Kicking Procrastination in the Butt

We have been doing home renovations and while it has been nice to see the improvements and new colors appear a great mess has been left in it's wake. Our living room has become a sort of dumping ground of nic naks, magazines, tools and old furniture. It has been stressing me out for a few weeks now. I keep telling myself that on the weekend we will get it cleaned up, yet the weekend comes and goes and the junk remains.
Now knowing myself like I do I decided something had to be done. I called a couple of friends to come over for coffee, with their children, first thing in the morning. Now these are friends that I am slowly getting to know, they aren't the kind that drop in, see the house a mess, and still know your a good person. No, these friends are the kind you want to make an impression on, to keep the facade going that you can keep a wonderfully clean house all the time, no problem.
So as I said knowing myself as I do I knew this is the ONLY thing that would kick my procrastination in the butt and make me attack it. So I have attacked, it's not perfect but in the rooms where my friends will be it looks pretty darn good. Now let's hope they don't go into unmarked areas as they may be in for a shock, I promise I will get to those room on the weekend! :O)

Art Appreciation

My husband loves classical music. He especially loves Opera. Usually after a long, stressful day he will take some time to sit, be quiet and listen to some of his favorite artists. Now this is something I have grown to enjoy over time, and there has been many a night that I have fallen asleep to Pavarotti playing lightly, there is nothing more relaxing.
We have wanted to instill a love for the arts into our children. While surfing on youtube the other day my husband found a little piece that captivated our youngest boy.
Hope you enjoy it...

Is the Grass Greener?

After about one week of warmer temperatures this sudden cold snap that we are experiencing is like a punch in the gut with a big "gotcha" attached to it. For some ridiculous reason the warmer weather had me thinking about spring, excited for all the plans we have for our dirt heap of a backyard. It had me thinking about green grass, a new baby, birds and travel. Well as I said reality was like a cold, harsh slap in the face. Winter is here and still going strong.
Considering the place where I live, and the frigid weather there was nothing to do today but stay huddled up inside racking our brains about what to do to pass the day. There is one conversation I know, without a doubt, that I will be having and it's my husband trying to talk me into possibly moving to a more human climate.
It's funny, as I braced myself for this talk the regular feeling of my back going up, my argument of sticking close to home for family, that this part of Canada is one we are familiar with didn't leave my chapped, almost blue lips.
It almost took me back for a moment. Ever since we've moved to our little town, away from family and close friends, I have been trying to persuade my hubby that moving back at some point would be the best thing for us. I'm not sure I feel that way anymore.
Nothing crazy has happened in our family that makes me want to not live near them. When I really think about it I think it has been a good thing for us to be away. I figure if I can live and survive here, moving someplace further away and warmer would be alright.
So for most of the morning we cuddled together on the couch, hot coffee in hand and researched a few places here in the great north that indeed do have mild winters, hot summers and early springs.
A few areas have jumped out at us and we are looking at taking a road trip this summer to check out the city and surrounding area. A road trip with 2 boys and a 4 month old should be interesting, but we are looking at renting a house for the week once we get there. I am looking forward to it, and looking forward to seeing if the grass is greener.

10 Things

A few years back, as I was watching Oprah, she had on some mature women who are choosing to age gracefully. These women talked about the pressures to stay thin and beautiful, to do whatever it takes to maintain that.
Oprah then went on to ask them if they could give one piece of advise to their younger self what would it be? So here are the 10 things I would tell my younger self.

1) Nurture the friendships you have, make them a priority in your life. Boys will come and go but your girlfriends are for life. Or they can be if you treat them right.

2) Forget the tanning beds. Wrinkles will come whether you believe it or not, so protect your skin.

3) Enjoy your time being a kid and teenager. Once you have passed that time there is no going back. Soon enough there will be a husband, children, and bills. So enjoy where you are at.

4) Surround yourself with people who make you feel good about yourself and what your doing. I remember all to well some so called 'friends' and they did nothing but make you feel bad about yourself.

5) Be kind to those you normally wouldn't think of associating with. Words hurt and that person is someone's child.

