well. And there's puppy class tonight. Which means an early supper, or a late supper, depending on how our afternoon goes. With children coming in to my office every 10 minutes asking if they can play on my computer yet. Or build a puzzle. Or borrow a piece of paper. How can you just borrow a piece of paper? Are you giving it back to me in the same condition with which it was given even though scissors and a pencil were taken as well? These are all questions I should be asking the child, aren't they. And yes, I'm procrastinating. Sheesh. See, I don't want to go to Muther's and yet I do. So I don't want to call anyone to babysit and yet I do. And the phone keeps ringing. Which means I have to answer it because Hello, I'm the office manager. I hate hate hate talking on the phone. Hate it. A lot. Okay, now that I've really scared you all away, I need to go make a phone call.

Something's Fishy

Does anybody out there in bloggersphere know anything about fish? I got tired of cleaning out the 3 goldfish bowls so on Saturday I finally bought an aquarium for the fishies.



Except Larry, the middle fish, keeps chasing the other two and biting them. He's relentless. I feel really sorry for Harry, the biggest fish. I read once somewhere that you should separate out an aggressive fish...separate out where??? 'Cause he ain't goin back in the fish bowl. Oh, and the light on the aquarium - do I turn it off at night or leave it on all the time? How often should it be on? We are turning it off at night...mainly so Harry and Garry can catch a break from Larry...but I would think the light from the bulbs would warm up the water a bit and goldfish like cold water. This picture shows Larry chasing Harry:



In other news, TJ lost a couple more teeth in the last few days. Bonus points to the person that can correctly identify the food in his remaining teeth and around his mouth.

Something to Try

At the risk of sounding totally insane, I'm going to let you all in on a little something I've been trying to do...shower without getting water in my mouth. I haven't been able to do it yet. This morning I breathed a droplet of water in through my nose and almost drowned. No, it wasn't that bad but it was quite uncomfortable and I had to open my mouth to stop the intake of water travelling through my nasal passages, and ended up with water in my mouth again. Why am I obsessing about this you ask? I'll tell you. Because I don't want to catch any nasty bacterial little germy things while in China. And I know it's at least a good 5 months before we will be there, so I've been practicing. But I just haven't figured it out yet...how not to get water in my mouth while showering. So can you do me a favor and try it for yourself and let me know what works for you???

Mid-Week Recap

Nothing has seemed very interesting to blog about, thus the lack of blogging on my part so I'll just give you a little recap of our week.

• AJ went to golf school on Monday & Tuesday morning; Dwayne Roloson's son was in his group.
• I went to Lola's Monday night for some scrapbooking - very fun. Ladies (and men) - if you're ever invited to a scrapbooking class such as Creative Memories, where you are asked to just bring 3-4 pictures, please don't bring your own scrapbooking papers to work with...the consultant is really running a business and when you bring your own stuff it's just bad for business. Have some courtesy please.
• Molly started puppy class Tuesday night - taught by my cousin - found them in the yellow pages. It's a really good class and we've been having fun working with Molly since.
• I'm trying to work with Buddy too, you know - teaching him to sit and everything...hasn't been going all that well...
• CJ decided to have a stand selling sweet-corn and juice...to the guys who work for us...so his stand is located at the back of the shop. He was sitting there so cute waiting for customers. Yesterday, though, he quit and fired TJ...
• Husband had to take some water samples to London yesterday so the boys and I (sans AJ) hopped in the truck and went with him. We went to ESM for supper budda boom budda bing...TJ is very bossy with the servers...demanding crayons and paper and pizza...can't take that boy anywhere.
• On the way to London the boys were conversing with each and all of a sudden TJ said My brain broke! Who are you? I don't know where he comes up with this stuff.
• OH - about the water samples - the place closed at 5 pm and we were running really tight time-wise. I called them up and said we were almost there but could someone stay an extra 5 minutes or so to take our samples. The girl - Danielle - said I'm sure somebody will be around, if not, we have a drop box you can use. We pulled in at 5:04 pm as people are leaving the parking lot and walking to their vehicles. The office was locked and no one was around. Some girl leaving saw us and helped us out - we couldn't use the drop box because the water samples needed to stay refrigerated - but she was in a huge hurry to leave...she claimed she knew nothing of our phone call...but the way she was slowing and looking at us as she drove past makes me wonder if she was Danielle.
• We are thinking of getting a king-sized bed because Husband hasn't been sleeping and he's been keeping me up as well...we need to take some measurements to see if it will fit in our bedroom.
• That's all - thanks for visiting and Have a Nice Day!

