Sunday, February 28, 2010

Gold Medal Day!

WOW...did you see that game!!?!?!?


I'll admit, I really only paid attention, as in sitting down to watch it, the last 10 minutes of the last period...the rest of the time I was running interference between Howie and the kids! Not to mention feeding them lunch, and putting Sam down for her nap!

Besides, the last 10 minutes were THE most exciting!!!! Well, until the last 24.4 seconds when US tied the game up! Oh, that was heart plummeting!

Then the overtime was VERY exciting!!!!

Wish I could have seen the goal the first time instead of on a replay.....

Don't laugh.....

I thought DJ had taken off...he was outside playing and when I went to check on him he was no where to be found! Lara saw me looking and popped her head out her slider and said he wasn't there...I started to panic and call out his name...nothing.

Howie came out to see what I was doing and I told him, we lost DJ and we have to go find him.

At which point, he informs me that DJ's in the bathroom and needs his butt wiped.

Again...don't laugh!!!

I wasn't!

That's when Howie told me Canada won the gold medal in the hockey game! *sigh*

I will also admit, I teared up hearing the anthem being played at the medal ceremony, and watching all the pride with which each hockey player sang along! So awesome!!!!! Best games yet for Canada!!!

After all the hoopla, I took off to get some of the sales that were ending today at Safeway and Albertsons...and took a slight, kid free detour to Ben Franklin! Let me tell you....I feel like I won a gold medal myself as I scored AWESOME yarn there for a 1.00 a skein!!!! Oh, so awesome!! I also got a rather easy sounding pattern for a pull over sweater for Sam...so I may frog what I started last nite and do this one...its done in one piece...not 4!

Now that I'm done blogging....I'm off to watch some TV and knit...I've had the closing ceremonies on since the kids went to bed...sure don't like the American version after hearing all about the Canadian version from friends on Facebook. Stupid CBC/CTV war!!

Til next time...ciao!

The winner is

Sorry I took so long to draw the winner of the keepsake book Mom Tell Me Your Story, a guided journal. I meant to do it this afternoon, but got caught up in hockey!


The winner here in my blogdom, as my reign as Queen for the Week is now officially over, is

jmberrygirl...her blog is one I read whenever she posts...Congrats!!!


Til next time...ciao!

Not one diaper

Did I change today!!!! I can't even tell you the last time that ever happened!?!?!!?

Samantha was ALL about Daddy today!!! Daddy could do no wrong!!! Mummy on the other hand...she could live without!

Which, for today at least, was okay! I had MANY Avon deliveries to make today, and kidless is how I prefer to do that!

DJ was not having a good Daddy day....he wanted a Mummy day...so we did the old standard...Divide and Conquer! SamSam stayed with Daddy and DJ helped me "Do Avoning"

He wasn't much help in the beginning as he fell asleep on the way to Lynnwood...perfectly fine with me! Especially considering he was up at 6:48 this morning and stayed up! Not me, I went back to bed! Howie even suggested that since I had such a busy day, I might want to get a jump start on it...NOT! I managed to sleep til 8:30 and then got up at 9...I love just lazing in bed! The cats do too!!

Getting myself ready this morning was simple...I had a plan!! You see, Avon has this new mascara coming out in the next campaign and I've got a "preview" of it...and have been using it...and thoroughly amazed!! And I wanted to amaze my clients today...so, I only put mascara on....one eye! That's right....I have one visible eye and one invisible non-make-upped eye! What a HUGE difference!! Everyone was stunned by how well it works! Thank goodness I could hide behind my sunglasses otherwise! lol

DJ and I took off this morning at the same time as Howie and SamSam...they were going fishing shopping...but they were going to be home A LOT sooner than us! Like I said, I had many deliveries today! This is a GOOD thing!! Thankfully one of my clients let us eat our Wendy's lunch in her living room while talking shop...Thanks Joan! And Michelle!

Once all the deliveries were done, we went to Joann's and I had a mini fabulous time!! I couldn't get totally lost in it all as I had DJ with me and had to constantly watch his roving hands! He earned the name Freddy Fast Fingers at an early age! He's that quick! I was also trying to teach him to STICKCLOSETOME when we're out in public like that...twice he "lost" me and started calling out for me...with me watching from behind a display or something...he didn't do what he was really supposed to do, which is find someone with a name tag and tell them his name. I didn't have the heart to let it go that far and he always managed to find me anyways. One of these days...

I picked up some yarn today....oh it felt SOOOOOOO good to buy some new stuff! And I just love Bernat Satin! I had to resist the urge to buy more as I was couponless....and if you know me, you know that's HUGE!! I was at the bottom of the mountain when I realized I'd forgotten them...*sigh*

After Joann's we went to Albertsons to pick up an Rx for me...thankfully it was there on repeat! Oh, and DJ and I had to get gas this afternoon, which I got at Fred Meyer, so while we were there we had a donut date...he liked that!

We had one more stop before we could head home....to my friend Jackie's place...she had a Tupperware party last nite and I wanted to get my $$ to her for my order! And to pick up the party gift! Which was a sweet 1 cup container that has a vent for in the micro! Its ready to be washed in the next load!

Finally we got back into Monroe and just as we're passing the fairgrounds Howie called...wanting to know where we were...so I told him and that we had two more stops to make...one of which was to get a movie for me tonite....he told me Kristopher was over and waiting for DJ to come play...and in the meantime, playing with SamSam! How cute is that?!?!?! Love it! So, we skipped my two stops and headed home. DJ was VERY excited to get in the door and kick his shoes off and strip his jacket off and get downstairs!

This also meant, I got to visit with Howie for a bit without having kids interrupt!! He showed me his bounty and I showed him mine! :) Then we got down to the making of dinner! Which Kristopher joined us for! And then all 3 of them went back downstairs! I grabbed a shower while Howie watched some Olympic hockey...and then it was pajama time...which meant Kristopher had to go home! Sent him on his way and got the kids in bed.

Once everyone was settled and Howie went to bed, I started watching a Harry Potter movie I hadn't seen before....and KNIT!!!!!! I started a 4T sweater for Miss Samantha....now, I'd LOVE to have it done before her birthday, but I think it might take me a little longer than that...so far, the 4 inches I got done tonite, look wonderful!!!! I can't wait to show the finished product!!

Now, I'm hittin the hay! Got my new magazine in the mail today, and I'm off to read!

Til next time...ciao!!

P.S....the giveaway is closed, I'll be doing the drawing tomorrow and announcing the winner!!

Friday, February 26, 2010

Is there such a thing as

Mom Olympics??!?!

If not, there sure should be!!!! Man!

DJ had us awake (to join us in bed...right in the middle!) about 4:30....I think....we'd had a power outage and the clock was flashing 2:20....so I stopped the flashing and rolled over and went back to sleep. DJ woke up at 7:30 and joined Howie out in the living room....I got to doze for another hour. So I was up and at 'em at 8:30!! Washed my face, put on some make up, curled my hair....whew!

You see, this morning we had to be somewhere for 10! And it was a half hour drive to get there...I wanted to be in the truck for 9:15, but that was not realistic! I still had to make Howie breakfast, and myself too...oh and dress the kids! We were, however, in the truck for 9:30! So not too far off target!!

We went to a Cyndi Soup concert...at the Noah Thumbnail theatre....an old church turned into a children's theater. They were late getting the show started at which point the kids were getting quite antsy...and climbing all over the stage. Not just my kids thankfully! Samantha's terrible twos kicked into high gear and she would NOT listen to me at all!! Quite annoying!

They both enjoyed the puppet/singing show! And both got to be up on stage a couple different times and enjoyed that too!!

See...doesn't she look like she's having fun?? She tried to engage the other little girl in dancing with her...the second time she got up to dance the little girl she picked to dance with wasn't as accommodating...it was funny!

After the performance we went to Burger King with some of the other moms for an early lunch/play time in their kid area. DJ was all over that! Samantha, not so much! For a girl who LOVES to hang upside down...she did not like climbing to the top without figuring out what she was doing. Of course, I was off getting lunch at this point, so when I got back with the food, she was in a state of panic!! I had to climb up in the structure to get her down...she kept yelling "Stuck" which comes out "Stuhhhh" I chuckle now...I did then too...it was cute!

Once done there we headed back to Monroe and stopped at Fred Meyer for some marinara sauce for dinner...Wyndi and Izzy were coming over and that's what I was supposed to have on hand! It was then a mad dash to get home without Sam falling asleep on me...she made to the driveway...whew! Got her down for a nap, and tidied up a bit before Wyndi showed up.

Kristopher came over soon after Izzy got here, which was perfect! I'd bumped into Lara at Freddy's and told her to send him over whenever she wanted to! The 4 of them play well together! Which gives me time to visit with Wyndi and work on Avon, which arrived sometime after Wyndi and Izzy arrived, and before Kristopher came over...small window! Got all my orders bagged up and ready to go for delivery tomorrow!

Dinner was FABULOUS!!!! Wyndi has been raving about these chicken/spinach/garlic meatballs for a while now, but I've never seen them at costco...so she brought them with and we had sketti noodles with the marinara sauce and these meatballs...they were DELICIOUS!!!! The kids all gobbled it up!! Izzy even had seconds!!! SO good!! Even Howie thoroughly enjoyed his when he got home! I kept the package so I could know exactly what I'll be looking for next costco trip!

The kids kept on playing after dinner, but all 3 of them were very tired!!!! They started getting clumsy and one by one they each had some sort of "injury"....which meant it was pajama time!! As soon as Wyndi and Izzy left we read books and the kids went to bed. DJ was out like a light before Howie got home...Sam was still nursing...so she got some Daddy kisses and went to bed.

Howie's watching the dvr'd hockey game (I truly am a good wife!) while I blog...and then I'm sure he's going to bed and the TV will be mine!!!! Last nite I ended up watching Akeelah and the Bee....what a GREAT movie!!!!

Til next time...ciao!



P.S. don't forget to enter my giveaway....and head over to Elizabeth's blog and enter there too! :)

Fun Fact Friday

YAY!!!!!!!!! It's Friday!!!!!!!!!!!

