This columnist writes it so better than I could (and kind of what I was trying to say...)

Tsunami relief isn't about us

My deal not to talk about my children's health has not made a difference. Jax had an ear infection in both ears last week and this week Cars has a horrible cold, conjunctivitis in both eyes and ear infections in both ears.

I am working on my resolutions for the New Year. Trying not to complain is #1.

Tsunami death toll soars to 114,000.

Edited out the rest...

Christmas was great. The kids had fun, we had fun. I loved the day. My present from Stephen is going back. He bought me a flat-screen monitor. I really do not need anything else to help encourage me to more sedentary than I already am. lol We are going to put the money towards a bathroom remodel since we had more drips so I think more than just the overflow drain is cracked up there. *sigh*

GYN's office just called and I do not have HPV so I think that looks more promising to me that the abnormal cells were just some abnormal cells. I am still not concerned and I am very proud of myself for remaining so calm. :)

Ok, I am off now to the post office to pick up a parcel that the mail carrier (a substitute driver) was too lazy to walk up to my house to deliver and now I have to drive 8 miles each way to pick it up at the mail center. I have complained to the supervisor already and told that the regular mail carrier would never have been so lazy. Three times in two weeks this substitute did this.

The presents are wrapped and the stockings are stuffed. Stephen is in the garage putting together the ESPN Gamestation. Last time I checked on him he was on step 46 of 83. I hope he finishes soon. If I were a good wife I would be out there keeping him company but it is so cold in there and I am tired and want to go to bed.

I am finally over my hissy fit today. Just in time for some Christmas spirit.

We went to 5pm Mass and I thought I was being so clever and leaving 30 minutes early to get there (it is about a 5-7 minute drive, depending on lights). The parking lot was already full and so we had to park at the high school across the road and walk back about 1/4 mile. The church was full so we ended up in the Social Hall to watch on a large projection screen. The hall was full too but we were able to get 2 seats at the end of an aisle so the bigger two sat on the floor until the church realized they were a couple of hundred or so seats short and brought in another 50. Next year, I told Stephen we were going at 4pm! He said no way. lol

*yawn* Ok, I must get my beauty sleep.

Merry Christmas!

The most wonderful time of the year?!

Stephen received a call from his doctor today reminding him to follow up about some scar tissue on his lungs. Hello? What is this all about? Seems he conveniently forgot to mention that to me when he went a few months ago to find out about some chest pains he was having (which started in MAY and he did not go until August or September!). And he conveniently forgot to follow up with her. So after I harrass him for 10 minutes he finally tells me about it. Then he says he will call next week to make an appointment. I told him to call right away and make the appointment for next week. He proceeds to call then makes the appointment for today to "ease your mind", he says.

Ok, it is Christmas Eve. We still have shopping to do (food shopping). We still have to reorganize the house to make room for two tables for dinner for tomorrow. We still have shopping to do. How can having him drive 15 miles to the doctor on the busiest day of the year "ease" my mind?

Then, as I was sitting there dumbfounded because he was so asinine as to make the appointment for one hour from that moment, I notice that we have water leaking from the upstairs bathroom again into the family room. F*CK! I glared at Stephen because I told him that what I wanted for Christmas (besides World Peace and a cure for cancer) was for the leak in the bathtub to be fixed and he brushed me off saying that it wasn't a real present.

So now that other shoe has dropped I am upset and angry and worried.

Bah humbug!

A big lump of coal for me. I just yelled at my 6 year old that he better pray that Santa still has him on his NICE list.

He is bored today. Boo-hoo-hoo. I asked him to help me wrap some presents. No, because he is too bored. Then he said I was so mean because I will not call to have one of his friends come over to play. God forbid he should do some homework or read a friggin book! He apparently has no good toys to play with either. It irks me so much. He spent ~25~ minutes whining and crying(!) because he is so bored but doesn't want to do his ~20~ minutes of daily reading. Aaargh!

I did not handle it well and I am angry with myself too. Sh*t! He has been sick (ok, I know I wasn't going to mention my kids' illnesses again) and today is the first day that he has been mostly vertical since Saturday but he completely pushed all of the wrong buttons.

Ok, now Cars is awake from his nap.

Bah Humbug!

We Three Things

We Three Things - for Heidi and Snapper

Three names you go by:
Denine
Mommy
Pez

Three screennames you have:
Denine17
Go_Pez_Goddess
DeninePez

Three things you like about yourself:
I like my eyes
I like that I am loyal
I like my sense of humour

Three things you hate/dislike about yourself:
I hate my belly
I hate that I cannot speak in public without getting tongue-tied
My teeth

Three parts of your heritage:
French-Canadian
Irish
English

Three things that scare you:
Spiders
Guns
GWB

Three of your everyday essentials:
Cuppa tea
kisses from my kids
Proactiv Solution

Three things you are wearing right now:
black jeans
Christmas socks
glasses

Three of your favorite bands/artists at the moment:
Simple Plan
Bowling for Soup
Barenaked Ladies

Three of your favorite songs at present:
Welcome to My Life - Simple Plan
1985 - Bowling for Soup
Accidentally in Love - Counting Crows

Three things you want to try in the next 12 months:
Pilates
Take a ferry to Bainbridge Island (or Vancouver Island)
Piano lessons

Three things you want in a relationship (love is a given):
Compassion
Honesty
Sense of Humour

Two truths and a lie:
I skipped Grade 4
I studied French for 10 years
I had a 4.0 GPA in University

Three physical things about the opposite (or same) sex that appeals to you:
Eyes
Smile
Ears

Three things you just can't do:
Sing
Insert contact lenses
Cook

Three of your favorite hobbies:
Knitting
Painting
Reading

Three things you want to do really badly right now:
Organize my house
Play scrabble
Have a bigger house

Three careers you're considering:
Interior Design
Graphic Artist
Nothing else...

Three places you want to go on vacation:
Scottish Highlands
Lake Louise, Alberta
P.E.I.

Three kids names:
Caitlin
Fiona
Charlie

Three things you want to do before you die:
Move back to Canada (retirement)
Be a grandma
See World Peace

Three people who have to take this quiz now or die a slow orgasmic death:
Arrogant Sage
Shellybean
And Mar (if she had a blog!)

I have such great online friends. Thanks to everyone for their support.

Funny enough, I am not really that worried. I had a pap last year after Cars was born (if not then, I certainly had one when I became pregnant with him) so if it is cancer or pre-cancerous cells, I know it can be taken care of without the radical treatment that my sister needs.

I finished knitting a scarf for my SIL for Christmas. I found this really cool yarn that I thought she might like. I started it last week but Cars found it and ripped it out when I laid it down next to the computer. So I started again on Friday and finished it last night when I babysat for Ash.

I went Christams shopping today - alone! It was nice to have the time just for me. I went to The Bon-Macy's, Eddie Bauer, Gymboree and Target. I also went to a cook packaging store that sells all sorts of boxes and bags and ribbons and wrap. I could spend all day in that little store.

DH made some Tempura shrimp for dinner and it was very yummy. Of course I had no idea until tonight what Tempura shrimp was. We just used this batter with some pre-cooked frozen shrimp. Yummy. I am having shrimp again on Friday because it has become our tradition to buy a shrimp ring on Christmas eve.

My brother is in Minneapolis (high today 8F) to take a look at a hotel that he has been asked to manage. Far cry from the 78F degree weather he left in Florida! Of course I had to call him and laugh about it. I don't think he really wants to move back to cold weather and snow!

My sister is in surgery right now while they determine how far her cervical cancer has spread.

And staying with that thought, my GYN's office called 30 minutes ago to tell me that I had abnormal cells in my pap last week. I am scheduled for a colposcopy in 3 weeks.

I sold my very first painting today! My friend Tami wanted a painting for her living room and I had painted one earlier this year that I thought would work for her. She came over today and said she loved it and wanted it. We agreed upon the price (basically the cost of the canvas only - I was just thrilled to be selling something!). Now I have the itch to paint again (it has been a few months). I did pick myself up a large canvas two weeks ago so after the holidays I am going to break out the paints.

Here is the painting (it looks nicer IRL - it is hard to see the shadows on the floor)



I cannot believe that Christmas is in a little over a week. I feel as though I still have a million things to do. Actually, I should be wrapping presents for teachers and for Nanny right. I think I'll do that now then go to bed.

I finally scanned in the boys' Christmas photo.


I finally had the car fixed. What a PITA going downtown Seattle in morning rush hour. I hope I don't have to do it again for a looooong time.

Cars has been so funny and such a little pip lately. I love love love this age. Jax loves Cars so much too and has a great time playing with him and teaching him things. He gets so excited when Cars talks too. It is great. Dex, meanwhile, loves to wrestle Cars to the ground the instant Cars grabs a piece of lego or any toy that is not his. *sigh*

Tonight, Dex and I made bookmarks for his teachers for Christmas gifts. Jax will have to make the one for his teacher tomorrow night. He spent his time making one for Gav. I'll also add a small gift card for the bookstore. I hope the teachers can tell they are book marks!

Yesterday's trip to the post office was not as bad as I had anticipated. I arrived at 8:40am and while the line-up was long, it was not through the metal detectors and out the door (like it was when we left at 9:10). The postal worker was really patient (read SLOW) and while I appreciate that he HAND CANCELED my Christmas cards to Canada to save a day (they could go directly to the airport since they were canceled), I could feel dozens of pairs of eyes burning the back of my neck and I heard many heavy sighs. LOL Anyway, so $37 dollars in shipping costs for the parcels to Canada and they should all arrive in time for Christmas. Yeah!