I Had Lunch with Myself Because I Hate Myself

I found this little game over at Cease, Cows, Life Is Short (I hope you don't mind, Nino, that I'm borrowing it)...please play along and leave me what yours said in the comments. So this is what you do:

Pick the month you were born:

January--I kicked
February--I loved
March--I smoked
April--I punched
May--I choked on
June--I murdered
July--I did the Macarena with
August--I had lunch with
September--I danced with
October--I sang to
November--I yelled at
December--I ran over

Pick the day (number) you were born on:

1-------a birdbath
2-------a monster
3-------a phone
4-------a fork
5-------a Mexican
6-------a gangster
7-------my cell phone
8-------my dog
9-------my best friends' boyfriend
10-------my neighbor
11-------my science teacher
12-------a banana
13-------a fireman
14-------a stuffed animal
15-------a goat
16-------a pickle
17-------your mom
18-------a spoon
19-------myself
20-------a baseball bat
21-------a ninja
22-------Chuck Norris
23-------a noodle
24-------a squirrel
25-------a football player
26-------the moon
27-------my brother
28-------an ipod
29-------a permanent marker
30-------a llama
31-------A homeless guy

Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:

White----------because I'm cool like that
Black-----------because that's how I roll.
Pink------------because I'm NOT a homosexual.
Red------------because the voices told me to.
Blue-----------because I'm sexy and I do what I want
Green---------because I hate myself.
Purple---------because I'm cool
Gray----------because I was drunk
Yellow--------because someone offered me 1,000,000 dollars
Orange-------because I hate my family.
Brown--------because I was high.
Other-------because I'm a ninja.
None--------because I cant control myself

New Sandbox

Grampa decided that the boys needed a new sandbox...or his version of one. And yes, a backhoe and dumptruck were both involved.







This is what my bathroom sink looked like after TJ finished washing his hands...I think the pink is nail polish but I'd really rather not know the story of how it ended up in the sink.



The bathwater



So this afternoon TJ said to me I want to move away and nobody can stop me! There's nothing to do here. CJ is grounded from the sandhill and the other two aren't allowed to do anything fun until they finish their chores, and yes it is almost supper time with their chores not yet completed...

Progress Report

So this is Thumbelina's room after 2 coats of paint...I've included 2 pictures taken with different settings on my camera. I like it.




And this is what happens when you let 8-year-olds help...

10 Months

Life is filled with irony, isn't it? Like how today is the 10 month anniversary of our LID which kind of equates to being 10 months pregnant. Ironic.

And like how you could have an 11-year-old who loves to work and will do anything asked of him unless the askers happen to be his mother or father. Ironic.

And like how yesterday I prepped the walls to paint Thumbelina's room today and what did I find in the light fixture but a bunch of dead ladybugs. Ooooo. Ironic. (Ladybugs are the "good luck" symbol of Chinese adoptions.)

And like how I'm all worried that the paint colour is too light. Do you hear me? Too light! Me. I chose a light paint colour. Ironic.

And like how today my muscles are sore from washing walls and ceilings. Well, that isn't ironic - I just don't like doing physical labour.