6) Continue on with your healthy habits and continue on in sports because it is a great deal more difficult to try to establish those healthy habits as an adult.

7) Don't start drinking coffee. Teeth loose their luster and your pearly whites WILL fade to a soft yellow.

8) Actually try in school. I don't regret all the fun, I don't even regret skipping class to go have some fun. Maybe try to keep a balance with it all.

These next two are to my young married self, man did we make mistakes, too many to count, but here are two pieces of advice I would want to pass on.

9) Travel and have adventures together before the kids come. Once they are here it's so much more difficult. Even if you can find reliable people to watch them, your heart is always back home wondering if things are alright.

10) Love isn't always a feeling. It's not butterflies, soft kisses and tender moments. (although it sure starts off that way) Love is seeing that person acting like a jack-ass and even though thinking to yourself at the time, 'what a moron' you can still go later and grab their hand and ask how their day was. Love is a constant, it's the liking part that goes up and down. Try to know the difference.

So my question is what would you tell your former self, given your life experiences. Look forward to reading the results.

Our little dance...

Tonight my husband and I had a little tiff, so I left him in the basement to stew for a while. Usually when this happens one of us will come with a piece offering. Tonight was my turn to wave the white flag, so I downloaded one of our songs that we used to listen to, and probably made out to, when we were dating. I quietly sat at the top of the stairs, laptop on my lap and blasted the song for him to hear. Of course it was a mushy song about love and loss. Next thing I know he is chuckling and calling for me to come down. Of course I play coy and ignore him, he continued calling me until I finally relented.
After grabbing my hand and playfully teasing me I forgave him for being such a brute earlier, and he maybe forgave me for telling him to pipe it and maybe the words 'mouth piece' were uttered in there... it's not important. *ahem* Moving on, we got over it, laughed about it, and will probably do it again in a week or so.

Many Firsts

I have to confess this pregnancy has been and I am sure will continue to be so different then the others. I attribute it to the 'fact' that I am having a baby girl. (fingers crossed) As I have sat and pondered this pregnancy and as the days go by and new symptoms appear I can't help but notice the differences.
I have had serious morning sickness with this baby. I have tried to get off the meds and I pay for that in the morning, so I have resigned myself to taking meds until birth-day.
I have NO bladder control with this pregnancy. I have to change at least once a day because I wasn't quick enough to cross my legs as a sneeze or cough came on. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to be all dressed and fresh and almost out the door when "a- achoo" hits, I am running to the bathroom and fishing for new underclothes. I am sooooooo over that!
I am quite, oh how shall we say this tactfully, "Randy Baby" Yes I must confess this time around I am actually in the mood. I don't know why ( 0f course my husband is wonderful and handsome) but he was with the other two also and at that time me and sex didn't go together. This is one first my hubby is happy, happy about!
Now this next one just appeared about 3 days ago. As I am sitting down for what feels like the first time that day, I ask my husband to pull off my socks because I can't really reach them. So when I glance down at my badly in need of a pedicure feet I realize I have NO ankle. My husband kindly refers to my tree stumps as 'kankles' I don't know what it means, I am sure it's rude though. Anyway I have swollen feet and calves. It has been 3 days now and they look brutal. I called a friend of mine to complain and so she can tell me all about the support socks she had just a few short months ago with her pregnancy. As I am relying my story and how ugly I feel and fed up, she tells me she had her compression stockings prescribed by her doctor because she had varicose veins all over from the waist down. Now when I say all over, I mean ALL over, you know what I am saying right, even in the nether regions. Poor girl. She did recommend them though so I am off tomorrow to get them.
There have been many firsts with this pregnancy, and I am trying to keep my head on straight about it, to laugh it off knowing it's only for a season. I am telling myself to enjoy all these firsts because it probably is your last kick at the can.

What is this at the bottom of the Barrel?

I'm scrapping, I know, but I don't have anything to write about and I feel like posting so here it is.