I ran out of Christmas cards last night. I only have about 5 more that I should write and maybe 10 more that would be nice to do. I am debating just saying screw it and not writing any more of them... Can I do it?!

Dex just left to go to soccer with his friend and his friend's mom. We are going to switch taking them every other week.

Now Cars is upset that he didn't get to go and he is holding his shoes out to me to put on. lol

Per Kimmer's request:

See the purple ball on the right? Well as you go around the tree that way there are 5 more all in a row side by side. LOL And in the photo on the bottom left you can see a bare patch.

Our tree is now decorated. Jax and Dex had a blast doing it while Cars just pulled the balls off one at a time. I love the tree with all of the ornaments clumped together, with five purple balls side by side and virtually bare in some spots. It looks homey and Christmas-like, especially with all of the tinsel (or icicles to Americans).

I have all of my parcels bundled up and ready for the looooooong lines at the post office tomorrow morning. I had better pack some snacks and drinks for Dex and Cars. We should arrive about 8:40 and I hope to be out of there shortly after 9. Too ambitious? I hope not. Then I will have to come home and keep working on my Christmas cards. I still have another 20 or so to do. But most of the ones to Canada are done so they should arrive by Christmas.

I bought Stephen an xbox today. He has to get his own games though. It does come with two games but not the kind that he really wants to play.

I saw an article in the paper today about this site. I think I just might buy one to help them buy their house! lol

I have it figured out. The more I post about my kids being sick the sicker they become. So no more! That's it. We are only talking about how HEALTHY they are!

Hale and hearty Jax keeps tattling on himself. "Mom, I jumped on the couch." and "Mom, last week I said a bad word at school." He is worried that Santa is going to find out and bring him only a lump of coal.

Strapping Dex has ramped up on the speaking again. I swear that boy does not shut up. Ever. And he TALKS LIKE THIS! YES, HE TALKS IN CAPS! AND says "EXCUUUUUUUUUUUSE ME CAN I TALK?" if someone dares utter a word during his monologue. Again, it is hard to believe that he ever had a speech delay.

We bought a Christmas tree today. It is great! Seven feet tall and very straight. I had to buy more lights to put on it. I think it looks great. I might post a picture after it is decorated (only the lights are on it right now). Oh, forgot to mention that the best part of my tree is that it was $19.97 at Home Depot.

Stephen wants an xbox for Christmas. I cannot find one anywhere without a bunch of other stuff (games and dvd remote). You'd think he could get a discount from work but they do not discount the hardware because they make no money on it - only on the games.

I am going to be one of the million other last-minute shippers at the post office on Monday. Ugh - I wonder how long the lines are going to be. I finally finished my shopping for gifts that need to be mailed.

Last night was Stephen's work Christmas party. It was at his manager's house. I hadn't seen her in a long time but my nanny is her nanny Mon-Thur. She and Stephen used to work together at the research lab at the U of MN but now that she is his manager then we do not socialize with her. It is a little awkward because we used to do things like pumpkin carving parties and trips to the park together but no longer. The very first 4th of July fireworks celebration I went to was with her when we lived in Minneapolis (in 1994!). It is kind of sad but to keep things professional, Stephen has taken a big step back from her.

The good thing about last night was FREE babysitting. Ash watched the kids. I will watch hers next week when they go to her dh's Christmas party. :)

Tonight was the first night of book club. I had a blast. It was so fun to sit around with some great women (sans children) and chat and eat and drink and eat and chat and eat and drink and eat and chat. I just got home! It was fun discussing the book but mostly we talked about other things...like a real book club should. Laurie set up a dummy in her front hall that looked like a woman lying on the floor with empty boxes of bon bons and a bottle of wine at her feet! lol Next month the book selection is The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. Ash will be hosting.

Jax spent the day at home lying on the couch. He ate one bite of toast and one bite of carrot. By dinner time he was hungry and he gobbled down a bowl of chicken noodle soup which he promptly spewed across the kitchen table. He went to bed just as I was going out (at 8pm) so I am not sure how he is feeling at the moment. Better I hope. I guess I cannot send him to school tomorrow.

Stephen is in a better mood than this morning so perhaps he does not need FPT afterall.

I spoke to MIL today who was aghast that I had not yet sent out pictures and thank you's for Cars' baptism (yes, I know I am waaaaaaaaaay behind). But guess what? HER son has not sent them either. >:P Why it is always the mom's job to do that shit? I mean Stephen could be writing the cards and getting the pictures printed. And who is doing all of the Christmas cards? Certainly not him! Sheesh! I think this is the last year I am going to send them to his side of the family.

Well time for bed. I have my annual GYN appt tomorrow afternoon. Nanny is coming for the first time in a couple of weeks. It will be nice to have a couple of hours to myself (so I can go to the post office, and do some Christmas shopping).

Jax vomitted last night (in his bed - nothing better than doing laundry in the middle of the night) and this morning so no school for him. Dex seems to be doing better. WTF is wrong with us?! So sick all of the time!

DH needs some FPT. Funny enough he wants a big cast iron frying pan for Christmas. Little does he know he is going to get it - across his noggin.

Oh I loved "Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons"! I cannot wait until our book club meets for the first time tomorrow night to discuss it. I cannot even count the number of times I laughed out loud and cried while I read it. It was so well written and I loved the characters. So much in fact that I dreamed about them last night. lol

I need to dye my hair desperately. I hope to get it done tonight after the kids are asleep. My roots are a mile long! I also really need a haircut but there is just no time to do it these days.

I spent part of this evening wrapping CHristmas presents. It just dawned on me that Christmas is only just over 2 weeks away and I have so many gifts to get in the mail! Yikes! I hope to have everything mailed out by Saturday and pray that they all arrive in time.

Dex has the runs this evening. My stomach is churning and Jax just said his hurts too. I wonder if it were the cookies I baked today... :( Off to get everyone some Pepto Bismol!

I took Dex to the doctor yesterday. He kept saying his mouth felt funny and he was lethargic, lying around on the couch again. He felt warm but no real fever. A strep test came back negative (yeah!) so hopefully we are strep-free. Doc says she figures he just has a virus and should be better by today. He says he is not feeling better though and that the doctor was wrong! lol

I too went to the doctor yesterday. Got the whole deal about how I should lose weight and exercise because of my family history of diabetes and high cholesterol. A tetanus booster shot and some blood drawn for thyroid and anemia checks and I was on my way out the door with an armload of migraine meds to try. Only Imitrex has been ok'd to take while nursing so I will save the rest for after we are done.

Speaking of nursing, Cars is getting desperate. Everytime I sit down in this chair he comes over, climbs up and tries to lift my shirt because he wants to nurse. Sorry bub. I nurse him before bed and during the night. If he had his way we'd be nursing all day long.

At Dex's soccer today I told Laurie about the Evan incident. She had a good laugh then told me she had almost invited Evan's mom to join our bookclub but at the last second decided not to do so. Thank God!

And now I must go because Cars pointing to his butt which means he has pooped. Is this a good time to start training him then???

Ok, I think I am almost over my embarrassment from yesterday. I jsut hope I never see Evan's mom again. lol

Dex spent the day lying on the couch. Well, except when I dragged him to church and he spent the hour in Sunday school sitting in the corner. Anyway, I hope he is feeling better tomorrow because Ash is supposed to watch him for me while I go to the doctor. If he is sick then I will have to take him with me. I will still drop Cars off with Ash though.

Well off to bed to read my book. I have to have it read by Thursday for my book club (our first meeting!).

A little excitement around here the other night with the county SWAT team surrounding our neighbour's house for hours. Found out later that he had threatened his neighbour with an axe because he thought his neighbour was having an affair with his girlfriend. Go drink some more, buddy.

I mailed out my swap ornaments. Finally! Now I can start my Christmas cards. I did not sign up for any card swaps this year. And I am trimming my card list down. To quote a great online friend "WHACK!".

Horribly Embarrassing Moment of the Year (or possibly of the decade!):

Dex talks about "Evan" day and night. Evan is in his preschool class. I do not know who this kid is exactly but Dex spends every moment at school playing with him and talks about him all the way home. At this preschool, the kids are dropped off/picked up from the driveway so I have never met Evan or his mom.

Three weeks ago, Dex receives a birthday invitation for Evan. Great, I think to myself. I will finally meet Evan and his mom. I call and RSVP - leave message that we will be at Evan's party. Party starts at 1pm today. At 11:45am today I look at the invitation and realize that they live right near Jax's school. Hmmm...I didn't remember that from looking at the list from the first week of school. I pull out the class list and Evan's last name/address is different from the invitation. WTF?! If it is not the same Evan, who is this birthday Evan? I have no frigging clue. None.

So I at 12:03 - 57 minutes before the party, I call and identify myself and ask if this Evan is the Evan from New Preschool Name. No, Evan's mom says, it is Evan from Old Preschool Name. I draw a blank. I don't recall any Evan. I don't say a word. She prompts me. "You know, Evan as in..." She rattles off other names in the class. I don't say a word because I cannot remember. Long silence. Suddenly, it hit me! The kid whom Dex has never, ever, ever, ever spoken about. Ever. He and Evan had been to a couple of the same birthday parties and playdates at another kid's house. I am mortified and embarrassed! I rush to explain that Dex plays with this new Evan everyday at school and talks about him constantly and I had just ASSUMED that this was the kid whose party it is, blah, blah, blah as I stumble and fumble my way through. (BTW, I planned to spend the whole duration of the party there with Dex - not like I would be dropping my kid off at a total stranger's house). My face is red again as I write this.