Altho, I'm not sure why I'm so excited...its just another day to a mom....lol

But, it is also Fun Fact Friday!!!!

Or rather, quirky fact...yeah, let's go with quirky today!!!

I can NOT watch someone brush their teeth (even just thinking about it gets me!) without cringing and wanting to crawl out of my skin! Kinda like the finger nails on a chalkboard kind of thing. Commericals for toothpaste undo me! I can't watch them! They make my teeth hurt!

In fact, I typically close my eyes when I brush mine....and don't seem to have a problem brushing the kids' teeth...I think it's because I'm in control of the brush for them...I won't even let Sam play with hers...she just wants to chew on it and that drives me!

So, what's your nails on the chalkboard peeve?

Til next time...ciao!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

I have a confession

I get teary eyed watching Canadians getting gold medals and listening to the anthem being played.

There, I said it!

I'm not sure why these Olympics are tugging at my heartstrings so much, but man they sure are! I just LOVE seeing the parents of the athletes or the children of the athletes in the audience when they win! You can just FEEL the pride thru the TV!!!!

And today's women's hockey win was fantastic!!! I was a good wife and dvr'd the game for Howie since it started at 3:30 and that's when he gets off work...I had it all ready to go for him when he came in the door. AND I kept my mouth shut about what the score was...that was hard! lol Of course my parents ruined it for me as they called as soon as the game was over...but I didn't let on that I knew anything as Howie was still watching at that point! That was harder!!! lol YAY CANADA!!!!!!

Today was a stay at home and tackle the laundry day! I won the battle too!!! I got 3 loads washed and dried and folded...not quite put away...and there's one more in the dryer to fold...DJ's blankets and sheets. I still haven't done ours yet...yeah, I'm lazy! But we have only one set of sheets that I just LOVE sleeping on, so I have to do them in the morning so that they're ready to go back on the bed at bed time...and today was a clothes day as the kids were out of pj's. And tomorrow's a little busy too...as is Saturday....maybe Monday....hahaha

Speaking of procrastinating....I got trouble from my parents for not updating my photo blog...and I promised I'd get to it on Sunday...which is why I can't do laundry that day....like my reasoning??

This afternoon while SamSam was snoozing DJ had a blast playing outside with Kristopher!!! It's been a couple of days, so DJ was more than ready to be outside running around! I was even more than ready for him to be outside running around!! He just has too much energy!

I also got my glue gun out this afternoon and made a couple new hair clips for Sam...I need more clips themselves to make more...so that's on my Joann's list for Saturday! She really liked the ones I made and wanted both of them in her hair at the same time! She's too cute for words sometimes!

Before dinner DJ exasperated me in a heartbeat....I'd gotten his juice ready and Sam's sippy cup ready, and put them out of reach...but not quite apparently, as he proceeded to catch the lip of the cup and spill the entire contents all over the counter and floor...and inside the cutlery drawer and the plastics cupboard...NOT a pretty sight!

It brought me back to that day when I was still pregnant with Sam, and DJ was about 18 months old "helping" me bring in the groceries....he tried carrying a one gallon thing of apple juice...and dropped it...the entire gallon of juiced ended up on my floor...Howie found me crying, sitting on the floor trying to clean it up. Apple juice and I have a love/hate relationship!

Ahhh, now he's almost 4 and history repeats itself in a much smaller scale...but it took me back!! In a heartbeat!

I'm gonna go work on the cat blanket, and watch Survivor...


Til next time...ciao!



P.S. don't forget to enter my giveaway....and head over to Elizabeth's blog and enter there too! :)

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

My kids really do like each other

I promise!!!!!

And today, we got proof of that!

Picture this....they're fighting over a book (a Lightning McQueen one to be exact) and the screaming coming from SamSam is deafening! I go over, take the book from both of them and hand it to Sam as I know she had it first.

Literally, 30 seconds after this exchange....they're sitting together in the chair and DJ is "reading" it to SamSam.

Awwwwwwww! I know, right? Totally! I even managed to get pictures of them chatting while holding the book. Too cute!!!!

Moments like these are few and far between! But when they happen, I cherish them! I got to witness DJ being the protective brother I know he can be the other day...I just love that side of him!! When he's looking out FOR her and not looking to knock her down! Fine line!!

This morning we went to the library for story time...and to return our books we've had for more than a month now...and get new ones of course!! Story time was good! Samantha is now officially in the "I can't hear you" stage!! She's also getting to be disruptive when everyone else is listening to the story...thankfully I know she'll grow out of this as DJ has...and he was sitting nicely listening and interacting with the storyteller. Craft time was making butterflies and gluing them on Popsicle sticks....they didn't last long as Sam was more interested in the Popsicle stick than the craft itself when we got home. She ruined both of them and started using the sticks as a "spoon" for imaginary food.

While she was napping DJ tried to go over to the neighbours with no success...and it was a bit chilly out...so he came home instead....to bother me! lol In fact, I'd been laying on the couch while he was sitting with me watching TV...and all of a sudden he's pulling single hairs on my head. I must have dozed off as it scared the crap outta me!!! Poor kid...I scared him cuz he scared me! lol

Once Howie came home the TV was his...hockey was on! And Team Canada was playing! I have to say, watching Howie watch hockey was entertaining...he's quite vocal and vibrant whenever Canada scored...7 times to be exact...and all the other attempts that were deflected. Are the Olympics over yet?!?!?

American Idol was guy's nite...not that impressed with the "talent" this year has to offer...I sure hope everyone's first time nerves are gone and we can start to hear real singing!!!! Otherwise its gonna be a looooong season!!

I finished the cat blanket thingy last nite...now I have to sew the two sides up and just wasn't feeling up to it tonite...I've been cold all day!!! I love that the cats will sit on my lap and warm me up a bit!

Now, I'm gonna go catch up on some Lost...possibly...I'm debating just dvr'ing the whole season and watching it in a marathon so as to not be overly confused with questions....which hardly seems possible!!


Til next time...ciao!



P.S. don't forget to enter my giveaway....and head over to Elizabeth's blog and enter there too! :)

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

New baby-itis!

I have new baby-itis upon hearing of the birth of my friend Tiffany's little girl Kiri! Oh, I just LOVE that name!! According to Baby Names it means Mountain. She's already showing the "stubborn like a mountain" part of her name...she was 18 days late!!

Moms out there...can you possibly imagine being pregnant an EXTRA 18 days!??!?! No and thank you! Tiffany sure was a trooper tho!!! I can't wait to hear about Kiri's birth!!

Today was another stay-home-go-nowhere day! I'm loving it compared to last week!!! Doesn't stop DJ from saying "Mum, we got a lot to do today!" when he wakes up...even tho we really don't! I conquered Mt Laundry on Sunday, so we're all enjoying the benefit of clean clothes once again! I think I may tackle the bed sheets tomorrow!

It didn't start raining here til late afternoon, so DJ was able to go outside and play for a couple hours! Sure does help get him to sleep quicker!!!

Samantha wore herself out by dancing, flipping over, running, giggling...you name it! She was all over the house today! She's such a happy baby when she gets proper sleep!! I love the happy baby! I guess I can't call her a baby for too much longer...she's FAST approaching 2 and its quite scary really! Hence the new baby-itis! Thank heavens tho I can't have anymore! I'm really more than okay with the two (and Jake) that we have!!! MORE than okay!

Tonite was also the start of the real American Idol...we're done with all the awful auditions...and the Hollywood rounds...now, on to finding the real talent!

I have to say....the women weren't that exciting!! There were two or three that stood out to me...Didi and Katie...numbers 09 and 12! I know nerves are a big part of it, and some of the girls were downright visibly nervous...but its song choice! Ugh! They need coaching with that...not just vocals!

And to be brutally honest...I'm not digging Ellen Degeneres as a judge...I don't feel like she's got the music history/background to be a judge...just my .02!

Now,I'm gonna go back to my chair...unravel a small scarf I made so I can use the yarn to finish up the cat blanket I'm 7/8 done....thought I had more of that colour...and I don't!! I'm pacing myself til Saturday when I get to go visit a dear old friend...Joann! Its been AGES since I've stepped foot in one! *sigh*

Til next time...ciao!


P.S. don't forget to enter my giveaway....and head over to Elizabeth's blog and enter there too! :)

Monday, February 22, 2010

Did you see it!?!?!

I did!!! Right in the middle of the Bachelor: Women Tell All!!! Thank goodness I have DVR and eagle eyes...I spotted the word Anew and just knew...rewound the show and sure enough...there it was!!!

A commercial for the new Anew Reversalist eye system!!!! LinkYasmin Le Bon is the face of the newest product made exclusively by Avon and if I hadn't just read her bio...I'd've NEVER guessed she was 8 years older than me!!! Pffffft! I'd would have said early 30's! Gorgeous!

In any case, I'm all excited!!!

Also, as a small testimonial...in my early 20's I was a Vaseline Intensive Care girl....I used it faithfully EVERY single nite....but since giving birth to my kids, I've struggled to find a good face cream. I think pregnancy did a number on my hormones and the way my skin reacts to things. And truth be told, I haven't really used much on my face since Samantha was born...so almost 2 years. Doesn't mean I didn't try to find the "right" cream that my face would like...I tried 'em! Well, last week at my district meeting I was given a sample of Anew Rejuvenate...typically for women who are showing early signs of aging...which if I dissect myself in the mirror, I am! When did this happen!?!!? Anyways, I got trial sizes of the day cream (which has SPF 25 in it) and a trial size of the night cream (more like a gel) and then samples of the day and night eye creams.

I started using it that nite! So, I've now been using it for 5 days and I am truly AMAZED at how happy my pores are!! My face feels SOOOO incredibly smooth! Much like SamSam's baby face feels! I love her skin! I even had Howie feel my face tonite to show him how great it feels now, and he agreed! And like my district manager said...what you do to your face now will reflect in 10 years....so take care of it now if you wanna be lookin good at 47! And I do!! I'll have teenagers then (God help me!) and I don't want to look like I'm hitting 50!

