Nanny did not show up today. She thought I had told her I did not need her. I had told her I did not need her at 8am but to come at 9 instead. *sigh* So I had to run errands with all three kids. Plus I did not get to go to Costco to look for new glasses. Cars threw a ceramic St. Joseph figure at me at Christmas and scratched the left lens. The glasses place could not buff it out - I need new lenses. So I decided that I would just wait until my new glasses benefits kicked in this month and I am going to get a pair of glasses with clip-on sunglasses. I never got the hang of contact lenses (how unnatural it is to stick things IN your eyes!) so I have been without sunglasses for a year.

Dh came home late for dinner (stopped for a drink with people from work!). So I was ticked off at that. Then he tells me that if we had joined the health club back in November(which is free for employees of his company but they can only sign up during benefit enrollment time each November), we would be able to take the kids swimming there for free and cancel their Y swim membership. Aaargh! That is exactly what I told him in November but apparently because I don't actually WORK at MS then how could I have possibly known that. Geez, I cannot believe how pissed off I am at him about this.

I bought Jax two pairs of shoes today. His running shoes were a size 1.5 and his feet are size 3. Oops! He also told me that his clothes were not cool.(!) He is six. Ok, nearly 7...but still! I took him to Fred Meyer and asked him to show me some cool clothes. He pointed out a pair of cammo pants and a pair of jeans that looks like a mechanic had worn them for a year and never washed them. Those jeans also had the lovely chain hanging down from them for one's wallet. He also wants black t-shirts. What happened to my young, sweet, little boy!

Cars wearing Dex's hat. It is too small for Dex.

Dex thinks it is so funny to mug for the camera. Really it is just bloody annoying. As you can see the hat is too small for him but he loves it anyway.

Dex had a playdate today with the "real" Evan (as opposed to the
other Evan). Evan's mom called before she brought him over to ask if we kept guns in the house. She is the first person to ever ask me that. I told her I was glad that she asked and that we did not keep guns in the house. I think every parent should be asking that question when they drop their child off at a house for a playdate. I always talk to parents about peanut butter but now that the kids are older, I will certainly start asking about guns too.

Food Allergies

Another senseless death.

Restaurant warnings urged after teen's death

From the article:

- The prevalence of peanut allergy in children doubled in five years
- about 1.6 million Americans have peanut allergies
- about one in every 125 children has peanut allergy

"Among food allergies, peanut allergy is the most dangerous, said Dr. Richard Roberts at Carolina Asthma and Allergy Center in Charlotte.

Injections of epinephrine should be administered quickly, he said; otherwise, "most people die within minutes."

The good news:

It's benign. I need to go back in May or June for another pap to keep an eye on things.

Thanks again for everyone's good wishes, prayers and positive thoughts. They are greatly appreciated.

The bad news:

I lost the auction. There was about an hour left so I made a donation to Unicef and emailed the receipt to Hanan. Of course I was sniped with less than 30 seconds to go. But that's ok. The real winners will be the children who were victims of the tsunami.

It was a gloriously warm day today! It got up to 63 degrees at the local middle school (the temperature is listed on the local NBC station's website). And it was sunny! Incredible weather for January.

Contractor #4 arrived this morning. He is a friend of S & N. He will price everything out and email me tomorrow with a quote. The way things are going I am still looking at the other handy man guy. I want to get started on this project. My mom is coming for a visit in March so it would be nice if we had our bathroom back by then.

I am working on a letter of recommendation for my friends who want to adopt a child. There is so much to write and consider. I hope I can do them justice in this letter.

Jewel Quest

I love Jewel Quest. It is more addicting than Zuma.

This is why Washington State needs a re-vote for the Governor's race:

Man learns his votes were illegal for years.

There were illegal ballots cast for both parties. The voting process has to have integrity or no one will support or trust the system!