As of late my baby has been moving, alot. Of course I am only in my 28th week so the movements you just witnessed I am no where near. Watching this video, seeing that the only thing preventing this baby from reaching out to touch someone is a layer of skin. Kind of crazy.
It kind of reminds me of those old sci-fi movies where the implanted alien baby is ready to break out and take over the world.
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FYI if you think you may want to rent the movie 'Step Brothers' with Will Ferrel- DON'T!! It is really rude, excessive swearing, I think an actual set of testicles is shown (gross). Honestly it tragically contrived and lame. Two BIG thumbs down!
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It's becoming more real, apart from my weight gain, and what looks like a beach ball in front, I realize this baby is coming. Today we set up my son's loft bed, put a mattress underneath it for my youngest son, transferred all the toys and 'junk' and it's done. The crib is put together, I know it's early but we didn't even know if we had all the parts so we wanted to make sure. The new stroller/car seat is in her room. All that is left to do is paint, and make sure it's a girl by begging for another ultrasound from my doctor.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So that's it in a nut shell.

From Afar

I am not sure how I came across this women's blog so many months ago, all I know is her story and her journey have captivated me. As I have read her many posts about her beloved Christian I have smiled, wept and gone into my children's room late in the night for an extra kiss.
It was only this past summer that her son, Christian, a 3 year old boy passed away. It was sudden and from what I can gather an accident.
In her very intimate and emotion filled posts one can sense the grief this women and her family are experiencing. Along with that you get a glimpse of a true women of faith and perseverance. Her mind is completely drawn towards heaven and the fact that she will one day be there to hold her precious child.
I have never commented on her posts, only read and admired from afar. It's hard to know what to write to someone who is grieving over a loss that seems incomparable. Through this women's journey I have been challenged in how I would handle a similar situation, even how I handle everyday life stresses and I am humbled. She is walking with grace, joy, pain and hope. She is going to make it, her family will survive this and her story will make us all realize what truly is important.

A nice memory

Here are a few pictures of our last outing with Willow, our dog.

She loved chasing the kids down the hill!


Thank goodness for daddy's, there is no way I would have been able to climb that hill more then once.




What a fun day!!

Maybe a little premature...

This is our bedroom before we painted. I had forgotten to take a picture while our old furniture was in the room, but at least you'll get a glimpse at the before color.
These are the after shots..


We still have to replace all baseboards and trim, get our new bed and bedding, new window treatments, paint the closet doors and then the on suite. Man even thinking of all that makes me realize we've only just begun. Well anyway it's a little glimpse of what we've been doing this weekend. Next time I post it will be the finished product.

So good

This is one of my favorite songs, when I saw that Seal sang it.. wow!

My Turn

Here is my questionnaire extraordinaire...
1) What was the last thing you did before you came online today?
Made a cup of coffee, extra cream, and retreated to my bedroom.
2) Do you prefer a bikini panty or thong? Thongs kind of gross me out. I especially hate them when I am at the gym and some girl is changing and all I see is her butt cheeks with a piece of floss wedged in there... YUCK! Bikini briefs for me.
3) Latest product you've purchased? Bio Oil, it's supposed to help with stretch marks, we'll see...
4) Last book you read? Do instructions to a kids game count, sadly I haven't read a book in quite a while.
5) One childhood memory? I remember getting this really sweet one piece jumpsuit when I was about 8 years old. I was told NOT to wear it to go out to play. I sneaked it on, my friend and I thought it would be a great idea if I put on my roller blades and she would pull me around behind her bike. Of course I fell, put a hole in the knee and was scared spit less. I begged my friends mom to try to sew it together, she said I had to go and tell my mom. The lecture I received about how she wears old clothes and does nothing for herself put me to tears. I have always remembered that.
6) First Kiss? I was in grade 9 and dating a boy a few years older then me. We were at his folks place watching a movie and I could feel him looking at me, so I looked over and he made his move. Wet and sloppy..nasty! I pushed him away and said I should go home now. Funny, I never really heard from him again.
7) What color of nail polish are you wearing? I have turquoise on my toes, I can't seem to keep my fingernails in great shape when they are painted.
8) What are you wearing? Grey workout pants, slippers, and a long sleeved top. My husband loooovvveess this look! :O)
9) Last phone call? I called The Brick ( a furniture store) to see if they would price match a flat screen T.V for us.
10) One New Year's Resolution? Eat more fruit and vegetables.
11) Something new you want to try? I want to start making jewellery.
12) Something you haven't done for a while and want to start up again? You mean besides exercising? Well I want to start knitting again. I find it relaxing.
13) Favorite chocolate bar? Turtles!!
14) Long glamour nails or short nails? I love the look of a manicured hand. Can I do all my chores around the house and keep that look. Nope, I go for the short clean look myself.
15) What color is your bedroom? Cherry red ( this was here when we bought the place) In a couple of days it will be a lovely green though.
16)Favorite season? Easier to say my least favorite, winter. The other three seasons are my favorite.
17) One pet peeve? Elderly drivers.
18) Do you make your bed every morning? ...No?
19) What is the first post you ever wrote about? My first post was in 1995, I guess I was sort of introducing myself to the blogger community.
20) Did you enjoy this questionnaire? Yep!
21) Not done yet, one more thing, post a picture that makes you feel good.