Ok, I'm off my soap box now! lol

Today was a good day!! Beautiful sunshine!!!! DJ woke up once (well twice) in the night...once to pee and once to just get tucked in again...brat! He was up shortly before 7:30 and headed out to the couch to watch TV. Sam and I got up about 8:30 and got the day going!!

DJ was slightly fevered around the hair line, but other than that, no other signs of sickness! After breakfast I bathed them, which they both enjoyed doing the naked dance (Sam can now say naked!) and then getting to play in the bath.

Once I got Sam down for her nap, DJ was chilling on the couch watching Up (again!!) and noticed Kristopher outside playing and BEGGED me to let him go outside and play. Since we'd had no other puke episodes, and no fever, I let him go. And he LOVED being out in the sunshine!! Good thing too as I hear we're in for some rain the next few days.

I grabbed a cat nap on the couch, still trying to recover from Saturday nite! Let's hope tonite will bounce me right back! Whew!

I've got my Avon orders ready to go in in the morning, and other than that, not much else to report!

I am REALLY tired of NBC's Olympic coverage...and getting nothing live...and I do mean NOTHING!!! I don't like knowing who won what medals before I've even seen it! And by the same token, won't avoid social media because of that! They are just now showing the pairs skating and it's 11:43pm! Ridiculous! Who has this kind of time to devote to watching!?!?!?

Since I already know the outcome, I'm DVR'ing it and gonna go watch Amazing Race from last nite! And then hit the sack!!

Til next time...ciao!


P.S. don't forget to enter my giveaway....and head over to Elizabeth's blog and enter there too! :)

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Ok, someone forgot to tell me

I'm getting OLD!!!! Seriously!!! Did I think I was 27 last nite!??!?!! Good Lord, I'm tired!!! I've felt hungover all day and there was not a drop of alcohol involved in last nite's adventure! Man alive!!

I tell you what tho...I sure did have fun! The gals I went with I met on twitter...and they're HUGE country buffs! So we had a lot in common! The one gal offered to drive, so I jumped on that...3 hours of driving one way doesn't sound like fun to me! And another gal who lives in Marysville is her concert buddy, and she was already going when they asked me...what fun! We met up with another girl and her mom who live in Olympia and decided to stay over in Longview and visit family while they were there. So it was TOTAL fluke that while Amber was sitting in the lobby that she looked up and saw Keith Anderson checking in. She ran over and got a hug and chatted with him briefly...and then immediately called us! So when we arrived in town we went to the venue first to check out its location...and noticed that at 4pm there were already 5 or so people in line!! yikes! Then we went over to the Red Lion and waited in the lobby...totally groupie-ish of us! But we couldn't let such a golden opportunity pass us by! There were only 2 exits out of the place and we had 'em covered!! Finally a half hour later he came down...with some blonde on his arm and the other two songwriters he sang with, Aaron Benward and Brian McComas who all walked on while Keith stopped momentarily to greet us. Now, here's where the "what ifs" come in to play. What if one of us had stood up from our seats...would he have stayed? What if one of us had asked for a hug...would he have stayed? Oh I hate the what if game!! In any case, he paused, smiled, and said thanks for coming, we'll see y'all tonite....and went on his merry way!


So we did too! We stopped at Subway to grab dinner for while in line...and headed back to the theater....where we now had 100 people in front of us!!!! what!??!!?! It was only 5:30 and the show started at 7:30! The doors weren't going to be opened til 7...yikes! Well thank goodness we got there when we did!! It was a sold out show and max capacity of 750...so to only have 100 in front of us, we were doing good! In the end, we got 2 seats in the 3rd row and 3 seats in the 4th row...not too shabby!

I've never been to an "unplugged" concert before...and if you haven't...Oh, I highly recommend it!! It was fabulous! Very intimate feeling and not over sensory loading!!! The camaraderie between the guys was hilarious! And they had this "songs from the hat" thing were you write down a song title and if they picked you, they wrote a song from your title...I didn't get picked! lol The concert was 2.5 hours....so unheard of these days!! Especially when the tickets were 15.00! Almost a steal! lol At the end of the concert they did a mass meet n greet...so we stood in line to get pix and autographs.
By this point its almost 11, so we hit up Arby's for some warm food and head back on the highway! Thankfully we had smooth travels both there and back! But it was still 1:20 or so when we got back to the park n ride...and then I had to sit shivering in the car til the windshield defrosted enough for me to drive! And of course, the gas gauge light came on on the way home, so I had to stop and get gas....which meant it was about 2:15 when I got home.
Howie was awake when I came in....I had no clue, and had shut off the front hall light which he was reading by...so when he spoke, I about jumped out of my skin! Sheesh!! We chatted for a few minutes, I blogged, moved DJ back to his own bed, got ready for bed and climbed in. About 5 minutes later I hear DJ awaken and go to Daddy, and I hear them chat a bit, and all of a sudden Howie's bringing him into our bed...what!??! I just moved him!!! He'd pee'd his bed...darnit! So he got Daddy's side for the nite! At this point its 3 am...I'm beyond exhausted...and literally fall asleep mid-thought! Before I know it, it's 7:05 and DJ's awake! He goes out to Howie to snuggle and watch TV...I roll over....20 minutes later DJ comes in to use the bathroom....HUH!?!? He's got his own!!! Urgh!! Top it all off, he pooped, so he needed help! I get him squared away and crawl back into bed...at 8 am my phone rings...its my dad...who can't understand my "I yelled too much at the concert" morning voice...he thought he had the wrong number even! They let me go back to bed and about 9 there was some kind of outside noise that sounded like a jackhammer! By 9:45 I gave up! I got up and got dressed! At this point Howie came in to change his clothes as he was taking the kids to the park!
They left at 10 and it was heavenly quiet! I ate my breakfast...chatted with my parents (they called back) and got dishes going...got laundry going...vacuumed...made serious headway in what I wanted to accomplish today!!!

They came back about 11:30 and wanted lunch! Howie meanwhile got busy pressure washing the stairs and the back deck...WOW what a difference that makes!!! Once we get another dry spell he wants to stain it.
Samantha woke up from her nap shortly after 3 and by 4:30 she and I were on the road to town to finish up the grocery shopping. You'd think having only one child would make it easier...no....she was not the easy one to take today! She was very upset that she got taken away from playing with the neighbours and DJ...and punished me for it too! brat!
We got home just after 6 and found Howie struggling to keep DJ awake...he was fevered (101.1) and VERY tired! In fact, in the 5 minutes it took me to make his dinner, he fell asleep! And the old adage came to me "Starve a fever, feed a cold"...so I put his dinner in the fridge. Good thing too, he woke up shortly after 7 and needed to pee...got up from that, turned around, and puked. Blech!!!!! Thankfully it was all in the toilet!! My poor baby heaved everything from his tummy til he was dry heaving. But he waited til he felt okay to get up....at which point it was almost 8! Unbelievable!! We got the kids in bed and then Howie went shortly thereafter...he was a wee bit tired from the lack of sleep last nite.
Now, I'm gonna go snuggle under my snuggie and watch TV...non Olympic TV that is!!!! AND I'm going to bed EARLY tonite!! I am NOT 27!!!!
Til next time...ciao!
P.S. don't forget to enter my giveaway....and head over to Elizabeth's blog and enter there too! :)

Adjusting my halo...

Oh my....I'm adjusting my halo as my cornonation is happening...YAY!!!!!! I finally get to be Queen For The Week!!! Thank you to any/all who sent Elizabeth over at Confessions From A Working Mom an email to nominate me! What shall I do with this new found power!?!?! *rubs hands*

Confessions from a Working Mom

But seriously I'm honoured to wear the crown! For those of you who may be popping in because of Elizabeth, welcome! We'll be doing a giveaway, so stick around!



I'm mom to 2.5 children! The .5 is my stepson, Jacob, who's 16 and driving. The other two are DJ (3) and Samantha (2 next month) as well one dog and two cats! My husband and I will be married 7 years on the 3rd of March...and together 9 years this summer! I couldn't have picked a better man! I'm also an Avon representative! I've been doing it now for almost 6 months and enjoy the heck out of it! I like getting to see my girlfriends on a regular basis! And meeting and making new friends because of Avon! You're more than welcome to shop my online store any time! There's a button on my sidebar that'll take you right to it!



What you'll find on my blog....lots of gibberish as I muddle thru the laundry to raise two kids! There's tears, laughter, runny noses and LOTS of kisses!!!





Now, for that giveaway I mentioned-- as you just read, I am an Avon representative. I'm going to give away two copies of this amazing keepsake journal. I will be giving away one copy to MY readers; Elizabeth will be giving away the other to HERS. But guess what? You can enter on BOTH of our blogs (although you will not be able to win both copies), doubling your chances of a big win!



Rules For My Giveaway:
-Leave a comment on ,my blog (ONE entry)
-Leave a comment on Elizabeth's blog (ONE entry)
-Follow my blog (TWO entries)
-Add my blog button to your page (TWO entries)
-Add my blog to the blog roll on your page (ONE entry)
YOU MUST LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EVERY ENTRY, OR IT WILL NOT COUNT!

2 am ramblings

Great day!!!

Pastoral visit this morning.

I took off at noon

met up with friends at a park n ride

drove to Longview (3 hours)

hung out at a hotel

totally played groupie

Keith Anderson

extremely shy *me*

went to theater

waited in the chilling air for 2 hours

got 4 th row seats

AWESOME unplugged concert

2.5 hours long

waited in line for meet n greet

got picture

got autograph

drove home (3 hours)

froze my ass off changing cars

had to stop and get gas

got home shortly after 2

Howie scared the shit out of me

he was up reading

my phone called him at 1:23 on its own

HAD to blog a bit

will be back in full tomorrow

good nite


til next time...ciao!

Friday, February 19, 2010

These half hour naps

Are killing me!!!! Samantha NEEDS two hour naps in order to be the happy-go-lucky girl she typically is!

Today was grocery day...and because its also Friday, I got to sleep in as Howie's home for a bit...once DJ left the bed, I was snoozing great! Shortly after 9 Howie came in to make sure I was up so he could start getting ready for work. While he was getting ready, I got breakfast for us made...he'd already fed the kids....and on the weekends we like home made egg mcmuffins! YUM!