Last night the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith came on the satellite so we decided to watch it. I wasn't a Brad Pitt fan until in the movie he started singing along with an Air Supply song...so now I like him. And I like Angelina. And I liked the movie. And their co-star in the movie? Was Vince Vaughn. Bizarre Ironic. You get it? Brad & Jen and then Brad & Ang and now Jen & Vince...there's that irony again.

So in honour of today being our 10 Month LID-aversary, may I present to you, in no particular order, 10 movies that I could watch over and over again if I were to be stranded on a desert island. Don't bother me with logistics, it could happen. And no laughing at my choices.

1. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
2. 50 First Dates
3. Sweet Home Alabama
4. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
5. Monster-in-Law
6. The Full 9 Yards
7. Weekend at Bernies
8. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou
9. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
10. The Wedding Crashers


Now these aren't necessarily my all-time favourites - like Titanic or Forrest Gump or Castaway - but I have to be in a mood to watch them. Like if I need to have a good cry at the end or something. And I love watching anything with Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Matthew McConaughey, Ashley Judd, Sandra Bullock, Kate Hudson, but again that mood thing comes into play. So share with me your choices of movies; maybe we could even be desert-island neighbours! We could communicate via smoke-signals.

Happy Anniversary AB & JB

May your day be filled with happiness,
And may you be first in line at Tim's,
May the elevator always be at your floor,
And sunshine at your door.

May you not have to cook tonight (this would be for JB),
And your favourite meal be the special of the week,
May you find the lowest gas price around,
And weeds in your flower-beds never be found.

May you find 5 bucks in your pocket,
And always have a sharpened pencil when you need it,
May Tim's never run out of triple-chocolate muffins when you need them,
And jokes be always in your in-box for you to read them.

So Happy Anniversary to a Swell Couple ~ Have a fun-tastic-filled-day!


I should write for Hall*mark...

Pictures Finally

Family Picnic


The Monkey in His Natural Habitat

Egg & Spoon Race

Baby Cousins

For Thumbelina

Two of my cousins have had babies so the picnic was my first opportunity to meet the newest members of the family. And of course I had to buy them a little outfit each. And of course I had to buy something for Thumbelina...

Another Eewweee Moment

Today is the day that our neck-of-the-woods is getting the highway lines repainted, which is kind of a bummer because it means we're not getting our road re-surfaced and the road is getting bumpier and pot-holier. I talked Husband in to going into town with me to buy paint for Thumbelina's room - moral support and he got to carry the paint cans for me. Yay! He had me drive his truck whilst he made numerous phone calls - he's always on the phone - in the past few days I've talked to our banker more than I've talked to Husband...okay where was I...oh yes, driving home and the freshly painted lines on the road. Get this - they painted over the head of a dead animal!!! EEEWWWEEE!!! Husband said Like someone's going to jump out and move it first? I know they're not, but still! EEEWWWEEE!!! And then my second thought (after the EEEWWWEEE!!!) was Too bad CJ's not here to see it. So what does that say about me as a mom and person? Am I encouraging my son's grossativity with wishes he could have seen a dead animal with a yellow line painted over it's head? I think it was a rabbit. Not quite sure. CJ would have thought it was way cool. It was definitely a first for me.

Christmas in July

Next week Husband and I are supposed to go to the church and record the rehearsal tapes for this year's Christmas Cantata. I sing the soprano part, Mrs. Choir Director sings the alto, her husband sings the tenor and Mr. Lobo sings the bass part. And then it's Husband's job to camouflage...or rather edit out everyone's mistakes. That's why we're recording in July - so that the tapes and cd's will be ready by September.

A couple of weeks ago I brought the cantata book home (it's an old cantata and our choir has done it quite a few years ago - more than 20 because I've been in the choir for 20 years and I've never sang this one before) and I've been kind of plunking away at it on the piano; it's high. As in I don't think our choir is skilled enough to sing it high. Last night I saw the actual demo cd sitting on my desk and I popped it into my cd player and started to sing along with it. I'm cringing as I'm singing because I really hate hate hate this cantata. It is old and out of print - People, sometimes there's a reason why things go out of print. Husband thought it was the Sound of Music. Seriously, it sounds like the music from an old Walt Disney movie - like Bambi or Snow White. I shudder just thinking about it.