I want to crawl into a hole. I don't want to go to the party. Stephen tells me I must go now. I tell Dex we have the wrong Evan. He does not recall another Evan. Shit! I whip out the class video from last year. No class photo on the cover. I pop the tape in the machine and fast forward until we see Evan. Dex says he remembers him now (good!).

Anyway, off to the party we go. As I am walking up to the house, a friend of mine is walking out after dropping off her son. Dex is happy that her son, his friend, is there. As we enter, we see two more of his buddies from his class last year. And there was Evan, whom, until an hour ago, we had both forgotten ever existed. I apologize once more and don't know what else to say. Evan's mom is gracious. I decide not to stay since no other parent has and I do know Evan's mom (we had chatted twice a week for a year while we dropped off/picked up our kids so you'd think I would remember!). Also, I am sure I was ~still~ blushing from embarrassment. I rush outside to meet up with my friend. She invites me to join her to go to Starbucks to pass the time. I agree (not only to chat but mostly so I would not have to show up alone to pick Dex up when the party ends).

Now to top it all off, Evan has a dinosaur birthday. Almost identical to Dex's party last May (to which the three other little boys at the party had been invited). As I am gathering Dex, one of the little boys says to his mom "I have a hat like this already from Dex's birthday - I don't want another!". We wished Evan a happy birthday again, thanked Evan's mom then rushed out.

Van needs an new oxygen sensor but of course they did not have the part (after taking 1.5 hours to find out what the problem was) and I have to go back another day during the week because they do not "like to install those kinds of things on Saturdays". It is not easy getting around Seattle with all the damn traffic. Note to self...never buy a car again if the dealership is 25 miles including a drive around one lake and across another.

Ramona found out today that she is perimenopausal so her fertility doctor told her she was out of luck in becoming a mother (save for donated eggs). She is devastated. I am heartsick for her.

My mom's thyroid nodule was growing again and she had it biopsied again - not cancer thank goodness. The chance was small but it was still there.

My fingers are calloused from trying to get all of this knitting down. No time for typing...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Stephen put up the Christmas lights today. Outside ones and the ones that line the front windows. I put out a few small decorations and I am itching to get the tree up. And I used to make fun of people who put their decorations up at Thanksgiving!

The friggin check engine light came on in my car again. I don't know if I should drive with it until I can get to the dealership in Seattle on Saturday or cancel my plans on Tuesday and drive in that day. I definitely cannot make it in tomorrow. The owner's manual says as long as the light is not flashing it is probably safe to drive.

Tomorrow is my last appointment with my psychologist that is covered by insurance. Until benefits are reset in January, I'd have to pay out of pocket for any visits I have with her in December. I am so cheap though that I cannot think it is worth dishing that money out on me. Shoot! I should have started going every other week sooner to make it last throughout the year.

Yesterday we went to Erik and Terry's for Thanksgiving dinner. We had a good time - it was nice not to cook/clean.

Today Stephen awoke early and went to Toys'R'Us because the one big item that we wanted to buy that was on sale for 50% off was SOLD OUT on the website (I ~knew~ we should have bought it earlier yesterday). Anyway, he did well and pretty much finished up the older two kids. Now all I really ahve to do is stocking stuffers and some clothing for Cars.

I watched HP3 tonight. It was really good. So much cut out of the book but I guess since the books are getting longer and longer there is going to be so much missing from the movies. Anyway, we had movie night up in our room because Stephen had some guys from work over for a card game.

I am about 1/2 way finished my SAHP swaps. Crap! Here I am the organizer and I don't know if I will get them out by the send date! Gotta get going!

Oh, and Dex has strep. Again. Now we need to go back in 2 weeks and test all 3 kids to see if they are strep carriers. Jax finishes his antibiotics in 3 days and hopefully Cars will not get it again.

So what kind of ninny goes to Costco the day before Thanksgiving? That would be me. I thought I was being clever and arrived a few moments after they first opened. Apparently thousands of others had the same idea.

I decided to go to Costco to buy a pumpkin pie. I remembered that I did not have a proper pie plate. After breaking the promise to myself last year to buy one, I concluded it would just be much less hassle to buy the $5.99 pie from Costco. It is enormous and it is cheaper than making a pie really (because I buy my pie crust, I cannot make it). It was a madhouse in there and were people elbowing each other out of the way to get to the pumpkin pies. In the case there were maybe on 20 left (not many for Costco) and everyone looked panicked (myself included). I parked the kids away from the ugliness and wheedled my way around the carts to get to the pies. Just then, they wheeled out a whole trolley of pies and you could hear the collective sigh as people realized they would not have to fight each other for the last few pies.

Then I maneuvered the cart over to the book section because my mother asked me to pick up a book for Stephen for Christmas. I found it without much fuss and we were on our way to find the big-ass can of nacho cheese (a Stephen request - he is having a card game here on Friday). I found it easily so we were able to leave. As I was making my way up the main aisle which was overcrowded with carts and people, a blind man with a white cane starts trying to make his way down the aisle to the back of the store. He was sweeping his cane and hitting carts to the left and to the right. Everyone was dumbfounded. No one could move out of his way because it was so busy. So they all just stopped. I cannot believe that no one from Costco offered to help him find his way to the back of the store (I heard him asking for directions). I would have helped him but I was boxed in by a couple of carts all the while keeping a firm grip on Dex's hand.

Anyway, we finally made our way to the check-out and I felt I caught a break because I found a short line. However, I had not looked in the carts of the people a head of me. The carts were brimming over and in he lines next to us, people had 5 or 6 items in their carts. Curses! I commented to the cashier that I could not believe how busy it was and he said "It *is* the day before Thanksgiving, duh!" So he did not not say duh but I know he was thinking it.

So that trip, for those few items took me ONE HOUR in the store. Another 15 minutes getting out of the parking lot and that was a trip I did not want to make ever again.

Met with Jax's teacher today for parent/teacher conference. She has shown us the progress he has made since September. He was graded "approaching level" for sight word vocabulary. I was concerned but the teacher said he had missed it by one word. She also said he has improved since his testing which was done.

I asked her about his speech, specifically the "TH" sound for S's. She is going to talk to the speech language pathologist to see if they want to test him. I am concerned about it because it is not getting any better so I do not see it going away anytime soon. So we'll see what happens next.

I subbed at Sunday school today. Wouldn't you know that my kid was the worst-behaved child in the class?! OMG I am so embarrassed! And I realize that this is probably not a one-time thing. I need to talk to the other teacher about it. The thing is, he might get kicked out of the class if this keeps up. These teachers are volunteers (read MOMS) whose children are in the class. Also, both teachers only have girls so I wonder if that is part of the problem - they don't know what to do with boys. I spoke to Dex and told him that he might get kicked out and have to spend the time with me in Mass rather than get to go to school for that hour. He told me class was "boring" and too long. I reminded him that he thought that church was more boring. He said he would behave better next time (in two weeks - no class next Sunday). I still cannot believe how badly he (to be fair - and three other boys) were in class. Not listening, running around the class, etc. Aargh!

Terry called to see if Stephen can go over and help move furniture for them. I said YES before asking Stephen (he took the kids to Costco) because Erik is getting sick again. Erik has some weird autoimmune disease that has damaged his lungs and he has no strength in his hands anymore. I hope Stephen doesn't mind that I said ok. Anyway, E and T are getting new carpeting in their family room. Just in time for all of us to spill stuff on it at Thanksgiving dinner! lol

I stepped on the scale this morning and was SHOCKED. I have gained 3 pounds in a few days. How is that possible? Ok, so I am not eating the best but c'mon! I am going to have my thyroid checked in two weeks when I go see my internist. While I don't wish my thyroid to be out of whack, I hope it explains this weight gain. In the meantime, I need to get a handle on this weight! I am now 12 pounds up from my pre-pregnancy weight and my post-pregnancy weight! I dropped all of that weight in no time and look at me - Cars is just nursing at night now really and I am still eating like I am nursing full-time. :
Tomorrow is the parent/teacher conference with Jax's teacher. I don't really have a lot of questions for her other than the low make on sight words. I am quite surprised at that actually. Anyway, I'll see what she says.

This week coming Jax goes to school M-W from 8:25-11:30. Then off Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving. Dex has no school W-F. Time to plan a few family field trips to make the week seem shorter!

I made dinner two nights in a row without burning one thing! I think that is a record. Last night it was teriyaki-pineapple chicken breasts with rice and peas. Tonight was pork tenderloin with feta/cucumber/tomato salad and peas (left over from last night). I am impressed with myself! :)

Dammit I bought more yarn today at Ben Franklin. I swore I was not going to buy anymore until I finished the santa hats for the boys. What am I thinking?!

My friend called me yesterday to ask me if I would be a reference for her (and her dh) for an application for adoption. They have been trying for about 4 years to have children to no avail so now they are hoping to adopt.

Time for bed. It is late and I have some sleeping to do!

And so it goes

Strep throat! Jax's turn again. This sucks. At least we caught it before he got really sick this time. He told me this throat felt funny and I looked and saw that it was really red so I made an appointment to see the doctor. Doc was sure it was just a virus because there was no fever or other symptoms (they don't consider whiny a symptom!). But since strap went through the family he tested him and lo and behold... So we left with a Rx for antibiotics and I pray that no one else gets it again. Cars just finished his antibiotics up today so hopefully he will be ok.