He left just before 10 and we got out the door at 10:30! Not too bad! And I remembered to grab the ink cartridges from the printer to get them filled at costco....did you know they do refills?!?!?! I just found out myself! So I had both refilled and it cost 18.00....the cost of buying ONE new one!!!! HA! I like it!

The down part of it all was that it took an hour...so we wandered a bit...I got Sam some birthday presents and DJ too...they both liked what I picked...and thankfully they'll have NO memory of it...it'll be like the first time they've seen them when they open them!! I already got them hidden...out of sight, out of mind!

By the time we got done shopping it was noon...and Sam was saying "hungry" (which sounds like Howie) over and over and over...so we had a hot dog and a piece of pizza to share for lunch. Worked out perfect!

In the 20 minute ride to Freddy's...they BOTH fell asleep! So while I sat in the parking lot I organized my coupons and cleaned out my purse...checked Facebook on my phone....talked with Howie...listened to the radio...and about a half hour after we got parked Sam woke up...so we got DJ up and headed in to the store. I thought I'd be smart this time and take DJ pee before we put him in Playland...it didn't work so well...about a half hour later I got a call saying he needed to pee...so I head back to Playland and run into our neighbours! And she only had Kristopher with her, so she waited with SamSam while I took DJ (and Kristopher followed) to the bathroom. Turns out, he had to pee again...but not much...he could have held it LOL

So the boys played on while we shopped. Lara didn't have much on her list, so of course she beat me! lol We did each rent a movie tho...so I'll be finishing up here to go watch it! I got Management with Jennifer Aniston...I'll let ya know!

We got home about 4 and it was a chore to unload the groceries! DJ was out playing and Sam was inside "helping" me put stuff away! Little does she know I'm training her....in 3 years she'll be putting it ALL away! *evil laugh*

As I was getting dinner made I got a text from Lara asking if we wanted to borrow the movie Up...yes! So she brought it over and it was so funny...Kristopher didn't want to hand it over...it was his way of wanting to be invited...which we did! And that turned into a sleep over! So I currently have 3 sleeping children...4 if you count Howie!! :P The boys did MUCH better this time than last...I put Sam to bed first and the boys watched Curious George...when it was done they knew it was bed time...only took them an hour to fall asleep...and no one came out of the room this time! The giggling and talking was cute!

Now, it's my turn to watch a movie....


Til next time...ciao!

Fun Fact Friday

Yes!!! Its finally Friday! The radio station I listen to has a song they play at 5:00 pm every Friday nite...I think its titled "Finally Friday" and its quite catchy!

I know, you're waiting to hear my fun fact....


I am a readaholic!


I think I have been all my life! I can remember afternoons spent reading instead of outside playing...I couldn't even tell you how many books I have read in my lifetime so far! But there are two that stand out in particular to me.

The Shack by William P. Young...if you haven't read this, I highly recommend it! Its quite profound! and challenges your thinking in ways you never thought of!

The other is The Celestine Prophecy which again challenged my perspective of things. Its been a while now since I read this one, and I just learned from looking up the link that they're making/have already made a movie of it...might be interesting to see how they translated it to Hollywood!

I simply can not go to sleep without reading something! Even if its 15 minutes of reading, I must! This is where my People subscription comes in handy. Its very easy to read 15 minutes of something and not have to remember where you left off in a book only to have to put it down again soon after. One day I'll get back into novels....its a promise I've made to myself!

There ya have it! What kind of "-aholic" are you!??!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Little bit backwards today

I woke up feeling backwards! Ever have that happen? All out of sorts! DJ had me awake just about 4:40, but not to pee....he wanted to sleep with me....and he was quite fortunate in that Daddy was just getting up, so he got his warm spot! We were both back to sleep before Howie was done his shower! Til 7:30 when DJ woke up for good! (thank you Disney for your captivating channel!) Sam and I got up shortly after 8:30...so I dozed back to sleep for a bit as DJ came back in the room twice.

Samantha has this thing the past two mornings...she gets out of her pj's almost immediately! She's become quite proficient at taking them off! So, she eats breakfast nekkid as I'm not going to put clean clothes on her so she (read I) can slop cereal on herself! With the promise of a play date, breakfast went smoothly!

I tried to have DJ use his new car seat this morning, but it wasn't til I got the box open that I realized it was a little more complicated than I thought it would be. So we left it in the house for when I had more time to deal with it...and off we went!

We were going to Lake Stevens to visit a friend who has two daughters both a little older than my two. Kody gave me directions that seemed backwards to me...but in all reality were quite simple! I got a little flustered when I had a cop driving behind me and made a wrong turn which in turn got him off my tail. Whew! I get nervous when they're right behind me like that!

The play date went well! DJ's not sure what to do with two extra girls!!! I thought it was funny to watch him! Samantha made herself right at home in the play kitchen...man, she's gonna love Christmas this year....just saying.

Just before 2 I got directions to the nearest McD's....which again, seemed like backwards directions, but they weren't! I was very disoriented being somewhere I've never been before! Instead of McD's I chose Burger King...had some coupons that worked out great! We ate, and within minutes of leaving SamSam was sound asleep! DJ soon followed and I got to listen to the radio!!!

We got home and Samantha immediately woke up (the brat!) and I had to bribe DJ awake...it helped that Kristopher came out as soon as he saw us pull in....and DJ jumped at the chance to play outside! Sam and I came in and got the car seat set up. I'm glad I didn't try to do it this morning after all as it took me a good half hour to figure it all out! I then took it out and put it in the truck! We gave our old one to the neighbours for their youngest as we won't need it! And I got a good visit in with Lara! Samantha had a blast playing with the big kids instead of just watching them from the window! She was the one who threw the tantrum when it was 5:30 and time to come inside to get dinner ready! Half hour naps will do that to ya!

Once dinner was done it was bath time and then bed time for everyone but me! I got to work on the grocery list as tomorrow is yet another busy day! I need a vacation! A real one! Hey, I know...some serious snow would house bound me...I could live with that!! :)

Til next time...ciao!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Did you know

That a fire fighter has 2 minutes from the time the call comes in to stop what he/she is doing and get dressed in full gear and get out the door!?!?!?

That does NOT seem like enough time to me!

This morning we went and had a tour of a local fire station with the Mommy & Me group. I think we had about 23 people in our group!!! Big, but not overly big! And we had a few new babies that were in slings. Our neighbours came too...but just Kristopher and David with their dad today. DJ was very happy to see them already there when we arrived. I got a tad turned around trying to find the place....it's not the easiest!!!

The kids got to see where the Fire fighters eat/sleep/work and climb in the truck...watch one of the fire fighters get completely dressed so as not to be afraid of him (DJ did FABULOUS this time compared to 18 mos ago when we did this tour) and they got to see the bed and other neat things in an ambulance...but weren't allowed to climb in it. They turned on the lights for the kids to see...so they were happy!

I was even able to give a suggestion to the fire department....get auto starters for the trucks to cut down on response time! They thought that was genius! Just made sense to me...lol

On our way out the door the kids each got a hat, sticker and colouring book....both my kids were ecstatic about the colouring book!

We headed home for lunch and nap for SamSam and once she was down I got busy with laundry/dishes/making dinner so that I could leave immediately when Howie got home. I did too! He was coming up the stairs as I was going down them! We kissed hello and good bye in the same kiss!

I had a meeting in Lynnwood for Avon skin care training and on the way I needed to exchange the car seat, and get an oil change in the Jetta....I would have been fine if I hadn't called Howie as I got to the last bridge to make sure the car seat was in the trunk to return...it wasn't! What a waste of a half hour! It takes me 15 minutes to get down the mountain to the highway...and I could see the highway from where I was...so I u-turned and headed home for the car seat. Grabbed it and headed off. As I'm going down the mountain again the gas light comes on...one more thing to do! Urgh!!!! So, I stop for gas and get back on the freeway. Thankfully traffic was smooth for the most part....and I got to Sears about 5 minutes to 6...and they got the oil changed in the 20 minutes they promised me!! Sweet!!

The car seat exchange was a piece of cake too!!

I made it to the restaurant with plenty of time to grab a go at the salad bar for dinner. Not realizing that pizza was being ordered....but I enjoyed the salad bar more!

The meeting got done at 8:30 and off I went to pick up payment for an order I dropped off on Saturday and to pick up a return....had a quick little 5 minute visit and dog slobber and off I went for home!

Howie was still awake when I got home....he got sucked into the Olympics! We chatted for a few and then he was in bed....now, I'm here blogging and longing for my chair!! I can't believe its only Wednesday! There's no slowing down for me til Sunday! Go, go, go!


Til next time...ciao!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Pizza Pizza!!

This morning when DJ woke up I told him what we were doing today....he usually says "We have a lot to do today Mum!" and bounds out of bed...so today I beat him at his own game! He was SO excited for what we had planned!

The Mommy & Me group had a planned activity to go to the local Alfy's pizza and have a tour before it opened. We all met there at 10 and got started. We had such a large group they divided us in two groups. The fun part for DJ was being with Kristopher...again! lol Our neighbours joined us on the tour. While Samantha probably got nothing out of the trip...DJ was able to tell Daddy how to make a pizza! It was cute listening to him tell the story.

I have to say...I was VERY impressed with the set up and how they involved the kids, and listened to any questions that were asked. For 2.50 each kid got a personal cheese pizza and a small pop....not bad at all!

Now, since we're a late rising family, we had breakfast a 9 am...the tour started at 10 am...and the "lunch" was served at 11 am...which both kids ate! Yikes! They were NOT hungry come real lunch time...so instead we cleaned! Well, I nagged and DJ whined....but we got it done!

I wanted the vacuuming done today as we were having company for dinner!! And she's highly allergic to dogs (just found out!) and so I wanted it cleaner than normal Tuesdays :)

So, who joined us?

Our dear friend Shirah! The one who used to babysit the kids while Howie and I went to Jake's football games...the one I used to see once a week!!! Until we moved out to the boonies that is! I will say tho, she's come out the most of all my friends!