It happened to me

Last year I attended a women's group at a church in my area. It was a great time of fellowship, food and great speakers. There was one speaker in particular, Marlene, who was quirky, cute and had the funniest stories about raising her children.
I have always remembered the time she told about getting stuck in the snow while driving her kids to school. That morning she threw a parka over her housecoat and P.J's, hopped in the vehicle only to get stuck on front of her kid's high school. She told of the horror on her kid's faces as she climbed out of the van, looking crazy, with all their friends watching as she flagged down help.
We all had a great laugh over it, and it has always stuc in my mind to be careful what you wear, you never know.
Well today was the day. I have to say I was dressed but I decided to forgo the socks and boots and just wear my slippers. Everything was fine until we discovered my son had forgotten his snowpants. Seeing that we had a few minutes and that we only live a few blocks from school I decided to pull a U-turn and return home for the snowpants. BIG MISTAKE!!
So there I am stuck, wheels spining, completely cutting off trafic, no mits and slippers. What do I do? So I tell my son to go to school, I hope out of the van and start digging with my hands trying to remove the snow so I can get some traction. By this time five vehicles are at a stop, waiting for me to move my big van and I am not going anywhere. I keep spinning my tires, my feet are frozen as well as my hands. I start to get a momentum going, I feel like I may break free from this ice and snow, and finally, finally a compassionate soul comes and gives me a big push and it's over. I thank her profusley and wave as I drive home taking note I might add that the other vehicles waiting for me to clear the way all are men drivers, not a one asked if I needed help, just waited for me to break free from the snow. Tsk, tsk!
Lesson learned, never leave the house unprepared.

2008 in Review

We decided to just have a night in with the kids, wow no different then any other night. My husband has to be at work for 8am the next day so we played some Wii, bathed our rug rats and tried to have everyone in bed so we could enjoy our Japanese food and a movie. All in all it was a relaxing night, and relaxing is a great way to bring in the new year.
As we were sitting talking we started to reflect on 2008. Here are our reflections:
During this past year we went from being a low income, student family living in a low income housing unit to finally owning a home, being business owners and finally having enough money to breathe.
We went from being a family of four, to a family of four plus one on the way. We've moved away from family and friends and now live in a 'city' (I use the term generously) where we don't really know anybody.
We enrolled our son in public school, we were just about sued by another pharmacy, had extended family issues, found another home for our dog, replaced a furnace, lost control of my bladder and as I am looking down at my exposed belly ( I am watching the baby kicking) I am noticing new wonderful (sarcastic) stretch marks. It's a wonder I am not on some prescription medication.
My hope for 2009? Simple, simplicity.

A little bit of this, a little bit of that...