Is it wrong for me to hope that we will be in China right at this particular time in December??? Husband said that he's going to be in China during the Cantata whether he needs to be or not (the Cantata will be December 15th-18th)...we've told Mrs. Choir Director quite awhile ago that there's a real possibility we won't be around for the performance. Mrs. Choir Director asked me if I was planning on singing just in case. Of course - who am I to turn down Monday night practices? It's my night to get out of the house sans kidlets, and Husband and I usually get to drive together so it's kind of like a date. Sad, isn' it, that we have to resort to thinking of choir practice as a date. Anyhoo, Mrs. Choir Director also asked if I could be prepared to do the solo this year because apparently there was a person who came to last year's performance and she was disappointed that I didn't have a solo. Who knew I had a fan?! Believe me, no one was more surprised than I. So as it stands, I will learn the solo (I've heard it and I don't like it) and my voice student will be my back-up in case we're not around. Husband really thinks I need to tell Mrs. Choir Director that this cantata sucks - why do I have to do it? Lola - don't you dare breathe a word of this to anybody!!!

And I'm also starting to panic because usually I have my Christmas list started by now (yes, I know I'm a freak) and it's just occured to me that I should probably have all of our Christmas gifts bought and wrapped by mid-November...I've been obessing about Thumbelina and have lost all cognitive thoughts relating to anything other than Thumbelina. So what does everyone want for Christmas???

The Picnic

I ended up going to the Family Picnic...it's frightening, really, to see what you will most likely turn into in your old age. Just shoot me now, seriously, because I'm afraid of my future. Embarrassed at times, even. But that's family, right? Not that I didn't have a good time, it was fun in a weird sort of way. We were way late getting there, which was just fine with Husband. The stinker even took the longer way to get there, where we were guaranteed of getting behind slow traffic. The boys had a blast, though, playing with their cousins and I got some great pictures, but blogger isn't letting me upload them.

I was so crabby this morning and not in the mood to blog lest my mood rub off onto the three of yous reading. The boys were not getting along with each other this morning so I closed the door to my office and tried to ignore the screaming and crying (them screaming and crying, not me) but it was difficult to do amidst the bangs coming from their bedroom above me. Plus Husband brought me a chocolate-chip muffin when I specificially asked for a triple-chocolate muffin...Tim's was out of the triple-chocolate but it was enough to bring me close to tears. And yes, it most likely is PMS. I know, I know, where's a fork to poke out your eyes when you need one. But the boys are gone and all is quiet for another hour or so.

CJ and TJ are getting some tutoring this summer by AJ's teacher. I can't remember if I've mentioned this or not...anyway, they go over to her house twice a week and she works with them in Math, Penmanship, Language; last week Husband picked the boys up from her house and asked them what they learned. TJ replied, Oh, you wouldn't be interested. And that was the end of the conversation.

So I've picked out the colour for Thumbelina's room and believe it or not, I'm actually going to skip out on this month's scrapbooking day to paint! Husband said I could have a day off for one or the other, but I couldn't have a day off for both. And if the rumors this week are correct, we still might be on target to receive a September referral, which is only 2 months away. So I need to get my butt in gear.

It's raining off and on today. Parts of the Great White North were even under a tornado watch last night (not our area, but much more north of us); Husband said he'd take anything if it meant rain. Be careful what you wish for is what I say. But the grass is perking up already; we're even seeing some green bits in amongst the brown and yellow. The sky is an eerie shade of gray/pink out my office window - but not green, so that's good, right?