She came bearing gifts! YUMMY, delicious, ohsochocolatey gifts!!! Mini bundt cakes that were amazing! 2 cookies for the kids and a rocky road brownie! As well as some homemade pumpkin muffins with a streusel top...I can't wait to have one! They smell amazing! She even brought me what I consider THE BEST Chai tea I've ever had!!! It was divine!!! And local!! So I can get it anytime I want!! Yes!!!

I finally cooked the ham that was destined for Valentines, and lost out on timing...it was good, but not nearly as good as the one I cooked last month. No one complained tho, so we're all good! And with plenty of left overs, we'll be happy for a while! I forgot to ask my mom (but kwowing she reads this daily I'll ask here...) if I can freeze the ham bone for when she's here to make a soup...can I ??

Now, I'm off to bed as we have yet another busy day tomorrow! Whew this week is jam packed!

Til next time...ciao!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Go To Mars!

That's what we sorta did today!!

We got up super early (for us!) and ate our breakfast, and got dressed! All before 9 am!!! Imagine!! I was shocked myself! The kids were amazingly agreeable! DJ was positively THRILLED to be spending the day with Kristopher!

We were all (and I do mean ALL) going to Pacific Science Center in Seattle....the radio station I listen to had 1.00 entrance today if you printed off their coupon...so I printed off 8 of them and off we went! I've never been, but figured it would be a lot like Ontario Science Center back home...I was right!

We found CHEAP parking downtown for 6.00 for the day, loaded SamSam in the stroller and off we went! First stop was the bathroom! Then we were off to see the dinosaurs! I think this might have been DJ's favourite part of the day...he got to turn this handle and make the dinosaur's jaw bone move...then we got to see life size replicas of about 8 dinos...he was happy!








After that we changed it up and went into the Butterfly exhibit...they were EVERYWHERE!!!! We had to be careful not to step on them or chase them or hurt them...as well as monitor children! No easy task I tell you! Lara sat this one out and waited by the exit in case we had an escapee. There were some GORGEOUS butterflies in there! My fave were the robin's egg blue ones! Just gorgeous!








From there we found the Tot section that had musical instruments, water table, climbing toys...pure toddler heaven! Samantha started showing her tiredness and hunger...so we lured the kids away with the promise of lunch! Worked like a charm!

After lunch we made our way to the Mars exhibit...I got to see a rock from Mars...about the size of my thumb...not big, but still HUGE! They had all kinds of stuff to do and look at, but we noticed the time and remembered (thanks Michaela!) that there was an Illusion show in another building...so off we went! It was good!! There we met up with two other moms briefly from the Mommy & Me group....I hadn't seen anyone else.








Once the show was done we hit up the Seattle Center for lunch for me...I was hoping to get a Subway sub on the way, but didn't....so I was quite hungry. I was excited they had a Subway in the food court...but VERY disappointed they didn't have the 5.00 special going on...apparently its only "participating" stores...which is horse puckey! No where in their ads does it mention "select" stores only! I oughta call HQ and give them a piece of my mind! Maybe, I will!




Just before 3 we decided we were done for the day and headed back to the truck. Loaded up some tired kids and headed home. Within minutes Caleb was asleep...and as soon as we got on the freeway, Samantha was gone too. The others watched a movie for the most part...




We got home about 5 minutes (long enough for me to unpack the back pack, and pee) before Howie got home...and DJ was off on a bike ride with the neighbours...so Samantha enjoyed her "only child" time...by being a brat! She would NOT go to Howie and was completely glued to me! While I was making dinner she wanted to "help" and dragged a chair into the kitchen...all she really wanted to do was smell the spices I was using...but used her nose the wrong way! It was cute! She did eventually figure it out and get a couple sniffs in.



After dinner I typed up all (and I do mean ALL) of Jake's contacts into an email for him...remember how I wrote them out way back when? He forgot the list here (on purpose?) from this weekend and of course "needed" all his numbers...so I emailed them to him...good thing he's got a smart(er) phone and understood how easy it would be this way!




Now, I'm all done watching The Bachelor (I have NO clue who he's gonna pick...but sure hope it's Tenley!!) and now I'm heading to bed...got another full day tomorrow too!!

Til next time...ciao!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

If all the rain drops

Were lemon drops and gum drops...Oh what a rain that would be!!!

Today, we had rain that reminded me of home!! What a downpour!!! It started off slowly as I drove into town this afternoon to make some deliveries, and while I was in the salon, it rained even harder, then hailed, then stopped, then rained torrentially!! When I got done with the salon, I ran to the car and then drove across the parking lot to the dollar store to get each of the kids a Valentine balloon. When I got done there, I stood under the eaves waiting for the rain to lessen so I could get to the car...that felt like a long time!!! Even the drive home, I had the wipers on full speed!!! That usually doesn't happen around here!!

Imagine if all those rain drops were snowflakes....HA! We'd be snowed in!!!! Good thing we're 10 degrees too warm for the white stuff!

Happy Valentine's day by the way!! I'm not sure my Canadian cards got there in time...I know my parents and sister's did...I sent them ages ago! But didn't hear from them about the card...hmmmm! I know this is one of their more busy times with fudge...being that it's a chocolate holiday!

This morning I got the gift of sleeping in!! I didn't out of bed for real til 10! What a treat! The kids were fed and Samantha changed, so it was all good! I made Howie and I breakfast and got Jake a bowl of cereal. As I'm cleaning up the dishes there's a knock at the door! We were not expecting anyone, but my FIL and his girlfriend Ellen were outside! I quickly ran to the bathroom to put my contacts in and brush my hair! (totally something my neighbour would do! :P Sorry Lara, I couldn't resist!) We had an enjoyable visit! Jake took off just around noon as he had plans with his girlfriend. Shortly thereafter dad and Ellen left too!

We did lunch, and then I got Sam down for her nap. I did my deliveries, came home and Howie got to play out in the garage with all his fishing gear! lol

My planned Valentine dinner got kinda messed up....timing wise that is! I should have put the ham in the oven before I left instead of waiting to do it when I got back. It needs 3 hours in the oven, which would have put it done at 7....way too late! I was bummed! So, we did pork chops instead. Delish!

After dinner I bathed the kids and took a shower myself...we've got big plans tomorrow! and we can't be stinky!! lol Now everyone's asleep and I'm watching crappy coverage of the Olympics. NBC is doing a terrible job!!!!! Just horrid!! I miss CBC covering them! They were far more impartial to all athletes...NBC is quite partial to US Olympians. In any case, we did get to see Canada win their first gold medal on Canadian soil...which if you're watching the Olympics at all, you know it's a big deal! The sad thing is, I knew about the win 3 hours before I got to see it! Thanks for that NBC!

Til next time...ciao!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

I am whupped!!!

Today has taken it all out of me!!

It was an Avon day! A long one that also included Princess going with me! Making it feel even longer!

The Avon part wasn't so bad...getting to see my gals and chatting is fun! But the in and out with an almost two year old who's yelling "hand, hand" at me cuz she doesn't want to be carried is exhausting!!

She did good tho! Until we hit the threshold that was supposed to be nap time...then she went south on me! This, sadly, happened in Target! We were there to exchange her CD player from Christmas as the lid on it wouldn't stay closed and play music...and I detoured and checked out shoes...which she wanted...and screamed at the top of her lungs for...my bad! Sorry to the folks in Target for her loud display of disdain!

She did good in Babies R Us...we got DJ a new car seat! They have this amazing deal on right now that if you take in an old car seat/stroller/play yard/high chair/and a couple other things, they'll give you 25% off a new one...valid only that day! So, I took in an old pack n play and got DJ a new Graco Nautilus that converts to a booster seat when I'm ready for him to! YES! I do wish, however, that someone would have told me about the extra 15% off I could have gotten with a flyer that we don't get in the mail anymore...that would have been sweeter! I'm a little miffed on losing out on that one!

She also did moderately well, but started falling apart a bit on me in Best Buy. I was there to try and get myself the Droid...and I can't. *sigh* Well, I could, but I'd have to go to Verizon to get it, and I'd have to pay more up front before getting the rebate...and if I wait til April I could get it for 100.00 less (ka-ching!) than what Jake paid...so I'm thinking I'll wait! April's not that far away! Now, the downfall to this plan is: the upgrade allowed in April is technically for my FIL...so, if he wants a new phone, he'll get the upgrade then! There's nothing wrong with my Blackberry, it's just paling in comparison to the Droid...*sigh* lol

Like I said, she lost it in Target...so we got the heck outta there! She fell asleep holding the balloon that the guy in Best Buy gave her...she giggled madly about that! It was cute!

So, she got a 45 minute nap in the car on the way back to Monroe....I had to stop at Freddy's to get hot dogs (which I completely forgot!) and other things. She did NOT like me waking her up! She fake cried the entire time we were in there!

With it being so late, we stopped and got Teriyaki for dinner....we've now tried all 3 places in Monroe and have decided place number 2 wins in taste!! Go figure, they're the more expensive one too! Oh, and the furthest!

After dinner, Jake wore the kids out...DJ had gotten a rather late nap himself! This afternoon, Howie took both boys to the Reptile Zoo...DJ was bored pretty quickly into it (even tho he went on and on about going there and everything he saw) which is good as there will be NO amphibious creatures joining our home! I'm done with the snake thing!! *shudder*

Once the kids were sleeping (Samantha instantly!) we watched a movie on On Demand...Couples Retreat. It was good! I really like Vince Vaughn! We laughed at it and cringed at other parts! But overall, it was good!

Now, I'm gonna go relax a bit more before heading to bed!

Til next time...ciao!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Opening Ceremonies

Sadly...I've not seen one minute of it...its on DVR tho (minus the first hour or so...Sorry honey!) and hopefully I'll get to see some of it. I have heard already about the death of the Luger....how tragic! Talk about a dream dying...literally!

Back to reality! DJ joined us around 5, and he was freezing cold, so I let him warm up next to me, and we both promptly fell back to sleep...he then got up about 7:50...which isn't too bad! I told him to go watch TV and he went over to Daddy's side and said "Daddy, do you want to watch TV with me?" and Daddy couldn't refuse! So I burrowed deeper under the covers and dozed for another hour...wonderful!!!!