This week I finally did something very grown up, I purchased a bedroom set. In all my 10 years of marriage I have never had a bedroom set. I tried to buy one with classic lines so in the next 10 years it won't look too dated. So along with my new set, coming today YAY!, we are deciding on paint colors and installing a closet organizer. *when did I become an adult?*
This week I gave up our dog. Do I have regrets? Probably everyday I do. I think to myself, maybe if we tried harder and just stuck it out... oh well I have to keep telling myself she is happier. I received a report from her new owner yesterday. She is living on an acreage, she is playing lots outside and inside with their little puppy, I need to be happy for her and I am. I am just sad for us. One day we will go on a puppy journey again, this time for keeps.
This week I have been dropping subtle, okay maybe not so subtle, hints that I need an upgrade on my wedding ring. We affectionately refer to it as my 'starter'ring. Please don't get me wrong, I love my ring and it holds great memories and sentiment for me, but I am thinking a bigger diamond wouldn't hurt. I have my eye on a white gold solitaire that turns my knees to mush and turns my hubby's stomach because it may be a 'little'pricey, but hey we celebrate our 10 years together this summer!!
This week I need to get groceries. We are living off bread and soup, sad. I just dread going grocery shopping with my two boys. In the town where I live I have to hit a few places to get what we need and dragging two rammy little guys through a shopping center isn't my idea of a pleasant time. It starts out alright, then the pushing and shoving starts, I start threatening and giving the odd, so you can't see, pinch to tell them to smarten up. They start swinging and crawling on anything in sight. Just writing about it has made up my mind I will NOT do that with them today.
And finally this week I reconnected with an old friend. We haven't talked on the phone for 10+ years. She is from my town, grew up here, so when she heard I lived here now she called me and we had a great talk. It surprises how much you can actually miss someone and not know it. We made plans to get together the next time she's in town. Really nice to talk to her again.
So that is my week. Seems like a roller coaster and chaotic, sometimes that's how our weeks go. I think next week I will chill a bit.

I've been tagged

Well this isn't necessarily the 4th photo from my 4th folder, that one was really hazy, so I chose one close to it.
Summer '08 the first summer in our house. This is the one half of my backyard that actually has grass. Our kids had been so bored we purchased them this swingset to help keep them out of my hair a bit. Funny that didn't seem to work :O)

Farewell

This is something I have been wanting for a long time, or so I thought. I know I have complained, probably shed a few tears of frustration over it, and yet now I am shedding tears because I miss her.
Two days ago a very nice man and his wife drove to our little neck of the woods and left with our dog Willow.
When it truly came down to making this decision we waivered quite a bit. This man was interested a few weeks ago and just as I was about to give him the go ahead my dear husband said he just couldn't do it. He promised me we would find a way to make it work, he was going to prepare our enviornment for our dog so we could enjoy her more and I would have less maintanence with her.
Wouldn't you know after resigning myself to this and looking forward to the said changes things at work for my husband have gone crazy. He will be working more and it doesn't look like it will be letting up anytime soon. So our dilema is do we keep our German Shepherd, a poor girl who isn't getting excercised or stimulated much just so we won't miss her? Do we give her to a man who won't stop emailing about her even after we told him no a earlier. I guess the decision finally came when he emailed again and told us he purchased a German Shepherd pup from the breeder our dog was from and that Willow would have an acreage and a friend to play with all the time.
Needless to say I miss her, I didn't think I would but I do. I keep checking my email for pictures and updates of her. It's been a sad few days around here.

My Favorite Things, Oprah eat your heart out!

My dear Flutter posted her favorite things, here is a list of mine.


1) I have found these cleaners to be the bomb!! I have tried other 'green'products and was sorely disappointed, but these clean, there is actual suds when doing dishes. The bathroom all purpose cleaner made my tub sing for joy and I didn't loose a layer of fine nose tissue in the process. Refreshing and mild. Snaps to you Clorox!



2)
When my husband called me from work stating he was picking up a Wii I was a little hesitant. Another gaming system in our house, something ELSE for our kids to fight about. It has turned out to be a wonderful gaming system. It's very interactive and we have a ton of fun playing together as a family. Wii sports is great, it forces you to get up and move. The day after my boxing match on Wii I was stiff and sore, now that normally isn't a good thing, but it was the most exercise I have had in a while. Everything in moderation, right? Snaps to Nintendo, great system!