And Jax cannot go to school tomorrow because he is contagious until he has been on antibiotics for 24 hours. So no MOPS tomorrow morning and a looooong day ahead of me. I have to go to Michaels tomorrow so it will be challenging schlepping the three of them in there. I need greens and Christmas picks for Sunday because we are making an Advent wreath at church after Mass.

Ash gave me my Christmas gift today. She planted some tulip, crocus, and iris bulbs for me in our garden! I shall finally have some spring flowers! I am very excited about it. She even laid some chicken wire over the bulbs to keep the squirrels away, including the damned one who dug up and ate the pumpkin seeds I planted. And the flowers will grow up right in the sunny spot in the garden where the neighbours' cat sits so hopefully they flowers will drive it away! Besides, I don't want the cat scaring away the beautiful Stellar's Jays that are flocking to my bird feeder.

Dex came out of the bathroom tonight calling "Mommy! There's a tarantula in the bathtub!"

Ok, so I knew it could not be a tarantula but remember our spiders? (you will need to scroll down a touch). ~shudder~ F*ck I hate spiders. I felt brave since it was "contained" in the tub and I was able to squash it with the fly swatter. F*ck I hate spiders. Have I mentioned that before?

So after cleaning up the spider guts, I decided it was bathtime. I filled the tub and put Cars in. Then I had Jax shower in the masterbath. After Cars was all cleaned up, I let him play for a moment and Dex decided he wanted to get in the tub with him. As Dex is about to climb in the tub Cars poops in the tub. Ok, remember that Flowgo website with the baby singing about "dumpin' in the tub"? Well, Dex recently found it bookmarked and has been playing it over and over again. So, he starts saying "It's just like that baby on the computer!". And it was ("Mom started screamin'/ I wondered what for") *sigh*

Then Stephen came waltzing in the door and wanted to know why all of the commotion.

Monday, Monday
Can't trust that day.
Monday, Monday
Sometimes it just turns out that way

Mondays always suck around here. I think it is because after two days off schedule it is hard to get back on. It did not help today that I slept in and had to get myself and three kids ready to go in less than an hour.

I went to see my counsellor for the first time in three weeks. She broke the bad news to me that my next session (two weeks today) is the last one covered by insurance this calendar year. So I will either go without seeing her for 5 weeks (eep!) or shell out the cash. We have such great insurance and I have been so lucky that I haven't had to pay for any sessions or even have a co-pay. It is just shelling out all that money at once, just before Christmas that is killing me! We'll see what can be done. It just might be my Christmas present.

I do know one thing I am getting for Christmas. My siblings and their spouses draw names and my sis has me this year. Which of course means that my mom buys me a gift and pretends it is from her. So, I ordered these boots. Now I can go out in the backyard with the boys in the winter. Our backyard turns into a complete bog and the rubber clogs I have do not keep my feet dry. Thanks for the boots, Sis.

Not much new. I was having some computer problems thanks to some spyware and it was a PITA to do anything on the computer. I spent a good part of today backing up documents and pictures, and deleting old programs so Stephen can install the new XP service pack.

Jax went to school only 2.5 days this week! Crikey! Thursday was Remembrance Day/Veteran's Day but the other 1.5 days he could clearly have gone to school like the other school districts around. Dex's school follows the Iss school district's calendar so he had school on Friday. Anyway, Ash suggested that on Thursday we go to Chuck E. Cheese. So we went, along with about every other parent with a child who did not go to school! I could not believe how crowded it was! But the kids had fun and that is what matters, right?

I knit a Santa hat for Jax. I finished it tonight (except for the pom-pom). It has 3 holes in it! I don't know what I did wrong. Luckily they were along the same area so I was able to weave some yarn and "sew" them up. Ugh!

Well it is late and I am tired. This blahg has become so blah!

I took the kids to SEARS on Monday night for their Christmas photo. The girl working there was not good and her manager or whatever kept commenting that people were waiting (nevermind that we had to wait 20 minutes past our scheduled time before we started). Anyway, I did get one ok picture of the three of them. I did not buy any individual photos of them - they all turned out rotten and really I had no intention of buying any but after the manager came in and told her to hurry along I let her set up and take individual photos. EvilOne has rubbed off on me and EvilPez lives!

And because I was so evil on Monday night, I paid for it today with a horrible migraine. It was so bad that I thought I was having a stroke. I had to ask Stephen to come home early from work (12:30) and I went to bed for several hours. I still hurt but now I am wide awake and cannot sleep.

Earlier tonight I was watching CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp) and I watched an episode of
The Greatest Canadian. Tonight's episode was about Lester B. Pearson who was the Canadian Prime Minister and he created the UN Peace Keeping program (for which he won a Nobel Peace Prize). I really had not known much about him besides the Nobel Peace Prize thing and that he was the one who gave Canada its own flag. What a great man. He has definitely ousted Pierre Ellliot Trudeau as my "Greatest Canadian"!

Cars has strep. I took him in for his 15 month check-up and while she was checking him out I noticed he had a rash all over his torso. She checked his throat and said it was red. Quick swap test verified strep. I will never believe anyone who says that kids under 2 don't get strep. Dex had it before he was 2 as well and they tried to tell me then too that kids under 2 don't get it.

Anyway, Cars now has some anti-biotics and will be on his way to feeling better in no time. I also had Dex get the flu shot since Cars cannot have it due to his egg allergy. He didn't get any of the shots he was due for because he is sick. Also, I had no idea that MMR had egg in it (Jax had it before he was tested for allergies and Dex is not allergic) so I need to talk to the allergist since the ped said usually MMR is given in an allergist's office if the child is allergic to eggs.

I put out my cool bird feeder that I bought at the Craft fair on Saturday. It is a vintage teacup and saucer sitting on a copper pole (copper pipe). It is so cool. We've had tons of little birds in the garden since Saturday and I bought more bird seed today. And where birdseed is, squirrels are soon to follow and I saw one little bugger digging in my garden right where I planted the pumpkin guts and seeds! I think I might need to get some chicken wire and cover over where I am hoping to grow the pumpkins so the squirrel will not eat them all. I would even welcome the neighbourhood cats back to my yard to keep the damn squirrels away!

At the craft fair on Saturday I also saw some really cool things that have given me good ideas for back-up for the ornament swap if the things I am working on do not turn out. I bought a pretty pair of earrings that I may keep for myself or give to my SIL for Christmas. They are crystal so maybe I'll make a matching bracelet for a set.

Well, time to make Dex some lunch before I take him to school.

I finished the hat last night now I am working on the holly leaves and berries. I'm on my third attempt...

Finally spoke to my mom today. My sis does not go in for her next procedure for 3 weeks then it will be another 1-3 months before her hysterectomy (health care in Alberta SUCKS! It would be better if she were living in Ontario). I guess they might move the date up if things are bad after her next procedure (which is to determine just how far the cancer has spread). This waiting must be torture for her. I cannot imagine.

Stephen is making corned beef for dinner. One of my all time least favourite meals. I am stiffling gags here. I hate-hate-hate corned beef but he is sure I will like it the way he is going to make it. This was a very regular meal in our house while I was growing up - corned beef, boiled potatoes and boiled cabbage. Sickening! I told Stephen I definitely would barf if he made the boiled cabbage so we are having peas in its place.

Cars has a fever so I think now he has an ear infection. Good thing tomorrow is he 15 month wellness check. No MMR shot tomorrow since he has a cold. We'll get it at 18 months (it was due at 12 months but I said no).

Cars is *finally* getting over his cold and sleeping for more than 1 hour stretchs. I swear I was about to go insane again due to lack of sleep. Seriously, I am sure last year that was part of what drove me over the edge. Oh and his molar popped through too so that is a relief for him (and me).

I finally finished DeniSe's scarf. I think I might need to add fringe (not sure how exactly to do that). We'll see. I did start knitting a hat for Fiona. I am actually using this pattern because the other uses size 9 needles and I do not have them. I also did not have the right sized circular needles so I am doing it all on dpn's. It is slow going because twice I have almost slid the stitches off the back end of them.

I haven't spoken to my mom in days. I am still put off about her Christmas decree. I spoke to my oldest brother and SIL and they said she has not asked them to do the same thing and they will not do it either. They have my sis's name in the Christmas draw and said they will buy her something but not send her any money they have budgeted for mom. SIL said that neither my niece or nephew bothered to cash the cheques she sent them for their birthdays this past year so she wonders if she sends them cheques for Christmas is they will be bothered to even cash them then.

Jax has a b-day party today and next Saturday. Both girls! lol I think it is cute that they invited him. One is the girl up the street who took the bus with him everyday last year. The other was in his class last year and they are in RE class together on Sundays.

I thought Dex was screaming upstairs but it turns out he is singing. He and Jax are practicing for when they are in a band. They like the song "1985" by Bowling for Soup (lyrics published in my blahg on 9.2.04). And they love the band Simple Plan. I think I will get them the new Simple Plan cd.

Time to run out to buy a gift for the party today.

***Ok, because it is not my week to see my counselor I am ranting here and I am not very nice here***

My mother is a whack. She announced to me yesterday that she is telling each and every one of us that she does not want anything for Christmas and that we are to take whatever money we would have spent on her and send it to my sister so her kids can have a good Christmas. WTF?! I told her that was presumptuous of her and she became irate with me. She then told me that two of my cousins have given money to my sister over the years for Christmas and why can't HER children (meaning my mom's kids) do the same.