When I got up, I got all the way ready....we had our monthly potluck for the Mommy & Me group at the library....and we were having company! Our neighbours were joining us...DJ was thrilled!! Even tho they left before we did (she still had to pick something up to contribute) we beat them to the library...not by much tho!

Man, did we have A LOT of people there!!!! Must have been about 20 kids!! That's a lot! Last time we had 6...big difference! We tried having it a bit more organized today than normal....craft time didn't go over so well, but singing and stories were good! And the kids liked picking the hearts off the chair to see which one had the kiss on it. Then we did scarves and music, and then the parachute...which was a HIT!!!! Top that off with the bubble machine and we had happy kids! The food was still something to be desired....its not kid friendly at all! There must have been 4 dozen cupcakes....no veggies....one plate of fruit...I brought PB&J sandwiches and not one was left...a late someone brought cheese sandwiches and they were devoured. So I think for the next one, I'll take over the overseeing of the foods.

When we left I messaged Jake to let him know and he started on his way to us...an hour later I was playing with his phone...having some serious Droid envy!!! *sigh* I may not be able to wait til Aug...

Tonite I went to a Pampered Chef party next door...took the munchkins with me since Jake didn't want the responsibility....they had fun tho! I booked a party for myself for next month...the 12th! If any of my readers want in on my party, let me know! You can order thru my party online and have it shipped right to you!!

Now, I'm off to catch a bit of the opening ceremonies....everyone else just went to bed!!

Til next time...ciao!

Fun Fact Friday

Yup....that time of the week again!!

I recently learned that Truthful Tuesdays have been changed to once a month instead of once a week...in case you were wondering...


My little fun fact...hmmmm....I haven't really thought this one thru this week...been a little busy....

I guess I'd have to go with the side of the bed I HAVE to sleep on! Picture (if you will) standing at the foot of the bed, looking towards the head of the bed....I MUST sleep on the left side!! No ifs, ands or buts about it! I don't care where the bedroom door is...where the bathroom is....where the closet it...or even if it's north/south/east/west facing....if I'm looking at the bed, I'm on the left! Ask Howie...it drives him nuts that I refuse to change sides! He constantly falls asleep on my side only to make me roll him over to his side when I come to bed...which has the added bonus of a pre-warmed bed...as well as drool on my pillow....blech!

So, there ya have it...which side must you sleep on...or does it even matter?? My little sister could care less which side she's on as long as she has a side! lol


Til next time...ciao!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Finally...a day where there

Should be no drama!!!!! The only thing on my agenda today was laundry!! And lots of it!!! In fact, I've washed 4 loads, dried 4 loads, folded 5 loads and there's still one in the dryer....either I have a small dryer, or we have too may clothes!!! lol I'm inclined to agree on both counts! Oh, and I've put away 5 loads!! With one sitting by my chair waiting for distribution. Never ending!

The drama of the day!?!?

Jake lost his cell phone yesterday at school. Put it in his locker (which doesn't lock by the way...) to go work out after school...when he was done, the phone was missing. We suspended it yesterday so no one could make or receive calls....but that left him phone-less.

Imagine if you will...being 16....and cell phone-less!! Its his main source of communication with his girlfriend...how will he ever survive?? HA!

Needless to say, I started getting the frantic calls this afternoon when he got home from school. Had I called Verizon yet (no, cuz I sorta forgot, but I'll get right on that!) and found out how much of an upgrade he can get? At the time he called I was visiting with my neighbour who dropped by to indulge in that dessert I raved about yesterday...and I kept on visiting and kinda half-assed checked into it....and Howie came home. Right at the same time Jake called me back to see if I'd learned anything...which I hadn't....lol

Lara and Caleb left and Howie and I got down to business. Turns out either Howie or I HAD to be with him in order for him to do anything....but we're 45 mins away! And, Jake was planning on coming out tomorrow for the weekend anyways, so why not just wait one more nite (THE HORROR!!!) to get his phone. The other problem with that plan was that he'd have to pay in cash for the phone if we did it at Verizon...he wanted to get it at Best Buy where he could use the gift cards he got for Christmas that he hung on to...smart thinking! So we called Best Buy to see what their policy was in regards to us HAVING to be there....they had a wonderful solution...add him (Jake) as an account manager and he could go on his own! SWEET! Crisis averted! Moody teenager happy! World keeps turning!

Now, he's the proud new owner of a Droid...the phone I desperately want, but am waiting patiently til August when my contract comes up for renewal to get...the brat! Which means he HAS to have the data plan with this phone...that he's paying for! PLUS the insurance for the phone in case something happens to it...and let's face it, the kid has been thru phones like I've been thru loads of laundry!!! I've had 3 phones in the course of my cell phone life....he's had 6! If not more! Yeah, insurance is a good thing!

Once everything was settled we got down to doing dinner and I bathed the kids! Oh, and I'm pleased to say that Snickers is responding VERY well to her medicines! She eats them like no other animal I've ever had to medicate! It helps, of course, that I'm sneaking them into pieces of cheese, or hot dog...but she eats it and looks for more! Her nose is no longer bleeding...or bothering her...she's well on her way to healing up! She's also sticking closer to home...I caught her today in the back neighbour's yard, but she came right home. I hope she sticks close like that! She does drink a lot more water, a side affect of the steroids...and pees less...poor girl! No woman likes water retention! But over all...she's fabulous! Our new vets are pretty awesome too! They sent a get well card for Snickers and a 10.00 gift card to a local pet store...that's pretty kool!

Now, I'm off to finish watchin Survivor...this will probably be the most ruthless season yet!! Heroes vs Villains!! Not sure yet who my money's on...like I'd bet! I'm too cheap for that!! lol


Til next time...ciao!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Company's Coming

Tonite we had a dear friend...well the daughter of a friend really....but since she's almost 21, she can now be the dear friend...oh bother, you know what I mean!

Anyways, we had a dear friend come over for dinner....she had a shift with her company here in Monroe, so we invited her to dine with us since she was SO close!!!

Today was busy!!! We got up and while I was getting breakfast ready, DJ asked me if we could go to the restaurant again for breakfast...he LOVES going out to eat! Mr Social! I declined breakfast, but suggested the library for story time and he was hooked!!!

Today was the first time we actually arrived BEFORE it started!!!! Whew! And today was all about Valentines (I love how DJ says it, like most kids, Valentimes) Day and the stories were about love, the songs were cute and the craft was making Valentines cards. With markers!!! And I have to say, the markers alone took me back! I remember saving up money to buy the markers that smelled.....cherry, licorice, blueberry, apple...and so on....HOURS of fun colouring with those things! I even remember being 13 and selling them (hesitantly) at a garage sale we had before moving!! Wild how a marker can do that eh?

Anyways, they had fun today! None of my other mommy friends were there, til the very end when one showed up about 10 minutes before it was over. We chatted while the kids played and before I knew it, it was almost noon!!! So we headed home, had lunch, I vacuumed, and then put Samantha down for her nap (I'm SO ready to wean her now!!) and then kept on with the cleaning and cooking.

I made this to-die-for dessert! Gooey Caramel Chocolate Bars....sinful!!! And they turned out just like they look in the picture!! Howie, who didn't want one when I served them, ate the whole thing!! Of course, the kids helped both of us!!! They didn't seem to mind either!

After dinner I got to see most of Tiffany's pix from her recent trip to NYC...that was fun!! I've been there (age 19) but we didn't do the touristy thing at all! Hit up the Hard Rock Cafe and then headed for home. Its not my kind of town! I loathe that many people!

Once Tiffany left, we corralled the kids into their beds...Howie into his bed...and I finally got to relax! In fact, I'm off to do more of the same!! With a little knitting methinks...

Til next time...ciao!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Grand Slam Baby!!!!

First off...I want to apologize for not informing you, my readers, but mostly my neighbours, about the amazing FREE Grand Slam breakfast Denny's was doing today! I saw the ad on TV during the Superbowl...plus, I follow Tightwad Mama and get insider info that way too!

So, this morning, the plan was to get up and go for breakfast with another mom from the Mommy & Me group...I was late and she was early! But we did see each other!

I have to say...I'm quite proud of my kids! With it just being me, I was a little nervous taking them both to a restaurant by myself. But they did me proud! We had maybe a 15 minute wait when we arrived...not too terrible! A nice older couple gave us their seats (I tried to resist their kindness, being that they're seniors...) and Sam enjoyed playing peek a boo around other people's legs....good thing she's so cute!

Breakfast was served with in minutes of sitting....literally! They had an assembly line of cooks making the Grand Slams....scrambled eggs, 2 slices of bacon, 2 sausages and 2 pancakes....love it! DJ ate a pancake, his sausage and his and Sam's bacon...Sam ate all her egg, half a pancake and her sausage...I couldn't eat all mine either! I should have just done the one plate between them...hindsight!

Once out of there, shortly after 10 we headed home as today was order day for Avon...my biggest order yet!!!! Hustling is paying off! :)

The rest of the day was a blur....Snickers is already looking better, but sleeping more and drinking more water...expected tho.

DJ got to play for whoknowshowlong outside...and loved every minute of it! I discovered today that we get sunlight the rest of our area doesn't! I was blown away by how foggy it was down the mountain...very depressing!! We had glorious sunshine pouring in the living room window bright and early! I like it!

I went to my Avon meeting tonite...got lost....very annoying! The roads are so confusing in this one area and I seem to mess it up every time! I also got to see my FIL's girlfriend and deliver her Avon to her with a short visit! And after my meeting got to see SIL and BIL as well as the exwife...busy bee I am!

Now, I'm home and really want to sit and relax!!

Til next time...ciao!

Monday, February 8, 2010

I can assure you

I don't make this stuff up!!!! LOL This is in response to my girlfriend Dee asking me if I ask for stuff to happen to me so I can have something to blog about...NO!!!



I swear....


Snickers has something going on...remember when I blogged Friday about her nose having a sore on it...well, its gotten continually worse and around both eyes now. This morning when I got up, I took one look at her in the daylight and decided then and there we were going to a vet.

Which vet was the issue! Our old vet is in Lynnwood...and that's too far to go! Plus I'd have the kids with me...no fun! That'd take up the whole day!