$40 Millions Dollars

I received this from a friend today and I thought it was worthy of mentioning. And for the record, I do not hate America so please no spewings of such in the comments section of my blog.

Excerpt from The Progress Report:

$40 million: Cost of Bush inaugural ball festivities, not counting security costs.

$2,000: Amount FDR spent on the inaugural in 1945…about $20,000 in today's dollars.

$20,000: Cost of yellow roses purchased for inaugural festivities by D.C.'s Ritz Carlton.

200: Number of Humvees outfitted with top-of-the-line armor for troops in Iraq that could have been purchased with the amount of money blown on the inauguration.

$10,000: Price of an inaugural package at the Fairmont Hotel, which includes a Beluga caviar and Dom Perignon reception, a chauffeured Rolls Royce and two actors posing as "faux" Secret Service agents, complete with black sunglasses and cufflink walkie-talkies.

26,000: Number of Kevlar vests for U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan that could be purchased for $40 million.

$17 million: Amount of money the White House is forcing the cash-strapped city of Washington, D.C., to pony up for inauguration security.

9: Percentage of D.C. residents who voted for Bush in 2004.

66: Percentage of Americans who think this over-the-top inauguration should have been scaled back.

Now is the time to worry...

Before the colposcopy the doctor told me he would not be taking a biopsy but would just be looking at the cervix. During the procedure he saw some white cells and changed his mind. Much discomfort ensued and now I must wait until Tuesday for results.

It was 67F today! Felt like spring. Not good news for the ski slopes up at the pass and I guess no tubing for us this year. And all of the rivers have flooded. Good think we live on a plateau. ;)

Two bathroom people came today. The first will email me an estimate tomorrow. The second was a handy-man service and his estimate was half of what the first one was! Well, a little less than 1/2 because I have to get some of the items myself but the estimate includes tile and a bigger tub! Whoo-hoo! And he can start February 5th. So we'll see how things go with the estimate tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the colposcopy. I hope the doctor can give me some answers while I am there.

Day 3

Third day of the fitness challenge. I am not doing very well on "dieting" but I have not had an eating binge. I wore my pedometer today while at Dex's soccer today and I clocked almost 2000 steps chasing Cars around the arena. I was impressed. I wore it for 1/2 the day and I think I had about 3000 steps. Far from the goal of 10,000 steps recommended. I forced myself to move about a little more than usual though. Normally I am such a slug.

Tomorrow I have two contractors coming to give me a quote on the bathroom. The first will be over-priced. The second is the one who did (S & N's bathroom). I am not sure how long that link will work. A third guy is due to come on Monday morning. He is a friend of S & N who has started his own "handyman" business. He told me today on the telephone after I told him what the first place had quoted us that with his current project he had moved a wall, re-plumbed, installed shower, bath, sink, tile, etc for less than that! So it looks like we can get this all done within our budget.

I knit a hat for Dex but it is small and fits Cars really well. Dex insists that he wears it. I need to take a picture of it. I used Noro Kureyon which knits up striped and it is gorgeous! I am working on a second hat for Jax but I think I have overcompensated and it will be too big. I remind myself of Lucille Ball with this knitting (I hope someone out there has seen that episode of her show).

Fiona wearing the Christmas hat I made for her.

Cars has a rash on his body. I wonder if it is from the antibiotics he is on (Cefzil). It is the first time he has been on it. The doc is not sure his ears cleared up while he was on Amoxicillin (or whether these are new ear infections). I wonder if the office is open today (MLK Day). I'll call a little later.

Cars did not sleep well last night (so I did not either). I had weird dreams too (think Star Wars v Cyborgs with Orlando Bloom thrown in for good measure).

It has warmed up and is PISSING rain today. Doesn't make for a nice day off school for the kids. I'll just send them out to the garage later to play ESPN Gamestation.

I am high bidder on Tsu Bear on ebay. The proceeds will go to Tsunami Disaster relief. There is still over a week left but I don't know if I will be outbid. I had planned to donate at least that much to a charity (Stephen and I had just not decided which one yet but we are boycotting the American Red Cross).