3)
No this isn't for the bedroom, it's not a torture device, at least not for humans. The choke collar has been a lifesaver, not for me but for my willful, crazy dog. Seeing that the weather is close to -50 degrees that animal is in the house all the time. So you can imagine a German shepherd who is still a puppy, all be it a LARGE puppy, who has energy to boot and with no exercise, she's a disaster. The instant I put this on her big neck she turns into a submissive dog again. So snaps to whomever invented this scary, but wonderful device, without it she may have ended up at the pound.

4) WARNING- this is not for the faint of heart. This sauce with kick you in the stomach and laugh. It brings a unique burning sensation to your mouth and the acid reflux may have you reaching for the Tums. Why would I recommend this, well it has a mouthwatering, vinegary, gingery taste that has me reaching for more. I crave this sauce and eat it on sandwiches. The few seconds before the burning starts to take over, before your sense clear and your nose is running like crazy, before all that there is a moment of satisfaction. It tastes so good- my mouth is watering even writing about it. So if your brave enough to try, have a bowl of ice cream at your side and jump in, yes it may be painful, actually it will be until you build up a tolerance for it. I guarantee you will feel like you may have been transported to a warm tropical island. No I'm not talking about hell, it's before your mouth is engulfed in flames, it's that few seconds of bliss that make it all worth it. So... snaps to President's Choice for making a great sauce!

5)
I received this sheet set for a gift from my folks. Now I wouldn't recommend these for those hot summer night that have us tossing and turning. These sheets are for those cold -50 degrees night kind of like the ones we are experiencing now, damn winter weather. Anyway don't get me started on our COLD Canada winters, these sheets are warm, soft and even luxurious. Yes I will go so far as to say luxurious. My little boy crawled into bed with us one night and asked if I would take these sheets off my bed so he could have them. Of course I told him to forget it, these are mine my friend. So if you suffer with winter like we do you will enjoy this little bit of comfort.

Oh how things have changed

"Here Mommy, let me help you with your boots." came the kind words from my 5 year old today. He is quite protective of me, especially now that I am pregnant. He often will tell his father to be nice because I am a pregnant mommy. He will join me in complaining about the mess the dog makes, often stating that Mommy is pregnant and can't do all the cleaning. He is a sweet boy.
I remember being pregnant with my 1st baby. I remember how careful we were about everything. My husband doted on me, would run out for Burger King at the drop of a hat, rub my ever growing tummy with lotion to prevent stretch marks, and would often play classical music for the baby.
The second pregnancy was a stressful time as we were in the middle of a move. I had pregnancy brain and almost burned down our house. The tummy rubs became less, I now had complaints about having to go out at night for a craving run and the time spent talking to baby, I don't know if we even did that.
Now onto the third baby. Again came at a stressful time, husband starting a new career, we didn't even talk about the baby much for the first while. I don't even take the time to rub my belly with lotion, I think I've played music once for the baby, and I don't even think to ask for a craving run. But tonight, that little voice of my son brought tears to my eyes. You know what, I deserve to be pampered a little bit, and you know what else, it felt good to be pampered, even if he's only 5.
Thanks little guy, you really made me feel cherished today.

1998

I was driving the other day, probably to pick up or drop off one of my kids at something. As I turned on the radio a song played that took me back to the year 1998
At that time I was working at a restaurant as a waitress. I had become pretty good friends with alot of the staff, we hung out after work and had great times together.
On this particular day it was my birthday, I was turning 23, and my boyfriend (my lovely hubby now) was across the country at University. My friends being sweet and taking pity told me they were taking me out to dinner.
We arrived to the packed restaurant, took our seats to get ready to order. All at once our waiter appeared with a guitar and proceeded to serenade me. Everyone stopped and stared, I'm not sure what shade of red I actually turned, but my friends thought it was hilarious. Now the song he sang had to be changed a little, see my eyes aren't brown their blue.
When my friend and waiter were planning this little ditty my friend didn't know off hand what color my eyes were so they came up with a plan. The plan was whatever color my eyes were, he would wear that same color of shirt so when the waiter/singer came up he would know what color to substitute. It was a fun night, one I won't soon forget.
What a great memory!