So I called my neighbour and she recommended a clinic close to home. Alpine View Veterinary Hospital Before we hung up she offered to watch the kids for me so I wouldn't have to wrangle with them as well as a nervous and scared dog. What a HUGE blessing!! As it turned out, I couldn't get in right away, so made an appt for 3pm and waited.




Michaela came over about 2:30 which was perfect...Sam was sound asleep and DJ was outside playing with Kristopher...both kids perfectly content! Snickers and I drove down the mountain to the clinic which was SUPER easy to get to! We went in and immediately Snickers started shaking...and whimpering...poor girl! She also kept trying to hide under my legs...that has to have hurt her nose!!! I had to fill out a history form for her and then we waited. Not too long tho! We were shown to a room to wait for the Dr...thankfully they didn't try to take Snickers' temp (rectally) as she was just too nervous. Before we knew it the vet came in...and she'd already done her homework! I was SO impressed! She'd seen us in the waiting room (I thought she was an assistant...oops!) and while she was in the back she looked up what she thought Snickers might have.




Lupus...an autoimmune disease...I've never heard of animals getting it...but shouldn't be surprised! They can get just about anything humans do! BUT...because the sores didn't start in the normal spot and have rapidly grown, she wasn't 100% sure. The only way to know for sure was to anesthetize her and do a biopsy (put her to sleep didn't sound right in this instance!) which sounded expensive to me! So we're treating it like its Lupus....she's on a very strong antibiotic and 20mg of prednisone. 3 weeks for the antibiotic and the prednisone could come down in a week...and then lower still after that. Eventually when it all clears up, we'll take her off the steroid and see if it comes back...if it does, then it is Lupus...if not, then she was nosing around outside where she shouldn't have and got into some kind of chemical (like battery acid...) she shouldn't have! Either way....it was expensive! I sure hope its nothing life long!!! Howie already said we're not spending thousands on her....makes me sad, but I get it! She'll be 7 on Valentines day!!!




Then to add to all the drama...Howie got caught up in the traffic on 522 on his way home...there was a 3 car accident ahead of him and he was 1/4 of a mile ahead of the nearest exit...so he couldn't just back track and get off...in the end it made him 40 minutes late! Dinner was easy...but not easy to cook! I did pancakes, eggs and hash brown patties...that was tough to coordinate the timing of! After dinner I grabbed a shower and got to work on Avon. My next order goes in tomorrow! And this, is my largest one yet! All my hustling is starting to pay off!!! I'm excited!




Now, I'm gonna go get sucked into the Bachelor once again!! Supposed to be interesting!!!

Til next time...ciao!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Who Dat!?!?

If you watched the Superbowl yesterday, you know exactly what that means....if you don't...google it! The abbreviated version is: The Saints won!!!

I'll be the first to admit....I don't watch the game to watch the game....I watch it for the commercials! THE best commercials air during the Superbowl as it is the highest viewed game!! And women all over the world watch it for the commercials!! There was even a commercial for a car where the men are all stating what they're giving up by being in a relationship...and I was sitting there nodding while Howie had this dumbfounded look on his face....oh that was good!

My fave tho were all the Doritos ads....oh they had us laughing out loud!!!! Genius!!

This morning we took the kids to church, their first time, as the last time we went was when I was pregnant with DJ!! It was a special service put on by Dr. Hoyle who founded Bible & Science Ministries in Tacoma. He made some pretty accurate statements in relation to Creation and Science and how history is trying to rewrite itself excluding God! It was very thought provoking! The kids had a blast in the nursery and I thought I heard Sam squeal once, but Howie said it wasn't her...lol It was at our neighbours invitation that we went, so the kids at least had friends in there to play with! Absolutely no separation anxiety at all!

We had minor discussion on the way home....and I advocated for me to homeschool the kids....and the end result was that we're in agreement to put the kids in private Christian school...which there is one in Monroe. YAY!!!! Guess I won't be having that bus route fight after all! lol

We then had discussion during dinner about it all and agreed that we both found it enlightening! And that we'd like to go back and hear the pastor speak....get a feel for the church in its reality!

The rest of the day was easy! DJ and I ran the movie back (Which I had company watching last nite! I invited Lara over and she came!! She'll tell you she talked thru the whole movie, but she didn't! She cried a bit...lol) which I enjoyed! It wasn't at all what I was expecting! And I found myself thinking on it a couple times today! I recommend it!1

Dinner was the lasagna I made last month that I froze...and I tried making caramel corn at the same time....bad idea!!! For one, the caramel corn needs the oven to be at 250* and the lasagna needs 350*...so I thought if I put the lasagna on the bottom rack and the popcorn on the top it should work out well...HA! It didn't! the popcorn was burnt in less than 15 minutes! And the whole thing was ruined! I still haven't cleaned the roaster out....blah! To top it all off, the lasagna was cold in one spot for Howie...tell me, how on earth it could be in the oven for TWO hours and still be cold!?!?!?! The rest was hot....bizarre!! So for dessert, we had ice cream...can't screw that up!!! LOL

Now, I'm off to watch LOST...I watched the recap show and got very confused! This is what happens when you miss an entire season because your parents didn't have cable!!! Now, I'm gonna watch the 2 hour premiere! One of these days I'd like to rent them season by season and just watch them all in a row! Maybe, just maybe, it'd all make sense then!?!?

Til next time...ciao!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

It finally happened!

I bumped into someone I know at the grocery store!!! All the mom group stuff and whatnot, and I finally bump into our new hair dresser!!!! Of course, I looked my most wonderful (note the sarcasm) with my hair in a messy bun and not a speck of make up on...oy! At least we have a tentative time for a play date for our girls....that will be fun!

Today was busy!! It wasn't til after 11 that I decided to finish up the grocery shopping...so I took Sam with me as DJ was busy outside playing...and Howie wanted to wash the vehicles! And work on yard work....in February!!! Unbelievable!!! The last couple days have been in the upper 50's!! Absolutely gorgeous! There are flowers and trees thinking its time to bloom!!

We didn't get home til well after 1:30, and thankfully I'd had the foresight to call ahead and have Howie make Samantha a lunch...should have had him make me something as I was a growly bear by the time we got home! And of course, I MUST put the groceries away before I eat....that and while Sam was otherwise occupied and not able to help me!

DJ got grounded again...this time for peeing his pants....but I think I'm the one who ended up with the punishment....that meant he was whiny and stuck inside with me...not fun!

Once Sam got up from her nap we got ready for date nite...a.k.a Hot Food Night! Tonite it was my turn to pick the restaurant...and boy, I did GOOD!!!!! Last week on our way to the library, I missed the normal road I turn on and had to go down to the other end (the library is on a loop road) and because of this I discovered a BBQ place I'd never seen before. Right then and there I knew that's where I'd want our date nite to happen!

This afternoon I searched for the restaurant to get a grip on the menu pricing and items...and my mouth started watering! It's also a BBQ school...so it MUST be good! We arrived and there were a few cars in the lot...but knowing that it closed at 7 pm we didn't have much time! We ordered the meat sampler (pulled pork, beef brisket and ribs) and then an extra 1/2 lb of ribs, some baked beans, and a cucumber salad. Today's beer special was 5.00 for a pitcher! NOT bad!!!!

I tell you what...it was phenomenal!!!! The meat is all smoked to perfection!!!! And the sauces that this place makes are incredible!!! They have a regular, sassy, grizzly and HOT!!! Howie said the hot was #^&#$^ hot!!! Too hot...he switched to grizzly! I LOVED the sassy!!! And we decided we'd like a bottle of the sassy! So, next time I do groceries, I'm putting that on the list!! The baked beans were zippy and GOOD!!! The cucumber salad was alright...I make one that's better...just saying....

Over all, we'd definitely eat there again!! And do their take out!!! Howie wants that for his birthday dinner! I'd almost rather have that than teriyaki!!! (Sure hope my dad didn't faint over that!)

We got home and the kids were having a great time with Michaela....Sam was all sweaty from playing! They each gave her hugs...Sam more than once! and then she walked home. I must say, I really like that arrangement!!!! Watch the babysitter walk home instead of having to drive them home!

Now, everyone's asleep and I rented a movie...Love Happens...I'll let ya know how it goes!


Til next time...ciao!

Friday, February 5, 2010

The road to

Normalcy is starting to straighten out!!! Howie, who didn't sleep in our bed again....is starting to feel better!! So much so, that he's going fishing tomorrow....hmmm seems fishy to me! Just kidding honey! He sounds MUCH better....and looks WAY better!!! Plus, he's not popping medicine today like he has been the last couple days!

The kids are on the mend too! Hardly had any noses to wipe...mostly after tears were shed...and barely any coughing....altho DJ insisted I put the Mentholatum on his chest at bed time!

I'm still doing good....nothing came of my ickies the other nite...so I'm quite happy about that!


Snickers on the other hand....has met a foe....we're not sure what kind of foe...or where, as she's the wandering type....but she's got a few scratches by her right eye and a nice scrape on her nose...Howie thinks maybe a raccoon was teaching her a lesson. Well, lesson learned...she's not been begging to go outside much today and when she does, she comes right back! Granted, we were gone for a couple hours this morning and then again after nap time.

Today was grocery day! And man, was Costco CRAZY!!!!! You know how they normally do samples spread out around the store where the product is located....not today....they had about 8 or 10 six foot tables all lined up in a row sampling just about everything!!! I couldn't even tell you all they were sampling! Most of it was for Superbowl parties (I assume) as it was easy, mostly frozen, or snacky things! The kids had a hey day!! They thought it was great!! Well, except for that spicy meatball...DJ didn't much care for it! It sure was tasty tho! lol

With all the sampling, we ended up taking A LOT longer than normal for our costco run! Plus, we spent more of the Auntie's money from Christmas...each of them got 2 new books, one that makes sound, and one that doesn't...and Sam got 3 outfits to grow into, they were only 3.00 a piece!! I can NOT pass up a bargain like that....EVER!!!! 3.00 for a two piece outfit...velour pants and a top....especially when I paid 6.00 for the exact same outfit a month ago! So, now she has one in 2, 3, 4 and 5T! One for every year! :D I didn't want her whole wardrobe for one season to all be velour...that'd be kinda tacky!!! But one a year is perfect! And no two are alike in colour or pattern!