I'd better get my butt in gear. I have friends coming over in about 45 minutes and I haven't had a shower yet!

Yesterday on the way to the mall, I decided I needed a new bra because the elastic had gone out of my nursing bras and the wires had poked out of my regular bras. Plus of course my breasts had changed shape once again after nursing my third child. I headed straight to Nordstroms to be fit for a new bra. If I were going to spend money on one, it was going to actually fit me. (I bought two).

A few years ago I went there for a proper bra-fitting and found out that I was wearing both the wrong band size and the wrong cup size I bought a bra that actually fit me. The underwire did not dig into me. The front of the bra lay flat against my chest they way they are supposed to. What a revelation! A bra that fits right looks good and feels good. WOW! I swore I would only ever buy bras at Nordstroms for the rest of my life! I highly recommend a bra-fitting. Not by the young chicks who work at Victoria Secret but by a professional bra-fitter. Go to the nearest department store during a bra fit clinic and get sized and buy a good, well-fitting bra. You will be amazed at the difference a well-fit bra makes.

Discovery Health National Body Challenge

I signed up today at the mall for the Discovery Health National Body Challenge. I made my appointment for late in the day knowing that most people would want to go early in the day. There was no waiting line at all! I signed in, had my weight taken, my body fat calculated and my BMI. Then I had a full body shot taken. Next stop was the Discovery Store for my free bag of goodies. I received a food journal/exercise journal, a pedometer, a free sample of Secret deodorant, a bottle of some water with nutrients in it from Gatorade, an exercise DVD and my free 2-month pass at Bally's (I don't think I will be using that because it is way on the other side of the lake).

I am so keyed up to get FIT and lose weight. I hope this enthusiasm lasts through tomorrow morning!

Another sick kid. Another sleepless night. Another long day. Another boring blahg.

The people for the second bathroom quote moved their appointment to next week because snow was in the forecast and NO ONE drives anywhere here when it snows. I also have a couple of more names of contractors who have done bathrooms at more reasonable rates so we'll see what comes of it. Stephen is now hot to move for some reason. He wants the tub replaced then off we move to a new home. Like we can afford it. Gotta keep buying those lottery tickets, I suppose... heh

An acquaintance invited me over to see her bathroom that was remodeled last year. It is gorgeous: marble tile on the floors and around the tub, deep bathtub, shower with a bench, granite countertops, etc. It should be in a magazine! However, it is way more than I would want (I just want a tub that doesn't leak at this point) or would ever spend. She told me they spent (get this...) $39,000 on the bathroom. The tiling alone was $15,000. I felt like I was in the twilight zone. How the hell could someone spend that kind of money on their bathroom in the same area that I live in? Seriously. And the funny thing is that she said she was not going to put her son in full-day kindergarten next year because she thought it was too expensive (~$250/month!!). LOL

Our second book club meeting was last night. We discussed The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. There were three new members (and a couple who could not make it) so we are up to 11 people. Another friend who is in another book club said that 10-12 people was a good size for a book club. Next month we are discussing
The Last Time They Met by Anita Shreve.

Our playgroup has decided to meet one last time before Sarah moves. Leslie is going to try to make it. Everyone is coming here on Monday. I gave Sarah and Leslie a little going away present consisting of a pack of note cards, strip of stamps and a sheet of labels with my address, Tracey's address and Jen's address pre-printed on them.

Here's a picture from our night out:

From L to R: Leslie, Sarah, Tracey, Me, Jen

Ok, off to bed for a little nap before Cars wakes up. *sigh*

I'll say it again - HOLY SHIT! Yes, we are looking at $12000 to replace the bathroom with the exact bathroom I already have (acrylic tub/surround and vinyl floor, new sinks and faucets, same toilet, cabinet and mirror). I cannot believe it. Honestly I thought I was going to faint when she said that price. Anyway, they were just the first quote so let's hope they are just really high! Stephen said that for that price he will do the bathroom himself! LOL Right. We could though just hire out someone to replace the tub...I'll think about it because I cannot imagine spending all that money. It is over out budget.