First of all, lady, I have given sister-dear money several times over the years and while she always professed that she would repay me, I never expected to be paid back (and never was). It is none of your business that I have given her money which is why you don't know about it.

Secondly, what makes you think that I was even going to buy you something? You tell me every year that you don't want/need anything so we always make a donation in your name to the food bank or in the case of last year, the Kindering Center where Dex received his speech therapy. This year it was to be The Food Allergy Network.

And for the record, I always send my niece and nephew Christmas gifts. And even sister-dear gets something for Christmas, even though I don't draw her name. Usually I send her money but last year I had decided not to send her money ever again so I sent her a bracelet that I made. I don't even know if it was received because, as usual, she could not be bothered to let me know if she received the package that included the gift and the gift certificates for her children.

And, sister-dear always says that we look down on her and make her feel like a loser. Imagine how she will feel when we suddenly send her a lot of cash at Christmas? "Here sis. You have cancer so here's some money." WTF is my mother thinking?!

Anyway, for the record. I do love my sister. I love her greatly. I have tried for over twenty-five years to stay close to her even though we have lived thousands of kilometers apart. She has consistently rejected most attempts at any contact. When she was working, she would occasionally send me an email and that is about it. She has only ever called me when my mom has been visiting me...except for the couple of times when she needed money.

I defended her actions - or rather made excuses for her - to my brothers for years. Stephen always told me that she was responsible for the choices that she made in her life. Yes, some rotten things have happened to her but she made the choices about how to respond to those things. And clearly her choices were not the same ones I would have made and rarely did her choices work out for her.

Last year though, I decided enough was enough. After her boorish behaviour at JP's wedding and her affront to my oldest brother, I decided that enough was enough and I would not condone her conduct or expose my children to it. For the rest of our time in Vancouver, Stephen kept the kids away from my family (so they were away from her).

And now she has cancer. And not just a few cancerous cells. She will be having a full hysterectomy apparently. She has to have another procedure this week to determine how far the cancer has spread. Hopefully not to her lymph nodes. I pray not to her lymph nodes.

I hate that I am angry about this. I hate that she is sick. I hate that my mother is completely wigged out. I hate that my niece and nephew are older and wiser than they need to be because of the poor choices their mother has made over the years. I hate this and I don't want to feel this way.

OMG if i eat another piece of halloween candy I am going to burst! I MUST get this overeating. My weight is creepy up FAST.

The kids had fun trick'r'treating. For the first time we went to more than 7 houses. Also, they insisted that I take them out rather than Stephen so it was fun to be out and instead of home with easy access to the candy.

Stephen and I have had some long chats about the nut thing at school and he is composing a letter to send to the teacher, insisting that she inform us every time there is an incident like last week. I am also going to ask her if she would like to show the class the "Alexander the Elephant" video.

I have been working on the Christmas ornaments for the SAHP swap. I have a feeling I might need to switch ideas...again lol

I am in a pissy mood. I have been all day. I think it might be PMS but I am not sure. Grumble grumble.

We did not go to the MS family Halloween party at Stephen's work because it started at 3 and Dex was in class until 3:30. By the time we drove over and tried to find a parking spot it would probably be over. Besides, Jax cannot eat most of the food offered. So we just had regular old movie night and the kids watched a new Scooby-Doo Movie on Cartoon Network.

Stephen told me that I was harsh the other night when I told his parents we were never, ever going to Toronto for Christmas again. I asked him if he thought I were rude and needed to apologize to them. He said no but I could have sugar-coated it. I think that he just doesn't like to disappoint people and didn't want them to be upset that we would not be there. I remember back in '96 when they came to visit and Stephen told them we would not be home for Christmas that year his mom started to cry. That was the first Christmas we did not go to Toronto (we were strapped for cash because we had bought our condo). We did not go again in '97 (I was preggo) but we went in '98 and '00. We have not been since then.

And my mother has been nagging me for two weeks for a Christmas list. IT IS STILL OCTOBER! Stephen told me to tell her to shut up. I think I will and see if she still thinks he is so wonderful. ;)

They left this morning - yeehaw!

The last day was ok. We drove them up to see Mount Si and then to Snoqualmie Falls which was just awesome with the leaves turning colours.

Stephen took them out to run errands the rest of the day. They then left this morning right after I took Jax to school. It was so pleasant to have my house to myself again.

The peanut issue at school thing is still bothering me. The teacher told me that the kids had been very, very good about not bringing in nuts and peanut products and that it was just the first time. Also, she said that the kids were very "sensitive to Jackson's needs". I don't know what to do next, really. Stephen says that the school is doing everything they should be doing and he doesn't want to pursue it further. He thinks that it would be like crying wolf. :
Speaking of wolf - well wildlife (nice segue ;) - a neighbour sent an email about a bobcat in her backyard. She has lived here for 15 years and has never seen one up here. Lots of other things (racoon, coyote, deer, opposum) but never a bobcat. Scary!

My sister apparently needs a full hysterectomy. Even her ovaries (according to my mom because J of course will not answer the phone when I call her). She did tell my mom that she would not be opposed to answering the phone if I called her again (I tried to get a hold of her last week). So I called again this morning and no answer. I will try again on Saturday.

Nothing to report so just some random thoughts today:

- One would think that after 5 years one would have memorized a telephone number of a family member
- It is more economical to fill a sink with soap and water and wash the dishes at one time rather than running the water for 10 minutes
- Hand washing dishes is no benefit if it then means you have to run a not-full dishwasher later in the day
- Four adults do not fit in my kitchen between the sink and the stove so SIT DOWN
- I don't care to hear about how fat everyone has become
- My family is all doing well, thanks for asking. Oh right. You didn't.
- Yes, I really have had goose for dinner at your house one time. Yes, I know you haven't had it in 15 years but it *is* possible. Remember, your son and I started dating 18 years ago.

Ok, can you tell I have some issues and bitterness?

Today was Cars' baptism. His soul is now saved. :) Mass was late because someone thought they smelled a gas leak. So a few minutes after I dropped Jax off at his religion class, they evacuated the church. I came back 45 minutes later with the rest of the family and there were 5 fire trucks and yellow tape everywhere. Jax at the rest of the kids in the RE programs spent all that time outside (most were not wearing coats and while it was not raining it was only about 50F). I gathered him and then we all stood around outside for 45 minutes waiting for the all clear to go back into the church (there was no gas leak). During Mass Cars was restless because he was tired and hungry and by the time it came to baptize him it was the time when Mass is usually ending. He hollered and yelled while other baby being baptized - the cute pretty little baby in the lovely baptism gown - was quiet and calm. A friend of mine took photos so I don't have any yet (she is going to burn them to a cd for me). I hope Cars looked cuter than he sounded.

Oh, and JP and Marilyn drove down from Vancouver for the baptism which was a nice surprise!

I have had very limited computer time over the last few days and I am surly. I miss the forums and IM'ing my friends. Just 4 more days.

Edited to add photo:

JP sent me a photo. They are all out of focus though because he didn't think he was allowed to use the flash in the church. This is the best he had. Anyway, Stephen, Dex, Jax, Me, Cars and the outlaws

36 hours...

So far I have survived.

I took Terry to tea at a teahouse today and it was so lovely! It was nice to have some time for ME without feeling rushed. Anyway, we are supposed to meet she and her dh for dinner tomorrow night (it is a surprise for her) but I don't think Stephen has asked his parents to babysit yet. So I am getting pissed off.

Stephen and his mom have been arguing about Americans for the past hour. This is after his mom telling him how heartbroken she is that he moved to the States and will become an American when he is able to do so. Then they drank another bottle of wine and it went downhill from there. She called him an Enigma asking why he could possibly consider becoming American. Then she turned and pointed to me "And you are even a BIGGER Enigma! Your father, being such a huge CANADIAN politican! You! Becoming American!" Hmmm....

Inlaws arrived today. They brought a loot of Smarties and Coffee Crisps. Jax is elated.

Still haven't heard back from Judi. I didn't talk to mom today either. Still praying hard that it is a "mild" case.

I am going out to tea with Terry tomorrow - her 40th birthday. Stephen is taking the next few days off work so I will leave Dex and Cars at home with him and his parents and I will enjoy a couple of hours with a girlfriend. I am looking forward to it.

Cars was up from midnight to 3:30am yesterday so I am very tired. But look at the time - 11:26pm. Why didn't I go to bed earlier!?

Third blahg entry today.

Mom called this evening to tell me that Judi, my sister, has cervical cancer. Hopefully they caught it early. She had not been to the doctor in years and years (well for anything other than Rx for anti-depressants). She finally went because her arms kept feeling numb and she thought she was going to have a stroke (she is a heavy smoker). Anyway, good thoughts and prayers for her would be most welcome!

Ok, no strep for me. Just a rotten virus.

Hmmm - my blahg will not display but I can edit it. Weird.

Still waiting to hear back from the doctor's office about my strep test. My throat doesn't feel any worse so perhaps I just have some virus/cold. We'll see.

I went to bed at 7pm last night. Then I got up for a short while about 9 then back to bed. I needed the sleep, I guess. But my back is killing me for being stationary for so long.

Cars is really fighting the weaning thing. It has gotten to the point that if I hold him at all he will try to pull my shirt up to nurse. Poor boy.

Well off to find out why my blahg will not display...