After Sam got up from her nap, we went back into town to get the shopping done at Freddy's...we needed dinner (pizza nite) and beer (Howie would pout if I didn't get it!) and all the other things on our list! Now, it's 10 miles from our house to Freddy's and before we were even down the mountain, DJ was asleep!!! So he got a 10 minute cat nap! I couldn't believe he fell asleep!! Its not like he had an energetic afternoon...he was grounded from going outside for not listening to me...I'm getting sick of repeating myself....so consequences suck....for both of us! We had MANY discussions about WHY he was grounded...he didn't like it! But about a half hour after it all went down....he was sitting there quietly and said "I'm sorry about my attitude Mum...I've changed it now" and if he'd let it go at that instead of including "Can I go out to play now?" I might have reneged on my punishment...but he needed to learn! I'd rather he learn now at this age than in 10 years! The rest of the afternoon it was "Yes Mum" as soon as I said something...I like that much better!!! You can call me a hard ass mom, but I want my kids to listen to me!! I listened to my parents...you didn't cross them! And if you heard the phrase "Wait til your father gets home" you knew you were done for! I haven't had to graduate to that yet. I hope I don't! DJ already knows who the boss is! He thinks its funny when I ask him who the boss is....but he doesn't realize that I'm setting the stage for when he's older and tries to challenge our authority. Sam too is getting these lessons as she's watching DJ go thru it all first! Hopefully she'll be smart about it!

So after reading ALL their new books before bed, they both settled moderately well...DJ came out for the Mentholatum and Sam called me into her room twice....I think she's playing games now...but at least she settles back quickly and quietly!

Howie came home before they were both asleep, so he got to tuck DJ in and snuggle Sam a bit! Then he ate dinner and we watched TV together....kinda nice! Got all caught up on Human Target! We're finding it more and more comical! It's great!

Now, I'm off to watch Psych...they moved it to Tuesday nites from Fridays...but I still watch it on Friday! Great comedy too!

Til next time...ciao!

Fun Fact Friday

Well...its that time again....FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

My little fun fact was because two of my girlfriends commented on Samantha's cat in the bedroom story (which, incidentally, happened again tonite, the poor girl!) and while I laughed at their stories of memories from their childhoods, it brought on a memory for me. And that memory is the reason behind my "fun fact" for today!

I can NOT sleep with the closet door open....EVER!!!!!! In our old house, before this one, the closet didn't close, at all...and it drove me NUTS!!!

When I was young...before the age of 12 as that how old I was when we moved from the house that it happened in....I was sleeping in the room that used to belong to my sister Joanne (I think she was at college...) and I remember waking up after having a nightmare about snakes, and seeing the clothes in the closet moving...the window was open...and screaming bloody murder!!!

Since then, I can NOT sleep with the closet door open! Ask Howie, he'll tell ya!! He thinks its funny that I have this little idiosyncrasy!

I will say, I'm trying very hard not to impart this on my children....and I don't close their closets! If they're closed, its because the kids did it, not me! In fact, DJ's missing half his closet door...whole other story!...and it doesn't bother me one bit! But don't mess with my closet door!!


OK...join in!! Tell me one of your irrational fears!!! I know mine's not rational at all!!! It would take a hurricane wind to make clothes move in a closet that was 12 feet from the window!!

Til next time...ciao!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Its now 11:44 and

I'm still in shock that DJ did not come into our room til after 7!! Sam was crying, and it woke him up...so I went in to her, gave her a hug and wiped her nose, and put her back in bed! We all didn't get up til 8:30! Heaven!! Pure heaven!!!

And our day only got better!! After breakfast was done, they got dressed, and played rather well together while I did some stuff on the computer...made and received a couple calls....very smooth morning! About 10:30ish I decided to run into town and do some errands....check on my Avon ballot box (got 5 names for brochures, and 2 others just for the drawing!!!)...and pick up stuff for dinner...and more cold remedies for my poor stuffed up, runny nosed husband!! (Yes, I realize that's an oxymoron, but that's exactly what he's got going on!) He was up most of the nite as every time he'd lay down his nose would simultaneously plug and run....so he slept on the couch which has a pretty good incline!

As I was shopping for Theraflu and a nasal inhaler...he was on his way home from work! He was in bed when we got home and the kids didn't even notice the car...DJ noticed the hockey stick Howie brought home and left leaning against the garage door, but didn't notice that "Hey, daddy's home!!" find that funny!! In fact, it wasn't til after lunch and DJ was being loud that I told him that he needed to be quiet as Daddy was sleeping.

We had someone come out to look at the removal of 3 trees on our property (I still get a kick outta saying "our property"!!) as one is where Howie wants the shop...one is just miserable to look at and the roots are all exposed making it a danger...and one is a cherry tree that's been allowed to live too long (didn't know they had an expiration date!) and will just wreak havoc with dropping cherries...and bees! All told, they want about a thousand dollars to fell them and chip the branches and take them away...we'd get the firewood to sell...we don't need it, we're on propane! So...that might have to wait til we have a spare thou sitting around....NEVER!!!! lol

After they left, I wanted to run out to meet a prospective new customer, one of the names from my drawing, and with Sam sleeping it was perfect timing!!! DJ was all set to go with me til Kristopher came outside...so he stayed home and played! I was back before Sam woke up, but Howie was up! Not for long...the light was making his eyes water...so he went and laid down til dinner. Ate dinner, helped with the bed time routine after I bathed them, and then went back to bed. Oh I feel bad for feeling healthy!! But we can't have ALL of us sick, now can we!?!?!?! The kids are doing good...and don't mind the Mentholatum on their chests now...and even drank the Tylenol cold stuff! Sam too!! I think that's why DJ slept so well last nite....I guess we'll see how tomorrow works out!

Now, I'm off to knit...I'm making a cat blanket...I tried the reversible knitting and it didn't quite work out for me...I'm more of a hands on learner, so I need someone to teach me as I'm doing it to understand it! Hopefully I run into that other mom from the Dec pot luck! I haven't seen her at any other meet ups, but that could be because her hubby just got back from Iraq...that'd keep any woman busy!

Til next time...ciao!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Mr Postman

You have GREAT timing!!!!!!!! And you made my kids incredibly happy!!!

This morning we went to story time...colds be damned!! And I'm glad we did...even tho no one I knew was there, the kids had fun! Even if we were 10 minutes late....oy! Today was for the 3-5 year olds so a little more geared to crafts...and the theme today was dogs...which both my kids love! Sam brought me 5 books off the table that were all about dogs...DJ, he sat very nicely and listened!! I'm so encouraged by that!

The craft was making door hangers...with a picture of a dog on the front, and then you glue letters to the hanger that spelled DOG...DJ had fun using a glue stick for the first time in his life....I chuckled every time he got glue on his fingers...he'd spread eagle his fingers and hold it up in the air for me to clean...hahaha Samantha did well too...she just coloured away...she was the last one at the table still colouring...it was cute!

As we were coming up the stairs to the front door a red car pulled into our driveway...one I didn't recognize...and I couldn't see the driver....and when he got out on the passenger side it dawned on me...and he had a box for us. I checked the return and sure enough it was the kids' pillow pets!! YAY!!!!

Once all the coats were hung up and shoes put away I opened the box and let them go to town....it was cute to watch DJ figure it out!!! The look of disbelief on his face was priceless!!! I told him before I opened the box that it came from his Aunt JoJo and his Aunt Kim....which he understood. But when Daddy came home "Look what the mailman brought me!!!" Kids!

Both of them were VERY pleased with the choices I made!!! And immediately pretended to sleep like they do on the commercial...and O M G are they SOFT!!!! So amazingly soft!!!!! They are NOT machine washable like the commercial states...but surface washable and then you can pop it in the dryer...duh!!! DJ's is named Blue Boy (this was the 3rd name I'd thrown out there for him) and Sam's is named Softy! She calls is "lillow" tho....maybe one day. DJ ran to his room with his dolphin and grabbed his Lightning McQueen pillow and handed it to me...I'm shocked he got replaced so easily!! LOL Of course, when I went to tuck him in after putting Sam to bed, he wasn't even on it!! He had done a 180 in the bed...

This afternoon, after yet another miserable nite, I chose to nap on the couch with DJ...who had NO inkling of napping...so I didn't get to either!!! 20 minutes would have done me just fine! So I got up and started working on my messy kitchen when there was a knock at the door!!! ACK!! My neighbour and 2 of her adorable sons had come by! I tried desperately to keep her from seeing my kitchen, but that didn't work out so well! LOL Sorry Lara! It looks good now....lol We had a good visit for just under an hour while all the kids played...well, not Sam...she hung out with us! She's been miserable the last couple days...totally diva and drama!!! This morning she was helping a lady check her million books (I'm not kidding) while DJ was helping me check out our 6...and then when I tried to get her to leave, she threw herself on the floor kicking and screaming...did I mention we're IN THE LIBRARY!!!??!!?!?! I laughed tho...picked her up and brought her into the room where story time was...and where our coats are....and we left.

She's now had her earrings taken out because she's getting into the habit of yanking the one in her left ear out on purpose...Howie caught her putting it in the socket (ground part) in DJ's room....so we'll keep them out for a couple weeks and try again! Rascal!

She also got sent to her room twice for disobedience....she cried the whole way down the hall and then just threw herself on the floor crying...it was pitiful and funny!! She'll learn tho! One way or another, she'll learn! I'm thinking of getting those wall decals you can make your own of...that say "Honour your mother and father and it shall go well for you"....put it up in both kids rooms....so they'll constantly read it and get it ingrained in their brains!!! I can just see my mom reading this to my dad and my dad nodding in agreement!!!

Now, I'm off...and hoping Howie starts getting better...he caught the cold the kids had after dealing with a sinus infection!! Poor guy! He's miserable and not sleeping well...bad combo!! Still thinking and praying for my g/f Tiffany as she's due in 2 days! But that's just a date....we all know how babies operate!! And girls to boot!!!

Til next time...ciao!