My appt with the GYN has been moved to next Thursday. :

Just arrived home from my night out with the girls. It was a lot of fun just shooting the shit with them all. I do feel horrible for Leslie. Their house closes (the one they just sold) on Saturday and they still do not have a place to move to yet. I am a little freaked out for her right now. I swear I do not know how she is holding together. I'd have gone crazy (crazier) by now!

One funny thing tonight is that a group of younger women left while we were eating and as they walked by Jen was like "How funny is that! Did you see their purses? It was a parade of designer handbags! A Chanel, a Coach, a Burberry and a Kate Spade!" (We were in fancy-smancy Kirkland). I hadn't noticed the purses and Tracey said "I wouldn't know a designer purse if someone hit me with it." I thought it telling because Jen is the only one of us with "money" so of course she would notice.

Tomorrow the first bathroom contractor is coming. They called today to confirm and told me the average bathroom remodel in these parts runs $12000-$19000! HOLY SHIT! Are people getting gold-plated fixtures?! Anyway, I am assuming that that price also includes a lot of plumbing moved (which we do not need), lots of ceramic or glass tile installed (I'll stick to vinyl flooring and an acrylic tub and surround) and a heated floor! Can I say it again? HOLY SHIT! We'll see what they say tomorrow...

Ok, I am off to bed. It is cold and I cannot get warm. My feet are like ice!

Missed the Boy Scout Pick-up

We forgot to put the tree to the curb for the Boy Scouts to pick up. Looks like I saved $10. So Stephen had to saw off all of the limbs from the tree and cut it in half to fit it in our yard waste bin for recycling.

It snowed yesterday (three days later than the storm they were warning us about). Jax really wanted to make a snowman so out he went. It did not snow that much so the snowman really became a mudman (have I mentioned that our backyard is a BOG from October through May?). But they had a ball.



Ramona and I had an IM conversation yesterday with us both hooked up to our webcams. It was fun "talking" to her and seeing her at the same time. I wish my camera had sound.

Tonight is Mom's night out with playgroup mom's. Our last one. Sarah is moving back to the east coast and Leslie is moving to Everett. And of course Carolyn moved to Philadelphia last year. So then there were three - Jen, Tracey and I. I don't imagine we will meet anymore because we are all just too busy. I loved meeting weekly with these women, even with the stress of morning drives around the lake to get to playgroup (we used to be the only one who lived in the boonies). I feel a real sense of loss. :(

It snowed for about 30 minutes yesterday, turned to rain then cleared up. I guess parts north of us were hit with snow. Today it is windy but it isn't really even that cold. I wouldn't mind if it snowed tonight so the kids could play in it tomorrow morning before it melted.

For Better or For Worse has been one of my favourite comics since it debuted in the Toronto Star when I was a kid. I wrote to Lynn Johnston a couple of years ago to tell her how much I loved her strip and had read it continually for all of these years. Anyway, this was last weekend's strip and it really struck me. I've been thinking of it non-stop so I thought it would share it:



If it is too small you can see it HERE

Brrr! Still cold. And they say there is snow is in the forecast.

I went grocery shopping this evening. The shelves were all bare. I asked at the check-out why it was so bare. Apparently the store did three times the normal sales today because we are expecting a snow storm in a couple of days. LOL It is funny that everyone raided the store. Well, not too funny because I didn't get everything I needed.

I've arranged for two contractors to come out to the house to discuss the bathroom renovation. Not sure if I mentioned but we had another leak on Christmas Day so we cannot use that shower/bath at all now. The tub really needs replacing so we are just gutting the whole bathroom. I hope it doesn't take ages to do or cost a fortune. I also wish that Stephen WANTED to do some of the work to save us some $$.