Oh, I feel a fever coming on. I went to my doctor to have myself tested for strep. She doesn't have the fancy 5 minute machine to I will have to wait until tomorrow for the results.

One dose of antibiotics and Dex is finally feeling better. Of course he has been talking in a whiny voice for the past two hours and I want him to be quiet! Three more hours until Stephen is home and I can go to bed.

Dex is sick. He has a high fever and he says his throat hurts. I wonder if he has strep too. Off to the doctor in the morning.

The weaning is not going so well. Cars can break my resolve with his screaming. *sigh*

I bought the boys matching sweaters for Christmas. I am going to do so as long as I can get them! lol Now I just need to arrange a date for photos at Sears. Maybe the first week of November. Better call soon. BTW, the sweaters are cute and much cheaper than the ones from Gymboree that I had been looking at.

I finished knitting the scarf with Berroco Optik. It really does not look that nice. It must be my knitting though because the one in the fabric store looked lovely. ANyway, I will keep this one for myself. Now I am knitting one for DeniSe with Patons Allure in Amethyst. It is lovely! I will make a matching one for her dd. I am almost getting inspired enough to try something harder, like a hat or a sweater!

The outlaws arrive in four days. I am still sitting on the right side of sanity so I don't think their visit will push me over the edge like last year. I have decided to keep my (next) Monday appt with the psychologist and just tell the outlaws I have an appointment and they can babysit for me.

OMG, I gave Dex some Advil for his fever about 40 minutes ago and he is WIRED now. At least he isn't weepy like he was before the Advil. Now, how do I get him to bed? lol

If you give poison control a call, they'll want to ask you your name and address.
If you give them your name and address, they'll want to send you some Mr. Yuk stickers.
If they send you some Mr. Yuk stickers, you're kids are going to want to stick them on the window.
If they stick them on the window, you'll have to use Un-Du to get the stickers off.
If you use Un-Du, chances are you're going to get distracted and leave the Un-du out.
If you leave the Un-Du out, your toddler is going to get a hold of it.
If he gets a hold of it, he'll probably put it in his mouth.
If he puts it in his mouth, you'll have to call poison control.

As promised, a photo of Cars with his haircut (Mar, please ignore his dirty face! ;)



I have tried for days to take a nice photo of him but he keeps making faces. Or doing things like this:



T-minus 8 days until the outlaws arrive. One good thing about their visit is that they will help replenish our Smarties supply.

Last night I went out to dinner with my playgroup friends. I miss them so much since we no longer meet. I think we are going to get all of the kids together on November 11th since most people have that day off school/preschool/etc.

Stephen told me he'd be "a couple of minutes late tonight". I asked him for his definition of "a couple of minutes" and he replied two hours. Oh brother. I am glad that I asked him. Now, off to clean up from dinner, fold the laundry, bathe the kids and put the garbage (and recycling and yard waste) out. I cannot imagine how others do it all when their dh's work away from home week after week.

A glorious day today! I love warm fall days like this.

Ok, I've cut out one nursing session for Cars. I'll wait a few more days and cut out another.

Horrible mom report:

After school at the park, as we were getting ready to leave Jax said he had to go to the bathroom so I let him go to the mens room alone. I was maybe 50 feet away. I figured I had a couple of minutes so I knit a row (16 stitches). Jax was not back yet so I knit another row. As I was getting to the end of the second row, I thought I heard some banging. I put my knitting away and started walking towards the bathrooms. The banging became louder and then I could hear a muffled frantic "MOMMY!". I broke into a run and as I approached the door to the mens room I could see these little finger waving out under the door. The door was STUCK shut and poor Jax had been trying to get out. I called to him to step back then I had to throw my weight against the door to get it open. He was sweaty and dirty from lying on the ground trying to get my attention. He had also been crying. Poor boy! I felt horrible! Why was the door sticking like that? What if there had been a pervert in the bathroom with him? What if the sticking door had been a trap?! I called the city to report the problem but I still cannot get this out of my mind. Why did I have to knit a row...two rows?! Sh!t!

Costumes are set. Jax will be Unknown Phantom and Dex will be Frodo. Of course this Frodo will also have green vampire teeth (don't ask!). I still need to see if the Skeleton costume I made for Jax way back will fit Cars. Dex wore it too.

I finally was able to get a haircut. It looks nice, I think. I went back to the old place I used to go to but not to the stylist I went to for 3 years because she does not work on Sundays and I needed a cut NOW! Anyway, I am still growing it out but is now has a little more shape to it and the bangs are not in my eyes anymore.

Tonight was Jax's turn in the Celebration Chair because he lost his first tooth! The tooth fairy left $5 for this first tooth (the tooth fairy's wife wanted only to leave $3 but lost that arguement). Subsequent teeth will only be worth $1.

Stephen spent the day touching up the walls in the kitchen and family room with spackle and then paint. What a huge difference not to have a dozen or so knicks in the yellow and red painted walls. Now, what to do about the clutter before the outlaws arrive. Stephen has a Honey-Do list that he plans on completing when his father is here. I am not sure why he thinks it would be a good idea to ask his father to help. It is bugging me already because I know his dad will go home and tell everyone that he came here and fixed up our house. Even if that means he just held the drill. Why do I care?!

I have almost finished Terry's scarf. I just need to cast off. It is shorter than the other two I made and I cannot decide if I should make it another 4" longer so that is why I am not completely done with it.

OMG - I just heard that Christopher Reeve died. I cannot find anything on the internet yet though. Hmmm... John Kerry just spoke about him at the debate the other night. Speaking about embryonic stem cell research and how it could help Christopher Reeve walk again.

Ok, I need to go to bed. I am a walking zombie these days...zzzzzzz

Jax was home from school today. Strep throat. I wonder who will get it next - Dex, Cars, me or Stephen.

Jax and Dex lost the priviledge of movie night tonight. I think Stephen was upset for me for taking it away from them but too bad! They were both rude to me about dinner and my feelings were a little hurt too. Let's hope tomorrow they are better...

It is nearly 11 pm and I am baking a cake so Jax can take a piece to a birthday party tomorrow since the place told the b-day kid's mom that they could not guarantee a peanut-free cake. A lady in Michael's overheard me talking to Jax about his peanut allergy and she told me she was allergic too and suggest that we join the Seattle Food Allergy group. The she told me about Pcc's Vegan Chocolate Cake. I was skeptical about the cake because it has Red Wine Vinegar but I tasted the batter and it was good and the cake smells sooooo yummy.

I bought myself some gorgeous yarn to make ME a scarf. I figure I am worth it, right? :) Let's see if I can finish Terry's first!

The Other

I drove Jax to the park behind the school and he walked from there so he could get his prize (A pencil that says "I WALKED TO SCHOOL TODAY"). Not really cheating...

I remembered to take Dex to school today. Good thing because it was PICTURE DAY. After school he said "I smiled like this" and gave me the cheesiest grin. Can't wait to see those pictures. Jax's picture day is tomorrow. His loose tooth is hanging on by a thread of flesh so when he smiles it sticks straight forward. Another lovely photo to look forward to.

Cars got a haircut today. He cried through most of it and I had to hold him so I was covered with hair. He looks like a little boy. He is also 14 months old now. Blink and tomorrow he will be two.

After I picked Jax up from school at the park, I told him he had 10 minutes to play before we had to pick up Declan. This man looked over at me and said "Did you say 'Declan'?" and I said yes and he said "I have a Declan too". We both laughed because we knew instantly...that we were both the parents "the other Declan". His Declan was born 3 weeks before my Declan at the same hospital. I had run into his FIL in Safeway 4 years ago (he overheard me saying Declan's name) and since then people here and there have been asking us if we knew "the other Declan". Apparently people had been asking him too! lol He told me his name was Mike and he really wanted to ensure his kids had unique names and here he named his son Declan and it will turn out that both Declans will be in the same grade/school as each other once they start Kindergarten. Anyway, I hope I run into him again sometime because I want to see what "the other Declan" looks like (he was at preschool too and his dad was at the park with "the other Declan"'s sister).

My MIL called today and asked if they should stay in a hotel while they were here. That was my perfect opportunity to say "Yes please!" and you know what I said? "Oh, we have plenty of room. You can stay here. It is not a problem." Erp

Cars is allergic to milk and eggs. He reacted strongly to milk even though it was diluted 1/100. The tests for peanuts and soy were negative. Of course as far as I know he has never ever ever been exposed to peanuts. Anyway, I need to get to the drug store to fill the Epi-Pen prescription. Oh, and he is allergic to eggs too.

I hope I remember to take Dex to school tomorrow. It is picture day.

Jax's tooth is hanging by a thin thread of skin. I wonder if it will fall out before his picture day on Thursday.

This week is "Walk to School Week" and tomorrow is "Walk to School Day". We walked Jax to school on Monday morning which was a glorious morning with sun, fog, mist, changing leaves. Tomorrow it is going to pour rain. Tomorrow, the kids who walk to school get prizes. Jax has been talking about the prize he is going to get for walking to school tomorrow. Ugh - why didn't they give the prizes out on Monday??!. So I think I will drive and park around the corner from the school and walk the rest of the way. I do not want to walk in the pissing rain.

I finished reading The Da Vinci Code. I enjoyed it but it did not make me think twice about religion or the Church. It made me want to learn a little more about Art history and cryptography.

Now that I have finished reading it I can get back to my knitting.

Random thoughts today...

Eighteen years ago today Stephen and I had our first date.

I forgot to take Dex to school today - how did I manage that?