Are you as bored reading this as I think you are? It'd be way better if there were pictures...stupid blogger...rassum frassum grumble...and if you pass a Tim's, can you please bring me a large double double and triple chocolate muffin? Thanks, I adore you.

A TJ Funny

Since school is out there isn't the need for me to arise before the sun, so I usually have a leisurely morning in bed until about 7:15 when TJ joins me. He's my snuggle-buddy. The other morning when Husband brought me my coffee he asked TJ is he needed a coffee too. Teej said he did, so Husband brought him a small glass of milk. And TJ and I sat in bed drinking our morning brew. It was very nice. The next morning, Husband brought both TJ and me another morning brew. It was very sweet. Friday morning, TJ was asleep in our bed when Husband brought the brew, so I went out to the kitchen with my java. About a half hour after TJ got up, he looked at me and said...in a very demanding little voice...Where's my coffee! Cracked me up, I tell you. So I found his milk and watched as he gulped it down. This morning, I was still in bed because I'm sick with Husband's cold, so TJ after his morning snuggle, went and found Husband and said, Where's my coffee, eh?! Humorous as it was, he didn't get any milk. TJ is quite the character.

So I'm sick. Not with bronchitis like Husband ended up getting, but with a head cold. I'm sneezing and dripping and aching...and we're supposed to go to a family picnic this afternoon. Husband keeps telling me I'm too sick to go - there will be babies and old people and I shouldn't spread my germs, but that's because he just doesn't want to go (my side of the family - there are some wackos)...we'll see what happens...stay tuned!

A Day Off

I read this blog-entry this morning from Club Mom - go ahead and read it, I'll wait...

...finished yet?

Okay, so how much would you pay for a moment alone? It got me to thinking. Dangerous, I know. We all need some peace and quiet to ourselves, and since I've been going scrapbooking once a month, I don't feel that constant pressure to be alone like I used to.

It's funny, when Sylvie sprained her ankle and was couch-ridden, she and I were talking about this very thing. Our to-do lists as women are long and we put so much pressure on ourselves to have everything perfect. Add kids into the mix, and its amplified by however many kids you have. I'm still learning that things don't have to be perfect, and believe me, at my house they are far from it. But even when we do take a few moments to ourselves, for some reason we usually feel guilty about it.

And I confessed something to Sylvie that I've never told anybody before. A few years ago I was feeling the pressure so badly to have a Day Off From My Every Day, that I applied to be a bone-marrow donor. I thought it was a win-win situation for everybody - somebody would receive much needed bone-marrow, and I'd get a few days off without feeling the guilt. Except my application was denied because I was once diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (I don't think I have it, I think it's just all food-related issues that give me RA symptoms). I was really disappointed when I received the letter, moreso because I wouldn't be able to help anybody.

And just so you all don't think that I'm a horrible person, I am growing my hair long to donate it to Locks of Love. I measured it this morning and I'm right at the 10" mark, but I'd like it a bit longer so as to be able to cut off the dry ends and use most of the layers that I have. So even though every day I want to cut it off, I remember my long-term goal. I might even wait until just before we leave for China to get Thumbelina before I get it cut...might even be down to my ankles by then.

What was my point? Oh yah, make sure you take some time off for yourself to do something that you enjoy...before you feel the need to go to desparate measures. And if you fall down the stairs, don't feel guilty, your Significant Other will appreciate you more for all you do.

Holidays...or lack thereof

It doesn't look like we'll be able to go away on holidays this year. I know you're probably thinking to yourself Didn't they just go away for the weekend??? Yes, we did, and it was nice. But the boys need to get away as well. We usually go to a place that has a kids program and a spa...I'm a roughin'-it-type-of-gal. But we have a small-ish building project underway and Husband needs to be around to make sure things go smoothly. So we're thinking of doing day trips. Until we saw the cost involved. Unbelievable how much it costs just to enter places - $200 - not including food and souveniers. And you know you can't go anyplace without buying a souvenier. We thought of going to Marineland or Canada's Wonderland but then I could just send the boys off to a local daycamp for the last week of July...except that cost is $150 per child times 3...not pretty. When did it get so expensive to have kids? I guess we could go hang out at the beach but I don't do bathing suites anymore. And I think if I wore a full-length body suite, I would attract some attention rather than divert it. Or else we could buy a tent and let the boys sleep in the backyard.