It is so cold! Well for here. It is about 20F/-6C right now and it made it up to 35F/2C today. I know that is nothing compared to Alaska (Hi Heidi!) but freaking cold for here. My feet have been like blocks of ice all day long!

My sister kind of received some results today from her last procedure. I say kind of because the dork doctor was to have called her but didn't and now he is on vacation so his receptionist read what she could of the lab results. Anyway, it seems that they might have been able to get all of the cancer out so she might not need a hysterectomy afterall. What great news! Of course she will not know for sure until she speaks to the doctor. What a relief for her! My mom is still planning a trip out west to see her so I am sure she will make a detour down to see us too. Oh and JP and Marilyn will be coming soon too because he just ordered something HUGE off Amamzon to be delivered here. I'll need to make room in the garage...

Today was the first day back to school for the boys. Stephen had the day off (since Jan 1 was on a Saturday) so he took Dex to school and picked up both boys from school. I did laundry most of they day. Whoopee-do-dah.

Tomorrow, Dex starts back at soccer. Jax starts the science program I signed him up for on Thursday. I also have MOPS on Thursday morning and Sunday School preschool planning Thursday night. I have gotten used to not running around here and there and I am little stressed already just thinking about it! What a wuss I have become!

I have barely spoken to Ramona in weeks. She went on that trip at the beginning of December (Miami and cruise to Caribbean) then she was busy working to pay off that trip, then Christmas. I do too think she is avoiding me because she does not want to talk about her infertility with anyone. I know she has not spoken to Leah Ann either and this is the first year in 25+ years that she has not seen Leah Ann at Christmas (except for the years Ramona was in Saudi). I wish I could make things better for her. :(

Jax and I played two games of chess tonight. It has been fun teaching him to play. Dex wanted to play too but then started getting upset at all of the RULES. He started ranting about how when he grows up he is going to make up his own rules about chess. *sigh* This his rules thing he has is getting OLD. Then Cars came over and started licking all of the pieces. Then Jax freaked out about germs. AARGH!

Ok, off to bed. Cars woke up last night at 11 and was up until 1:30 (ergo...) so I am in dire need of sleep.

The tree is down and outside, awaiting pick up by the Boy Scouts next weekend. I am irked that our county stopped the free tree chipping at the local park so our only tree removal is to have the Boy Scouts take it away for a $10-$15 donation! We only paid $20 ($19.97 actually at Home Depot) so it seems like robbery to pay them that much. Last year I am sure they were asking only for $8.

The ornaments and Christmas decorations are all boxed up and waiting for Stephen to put them back in the rafters in the garage. He bought a new 8' ladder today so he could easily put them back, rather than risk life and limb by standing on the "THIS IS NOT A STEP" step of the rickity 6' ladder.

Cars cries everytime he goes into the living room and doesn't see the tree. Poor thing!

Stephen bought me a webcam but I cannot seem to get it to work with anyone using MSN Messenger. I also don't have a microphone so it is pretty lame anyway. I wanted my mom to be able to see the kids.

Jax got a cheap digital video camera for Christmas. He wants to be a "movie maker like George Lucas" he says. Anyway, we looked at toy video cameras and they were more than this one and they weren't even digital. So he has been having a good time making his own movies. The camera is jerky and really the camera is not super great quality but it is fun to watch him record everything!

Time to go make a puzzle with him.

Happy New Year!

My Resolutions

Besides not complaining as much, I resolve to:

- take better care of myself, physically, mentally and spiritually
- not feel guilty about not keeping in touch with people. Email/snail mail/telephones work both ways
- not bite off more than I can chew. No more dozen swap partners!
- knit a BIG item like a sweater for ME
- curb emotional eating
- turn off the tv more often (clicking it off right NOW)
- go on a date with my husband once each month