Cars is going to see the allergist tomorrow so we can verify once and for all if he is indeed allergic to dairy. I need to find out why he keeps getting hives.

I fell off the roof today too so I am feeling extremely icky.

Dex gets to sit in the CELEBRATION CHAIR today because he had ALL of his teeth cleaned at the dentist for the first time (usually they can only get 4 or 6 before he flips out).

Kraft Caramels are yummy.

Sponge Bob Squarepants is a retarded concept.

I am lazy and I hate exercising.

One of my rhodies are blooming - only 5 months late!

If I had another baby boy I would name him Michael.

Jax wants to be a grim reaper for Halloween.

Dex wants to be Frodo.

Cars can talk. A little. He calls Stephen "Ya-Ya" which is hilarious. "Hi Ya-Ya!" when Stephen comes home from work. Sooooo cute.

Cars is also cutting more teeth. Last time he let me check he had 10. He has been miserable! Neither he nor I slept much last night.

Dex has been a real pip lately. He rambles on and on going from one thought to the next without a breath! Also, today he and Jax were playing "Star Wars" and he was Darth Vader "I'm your dad" he says in a monotone to Jax. Jax of course says "No! You say 'Luke, I am your father'". Dex sighs heavily and repeats "I'm your father" in that monotone. Hilarious!

Jax loves showing off his reading skills. He lectures Dex day in and day out about what sounds certain combination of words make. Tonight it was "ING". Jax was also delighted that today when he ate his apple at lunch his loose tooth became looser. Now he says he will eat an apple everyday until his tooth falls out.

I signed on to volunteer to be a "material/supply person" for Dex's Sunday School class. What a mistake! OMG the commitment is way more than I was lead to believe. Plus I also have to volunteer one day during the class AND sub as a teacher if one of the teachers are sick. UGH!

One volunteer thing I am really looking forward to doing is working at Jax's school on the reading program. I go in once each month (I'd like to go in more often but cannot guarantee I can get someone to watch the Dex and Cars!). Right now I am assuming that Nanny will be there on those days. If not, I am sure I can get Ash to watch them for that hour.

I did not knit one stitch today. Maybe I'll pick it up tomorrow...

Pictures of the scarves:
The first one I made using Lion Brand Fun Fur:

This is the Firenze (lovely yarn!) Hard to get the detail in this picture:

This is the one I just started using Fun Fur again:

Knit knit knit

I was babysitting for Ash. She said she and G would be home at 10. Then she called at 10 and said they would be "a little bit longer" but she was being evasive so I knew they would not be home anytime soon. They arrived home at 11:35pm. So basically I had all evening long to knit. I finished the second scarf and started on the third.

Another glitch with our green cards application. Aaargh! Actually, it is the same glitch that has come up again. Stephen is trying to track down info from the U of MN and other places. All this because in 1992 an INS agent checked the wrong box on his VISA. His fault for not catching it at the time I guess but honestly, how is he supposed to know the job of the INS agent? We'll see what happens next...

Dex has his friend over for a playdate. They usually get along pretty well but I can hear them arguing upstairs. I guess the constant yelling is an age thing and not just Dex...

I made Baker, Baker for dessert tonight. I found a link to the recipe posted in Katiefleck's blog. It was yummy. It is a keeper.

Off to knit.

Friggin Riggin Briggin!

Last night while knitting, I had a problem when I started a new skein of yarn and the friggin thing started to fall apart. No problem! I'll just rip out a few rows, hook them back on my needles and start again. No luck! I could not for the life of me see the rows because of the type of yarn I was using. So I had to rip out the whole scarf and start again. And YES I think knitting is hard.

Then today Ash asked me to teach her to knit. She said that if I can knit a scarf up in 8 hours then she could do it in maybe 10. Ok. Anyway, I'll start teaching her next week.

Outlaws are coming Oct 21-28th. Last time they came I went crazy. Literally. Lord help me.

Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Aggunaryd (IKEA for short). LOVE IT! We spent two hours there today. The older kids went in the ball pit for an hour (man, they need to extend that play time). Then we had lunch in the marketplace (Swedish Meatballs of course). We were looking for a new unit to house the cd's and dvd's since Stephen took a sledge hammer to the top of ours to fit the new tv. Anyway, they did not have exactly what I was looking for but I did buy a new coat hook for the front hall and a new chair in red

It is nice to have Stephen home. I don't realize how much he does with the kids until he is gone. Time to appreciate him more! :)

Haven't heard from Marc and Marlene since Hurricane Jeanne hit. I think the power must be out. I know that Marlene took the girls to the hotel to ride this one out since Marc had to be at the hotel since it was full.

Ok, off to do more knitting.

Yeah! He's home!!

Ok, I think I have the ornament swap stuff all figured out. Now just need to recheck it then send out individual emails with addresses. That will be sooooo time consuming. I don't think I ever want organize this again! lol

Stephen will be home tomorrow night. The boys are excited. They really miss him and I can see that their behaviour reflects that things are out of sorts. :
I finished one scarf and started a new one. The yarn for this new one is so pretty. I think I might need to keep it for myself.

Three days down...two to go.

I bought the Star Wars Trilogy today. I bought the widescreen edition. The boys will be so excited when I give it to them. Hell, I am excited about it! Friday night will be Star Wars Movie Night!

Nanny just called. She was to babysit for me tomorrow evening while I go to cirriculum night at the school but her ex-dh is dying and she has to go seem him one last time before he passes away (she got the call tonight from his current dw). I hope I can get the teen across the street to sit for me. I'll try to catch her tomorrow morning before she gets on the bus (at 7:15!!). Anyway, so no Nanny on Friday either.

I have almost finished my first fancy scarf. I think it will be for Leah Ann for Christmas. Next one I'll do is for Ramona. I am so pleased with it. Easy knitting scarves - just 18 stitches/row.

Today was another day. Not perfect but better...

I found out on the weekend that when I was a teenager, my cat, who I thought had just disappeared one night, was taken to the pound by my mom and put to sleep. I guess he had been sick and she figured it would be cheaper to euthanize him than it would be to take him to the vet. So I spent 22 years thinking he had run away from home. I missed him terribly, spent weeks looking for him. And she led me to believe these things. I am stunned still to find out that she did that. And this sounds completely juvenile but I am pissed off at her! ~shaking head~

I was a horrible mother today. I yell. F*ck I hate that about me.

Tomorrow is another day.

JP and Marilyn were here for a day. We had a great time last night playing Rummoli and like last month when we played poker, I kicked ass. Too bad we were just playing with chips, not money.

Stephen left a couple of hours ago to the airport. He has a red-eye to New Orleans with a stop somewhere along the way. He'll be back on Friday.

Cars' cold is not getting any better. I am covered in snot. *sigh*

Jax has an inhaler now. Allergist was worried about a cough he has. She said there was no real "wheeze" but the cough was bad enough. Anyway, Albuterol completely wires him up for about 1/2 hour after he takes it...so I did not give it to him tonight. I hope he sleeps ok.

Tomorrow morning Stephen and I are going to a baptism class. We need to take it before the church will baptize Cars. Stephen is livid because he thinks it is a waste of time, you know the whole "I was raised a Catholic, why do I need to go?!" and "They just want our money". Cripes, if I could go alone I would. Anyway, it is a whole 2.5 hours out of his life and another hour for the mass while Cars is baptized. I am a little upset with him at the moment about this.

Dex had a great first day of preschool at the new school. The drop-off/pick-up worked out well (although it was a bit of a wait at the drop-off). The school has a rule that if the child is not in a car seat they will not take them out of the car. The parent must go and park the car on the road and walk the child into the school. I saw one dad being told to park because the child was STANDING in the back seat as the dad drove in.

Cars has another cold. Poor boy.

Ok, JP and Marilyn are coming this weekend. Good because I need my SMARTIE fix. JP said they bought 6 bags of the mini boxes. Jax will be happy too because he has been asking for chocolate.

Hurricane Ivan spared New Orleans so Stephen is flying there on Sunday for a week. I wonder if I can get a babysitter one or two evenings while he is gone...

I think I popped a vein in my leg...is that possible? I was sitting down when suddenly I felt a bump in my leg and it hurt. I stood up and the bump when away but it looks kind of bruised and it hurts! Shit, getting old sucks.

Nanny comes tomorrow! Yippee! Four hours of freedom.

HDTV cable is in and Stephen has fallen in love with the tv. Nymphe said in my previous comments that big tvs scare her. This one scares me. It is freaking HUGE and since I can see it out of the corner of my eye while I am on the computer, I am very distracted by it. Jax has not stopped talking about this thing. They played N64 on it last night and I thought he was going to cry he was so happy.

Dex met his new teachers today at the new preschool. I am so excited about him going to this new place. Tonight was the parent info night and they could not stress the NO NUTS policy enough. Of course I have the wrong child going there for that policy but it makes me realize that the other preschool was a joke with their claim to be "Peanut Free". This new place has sent home snacks if they are not sure if they are safe whereas the other place would serve them and maybe suggest to the parent not to bring them in again.

The most exciting thing about this school is that I do not have to get out of the car to walk Dex to his class. Last year, trudging in and out of the preschool with three kids was enough to drive me crazy (and it did!). This will be so nice. I drive up, the teachers open the door, Dex jumps out, I sign the clipboard that they pass to me and then I close the door and drive off. Picking him up, they open the door, I sign the clip board, they buckle him in and then off I go. Love it!