But don't weep for us because we're thinking of going away in October over Thanksgiving weekend. Yes, we will miss the Fair, but that's the idea. I hate the Fair. It's a rip-off. And I refuse to spend $75.00 on wrist-bracelets for my children to do the all-day ride thing. Especially when every extra penny needs to go to the Bring Thumbelina Home Fund. Last year we spent $80 at the Fair and that paid for parking, got the 5 of us into the Fair and got the boys 3 rides each and 1 game each, and I think we were there all of 2 hours. We didn't buy food or snacks...oh, maybe a small bag of candy each. Even though I don't believe in candy.

So that's what I'm pondering these days. Suggestions?

Surly

Surly (sur'le) adj. -li*er, -li*est. Bad-tempered and rude. -sur'li*ness n. Yes, that pretty much describes Child.

The rule in our house is that there is no food or drink allowed in the living room. Husband and I are above this particular rule, but only after the boys have gone to bed. It seems that every day I need to remind children of this rule as I chase them back to the kitchen with their food. Today was no exception. I chased AJ out of the living room with his peanut butter sandwich; TJ's banana peel was lying on the couch so he had to properly dispose of it. I left the room for 3 minutes and when I came back in to the living room, AJ was stuffing the last of his sandwich into his mouth as he's sitting on the couch...and CJ was blatantly sitting on the couch enjoying his sandwich. I know it's only natural for children to test the rules and even break them - I did it all the time - but I wasn't so inane as to do it when Muther was still around. Bruther and I broke the rules when we were home alone. You need to have some smarts about you.

It's the attitude that comes with the surliness. Child is very good at making me feel imbecilic. I'm just crabby today and catching Husband's cold so things are bothering me more. But I feel like since Child has been working with the guys on the farm, he feels that he's better than the rest of us. Child comes and goes as he pleases - never stopping to even take off his work boots - and when I ask him to do a simple task, such as give the dogs food and water, I'm met with such opposition and grief that I want to choke somebody. And Husband isn't around very much to help me out in this area...don't get me wrong...he's great when he is here, very supportive and doesn't let the boys give me any crap, but most of the time I'm by myself. And it gets lonely.

So that's my whine for today. Somebody pass the cheese, please.

Wet Dog

Don'cha just love the smell of wet dog in the morning? It certainly is eye-opening. Gets ya moving right along, almost as well as coffee. And even better is when your wet dog knocks your cofffee all over your desk, spilling onto important papers. My favourite way to start the day.

So you're probably all dying to know how our weekend was! Hold on to your horses, I'll tell you. It was wonderful. Relaxing. Quiet. Didn't get any sleep because I don't sleep well in strange beds, but nice to get away none-the-less. On Saturday we lunched here and dined here. We walked through Nathan Phillips Square, didn't see anybody playing Jazz for the Jazz Festival, but we did see artisans and craft tents. We noticed that some of the stores in the Eaton's Centre looked open so we decided to go in and much to our surprise, the whole mall was open! On Canada Day! Apparently they are now considered a Tourist Attraction and are allowed to be open on public holidays. We didn't go see any fireworks Saturday night because it was raining, so we opted to stay in.

On Sunday we met with some people who will be in our travel group and brunched here. It is going to be one fun trip to China! We had a great time and our lunch was over all too soon.

So now it's back to work - the new normal of summertime with kids constantly talking and sharing my desk space. The wet dogs are back outside, giving my olfactory a much needed respite, and I need to clear all the toys off my desk and actually do something productive this morning...instead of just pretending...