I made a kick-ass dinner tonight! Baked Parmesan chicken breasts (one thing I do not screw up usually), and a purchased bag of salad greens. I added some purple onion, peppered feta cheese and balsamic/oil dressing. YUM-MY! Perhaps there is some hope for me after all.

What happens when you send a men out to replace a television that is on the fritz? You end up with this in your family room:


Stephen took the rubber mallet and took off the top part of our entertainment centre to accommodate this 50 inch tv. So at least he saved us some money by not having to buy the stand, right?

I cannot believe he bought it.

I cannot believe he bought it.

*sigh*

Apparently a kid in Jax's class is obsessed with him. I am a little disturbed by the whole thing but I think I will just sit tight and see what the teacher does next. Details can be found here.

Cars broke out in hives today at lunch. I had given him Kraft dinner and a cup of milk (which I knew he would not drink but I can dream, right?). Anyway, after a few minutes he threw it on the floor and when I looked at him I noticed the hives all under his chin and across his cheeks. I have an appointment now with the allergist on the 5th of October. I am assuming it is from milk but maybe the soy in the margarine from the Kraft dinner? Dunno...

Ok, tv is finally working so I am off to bed. Shit this thing is huge.

This weekend was painful. Stephen had a golf tournament all day yesterday and the kids had cabin fever but I had a headache and did not want to take them outside. So we watched movies all day long.

Today I took two hours to myself and spent most of the time at Sears, looking at things I wasn't buying. I really wanted to buy this jacket in red but decided it was impractical because I really need a rain coat which is much more useful here in the Pacific Northwest.

I did buy myself a fridge magnet today. It reads "Good mothers have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids". I hope my kids are happy because I have to justify the floors and oven.

A few weeks after 9/11, my friend DeniSe called me to tell me that she was pregnant. I feel horrible saying this but I was not happy for her at all! I kept thinking that people had to be insane to want to bring children into this world after what had happened. Didn't she realize that the world as we knew it was changing? Why on earth would she want to subject a child to it?

I held this believe for a couple of years...until I got pregnant with Cars. Actually, from time to time I still doubted that I was doing the right thing. There were people who would want to KILL my children because of the country of their birth and here I was bringing another target into this very scary world.

But here we are, three years after the event and 13 months after Cars's birth. Despite the uncertainty, I know we made the best decision. My life is not filled with dread but with hope for the future. The future for my children and for the world.

One a day. Just like the vitamins. That is how often people are going on IGNORE. Hostile, indeed!

Today was the "Return to School Barbeque" at Jax's school. They needed to know how many people in advance because it was "catered" by a bbq place north of here. The bbq (beef ribs, pork ribs, chicken) is supposed to be the best around. It smelled so good, smoking away in the parking lot. There were 650 tickets sold ($10/adults, $4/children). There were 650 tickets sold and there were 2 people serving dinner. Let me rephrase... There were 2 people serving dinner to 650 people. So I stood in line for an hour while Stephen watched the kids on the playground. At least I was standing close to Ash and I met two very nice women, one of whom is the mom of a kid in Jax's class. Finally we got our food and it was incredibly mediocre. And it was also nearly bedtime for the boys.

JP and Marilyn were to come again this weekend but have pushed it out another weekend. I have no Smarties! What shall I do?

I am getting cranky in my old age. Chalk up another person for the ignore list.

Dex started back at swim lessons today. He was excited that he got to swim with CJ rather than the Swim Nazi (CJ is her son). Dex needs practice kicking his legs. Seems he forgot how over the summer.

I signed Dex up for sports sampler too which starts at the end of the month. I am bummed though because the 10 o'clock class is full and that is the class that his friend, Ramsey is signed up for. So we are in the 11 o'clock class. Ramsey's mom said she might move the the 11 class because the son of another friend of hers is in it. I hope so.

Ok, time to go clean the kitchen. Have to shine my sink before bed. (right - I am just going to scrap the big pieces of food off the floor).

Migraine hangover today. Which does not mean I have a migraine from a hangover. ;) It means I had a migraine and today I have a migraine hangover.

Slow, dull, limp. That is me today.

We took the boys to the driving range today. Dex is good! He connects with the ball everytime. Jax swings like me. He pulls up and hits the top of the ball (if at all!). LOL They had a blast and it was so fun to watch them.

Tonight when I took the boys to bed Jax wanted to read from his science book that I bought for him from Costco. He is getting so good at reading. And he is excited about reading which is so great.

While Jax was reading, Dex asked me to help him write his name. I wrote it in upper then lower case letters. A few minutes later he wrote a 4 but it looked a little wonky. I told him that it looked almost like a 4 and he announced that it was a "lower case 4" and that was why it looked different.

Cars sprouted another tooth. I think he now has 8 or 9 in his mouth. He is so funny. He will not sit in the high chair anymore so it is going back in the garage. He sat at the table in a regular chair for two days until Stephen fished out the booster chair from the garage. He is quite happy to sit there with us. He insists on being outside when Jax and Dex are. He gets mad when I have ketchup or salsa to dip my food in if I have not given him any.

God I love my kids.

Once a year night on the town:

Babysitter for the evening: $40
Pre-movie beers and appetizers at an overpriced pub: $35
Two movie tickets: $17.50
One tub of popcorn and two drinks: $16

Sleeping through most of the movie: Priceless

(Stephen, not me). ;)

Eleven Years ago today.

1985

I love this song:

1985
Debbie just hit the wall
She never had it all
One prozac a day
Husband's a C.P.A.
Her dreams went out the door
When she turned 24
Only been with one man
What happened to her plans
She was gonna be an actress
She was gonna be a star
She was gonna shake her ass
On the hood of Whitesnake's car
Her yellow SUV is now the enemy
Looks at her average life
Nothing has been alright... since

Bruce Springsteen, Madonna
Way before Nirvana there was U2
And Blondie and music still on MTV
Her 2 kids in high school
They tell her that she's uncool
Cause she's still preoccupied
With 1985

She's seen all the classics
She knows every line
Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink,
Even St. Elmo's Fire
She rocked out to Wham!
Not a big Limp Bizkit fan
Thought she'd get a hand
On a member of Duran Duran
Where's the mini-skirt
Made of snake skin
And who's the other guy
Singing in Van Halen
When did reality
become tv
What ever happened ever happened to
Sitcoms, Game Shows
(on the radio)

Bruce Springsteen, Madonna
Way before Nirvana there was U2
And Blondie and music still on MTV
Her 2 kids in high school
They tell her that she's uncool
Cause she's still preoccupied
With 1985

She hates time - make it stop
When did Motley Crue become classic rock
When did Ozzy become an actor
Please make it stop stop stop
And bring back

Bruce Springsteen, Madonna
Way before Nirvana there was U2
And Blondie and music still on MTV
Her 2 kids in high school
They tell her that she's uncool
Cause she's still preoccupied
With 1985

I just watched the video on the official Bowling for Soup website. It is so very fun!

Hurricane Frances is huge and heading for Florida. I hope that it changes course or diminished its intensity. Scary stuff. Marc said this evening that he cannot evacuate his hotel because there is nowhere for anyone to go now that most shelters are full and no flights in/out. He will stay there during the storm while Marlene and the girls stay at home. I am so proud of Melis. She put up all of the storm shutters herself, drilling them all on. She just needed help from Marc when he got home from work with the ones for the sliding doors because they were just too big for her to manage.

More retail therapy for me today. It has got to stop!

Thunder and Lightening

Today could not decide if it wanted to be summer or fall. It pissed rain in the morning, then the sun came out. Then it clouded over - big, black clouds with lots of thunder (a rarity here).

Jax had another successful day at school today. He told dh tonight that he wanted to buy his lunch at school one day but then he quickly decided not to because he is saving his money! LOL Poor kid didn't realize that we would pay for his lunch.

Playgroup was here today. It was nice to meet everyone again at someone's home rather than at a park because at the park the kids are scattered and the mom's are distracted and it is harder to keep conversations going.

I made another cruddy dinner tonight. Yes, I know I had given up but decided to try again. This was Crock-pot "Fried" chicken. The "Fried" was in quotes so I should have realized. Anyway, it wasn't too bad, I guess. Just didn't have the texture I was expecting.

I have finally put someone on ignore at the forums. Finally as in finally that person's time...not that I haven't ignored someone before.

I had a friend at one forum who was "run off" by someone who had a pickle up her butt and the forum mods were less than supportive. I miss her. We have emailed back and forth but it is not quite the same thing as reading day-to-day stuff about what is going on in her life.

One last forums comment...I finally hit 10,000 posts at SAHP by September 1st. Now I can stop posting as much. lol

1st day of 1st grade

There's my big boy 1st grader!

The first day went well. We parked at the park and walked through the park and school playground* to Jax's class. The teen from across the street was not starting school until 11am so she offered to watch Dex and Cars for me. So it was nice that Jax and I went alone and we chatted without interruptions. My little boy is so grown up!
*edited to change playgroup to playground. Doh!

Testing testing

Blogger ate three blahgs from yesterday so I will keep this short just in case it does it today too.

School starts tomorrow. Jax has insisted on Veggie soup for lunch because I told him I had a thermos for him. He is fascinated with it. I hope he can open it up by himself tomorrow.

Dex had another friggin meltdown tonight. Stephen and I got in an argument about the way I handled it. Guess who was the hardass?

I was planning to go to bed early but Primary Colors came on. This movie is so good. It is almost over so I need to pay attention to the last little bit...