The kids went back to school today. :) I was embarrassed dropping off Dex to his teacher since I had forgotten to pick him up from school the last day before the winter break. Yes, you read that right. I.forgot.my.son.at.school. Ash picked up Jax that day so my schedule was off. I was merrily cooking a meal for a friend whose father had passed away when I realized 20 minutes after I was supposed to pick Dex up that I had forgotten to do so! I was 30 minutes late getting him but the teacher and administrator were gracious about it. Today I arrived 10 minutes early and our car was first in line.

I ordered some tile for the bathroom counter top. And I bought a quart of paint (Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue) to try out on the walls. I like it and we are going for it. Next up: 2 sinks and a toilet. This bathroom might be done by the middle of next week (touch wood). Geez I will be glad when this renovation is over.

test

I finished reading "The Kite Runner" yesterday. I enjoyed reading it. It was hard to read at times (content - brutal crap that happened in Afghanistan) but it was a page-turner. I think our book club will have an interesting conversation next week.

Cars slept through the night last night! In his own bed! I hope it is a trend and now just a once in a lifetime occurrence.

I am back to stressing out about the bathroom. I have a feeling the whole thing will just clash. F*ck it!

No news on the new house front. It is seeming further and further away.

Kindergarten registration is this week. I was going to put Dex in a mixed age class (k-2) but have thought better of it. I think he needs the regular kindergarten experience (read: he is not prepared for kindergarten).

I am so glad that school starts back tomorrow. This week was so trying. This summer is going to be brutal unless I plan the hell out of it.

Stephen went to work yesterday but came home early and was in bed by 7pm. He is at work again today but is thinking of coming home early again.

Handyman has finished tiling the floor and started on the shower wall today. I think the tile I bought looks great. Still stuck on what we will do for a counter top.

We have had such gorgeous weather these past few days. It is supposed to last into next week. I think I even have a little sunburn on my face from being outside yesterday afternoon. Imagine sunburn in February!

Three times is the charm?

Stephen is still sick and still in bed. Now he has a screaming headache. I wonder if he his just dehydrated? I hope that is all it is.

First day of mid-winter break. We made a castle and a dungeon out of empty shoe, cereal and tea boxes. Then we walked over to Ash's and the kids rode their scooters around. One day down, four more to go.

Pressure

Looks like this new house thing might happen sooner rather than later. The lady in the other house called us at 9am yesterday morning to report that a house around the corner was listed for a certain price and that her house is in much better shape. However, her house has LP siding (Lousiana-Pacific siding that is like fake wood and if it fails it may cause moisture damage) which will bring the price down because we would have to replace the siding in the next 5 years or so. I've had two estimates for our house from realtors, one of whom I will probably hire because she lives in the neighbourhood and offered to help us for free with the purchase of the other house (if this all works out). Well, free in that she will not ask for commission from that house but will get it from ours.

Anyway, my head is spinning. I am not really stressed out but I am getting a little anxious about the whole thing.

And Stephen spent another day in bed. And tomorrow is mid-winter break so I have all of the kids. All day long. Everyday. All week long.

Nothing to see here

Nothing is new really.

I am down to nursing Cars once before bed and once during the night and never,ever after 4am. He is sleeping somewhat better. Why didn't I do this a year ago?

Bathroom is coming along. All floor tiles are cut and about 1/2 are down. Handyman had trouble cutting the tile and had to grind many of them so there is now a white film of dust all over my entire house. I don't feel like cleaning it up until I know for sure that he is done. He is taking Monday off and will be back on Tuesday to finish laying the floor tiles then start on the tub surround. I need to pick up my ordered accent tiles on Tuesday too. I hope they are as nice as I remember.

Stephen is sick and has been lying in bed since the moment he came in the door last night from work. To be fair, he did get vertical this morning while I went for a haircut.

Another peanut teasing for Jax at school today. The teacher handled it well, I think. It will be interesting to see how the teaser's parents handle it since the teacher notified them. The funny thing is that Jax did not tell the teacher about it initially. Someone else told on teaser. F*ck I hate this.

Jax is anti-sauce/condiment kid. He hates ketchup, dipping sauce, spaghetti sauce, gravy, mayo, mustard and even sweet and sour sauce for nuggets. Dex will eat ketchup once in a blue moon and he loves sweet and sour sauce. But that's about it. Cars loves dipping everything into anything. Ketchup is a favourite. Warning: Dirty Face Child.

Cars had his 18 month appointment today. He is still scrawny (only 22 pounds) but he grew 2" in the last 15 months. He is on antibiotics for yet another ear infection (well two infections - one in each ear). At least I know why he has a fever and why he has been miserable all weekend.

Stephen bought me a truck/coffee table for Valentine's day. Our very first coffee table EVER! We've been married for 11 years and we haven't had a coffee table since we moved out of our furnished apartment 9 years ago. (BTW, the actual colour of the wood is darker IRL).

I spoke to KILLJOY again today. I should not have answered the telephone.

And now I am off to bed before I eat more.

The house is gorgeous. Turn-key condition too. The seller said she wants to get it evaluated again before she sets a price. So no doubt it will be out of our price-range. LOL Oh well.

Off to bed because I have to substitute for one of Dex's Sunday School teachers tomorrow. Gotta be fresh to deal with a classroom of 4 and 5 year olds!

Look up KILLJOY in the dictionary and you will see my mom's name.

I went to IKEA today. Why don't they let you keep your kids in the ball pit longer than an hour? Surely they could sell more stuff if they let you shop a little longer without them.

I am happy with my purchases. I had a blast with Arrogant Sage and her dd, C. And Ash and Kins were there too. Ash won because she spent the most money. Or maybe Sage did because she spent the least.

When I arrived home, Handyman and his sidekick (who is actually his step-son) were busy working away. "We've had a few setbacks" Handyman told me. Seems the tub is small for the space and he has to build out the wall 1.5 inches from the floor to the ceiling. Sounds like a lot of work. Especially since that wall is 12 feet tall. He said the tub that was in there was not a standard size. So that adds more work and I wonder if that will cost me more money.

I also figured out another setback that he did not (yet) tell me about. I found a shard of broken mirror about 8" long. Hmmm...after he left I went to take a peek at the bathroom mirror to see how bad it looks with this piece missing. Well, the whole mirror is missing. I guess the whole thing shattered. I wonder when/if he will tell me about it. I wonder what the cost is to replace a 6 foot by 4 foot mirror.

Book club tonight was fun. So many people with so many different interpretations of the end of the book. Two people loved the twist at the end. Most others did not like it or hated it. I am really enjoying this book club! Our next book is The Kite Runner.

Ok, tooth is feeling better today. Alternate Dentist is lucky that I didn't have to tell on her.

Book club tomorrow night. I am dreading everyone's wrath because the book had such a lousy ending. I hope Tami picks a better book for next month.

I went to Mass this morning (Ash Wednesday). Then I spent the rest of the day cleaning (I scrubbed the huge kitchen floor on my hands and knees because that wet Swifter just doesn't cut it). In the early afternoon, Ash dropped off Kins while she went to a job interview. When she came back to pick me up, she said "Here, let me get that off your forehead" and she wiped the ashes off. I was too stunned to move then I burst out laughing. She thought it was just dirt from my cleaning. Geez, how dirty did she think my house was?

Jax's teacher emailed me today because apparently he and another boy in his class have been disrupting the class for the past two weeks with their "silliness". I asked Jax what he was doing that was so silly and he said "I like to pretend my lunch is poison and I die after I take a bite". Nice. And "I pretend that I am being flushed down a toilet and I spin around and yell 'AAAAHHHHHH' ". What is it about boys?! Why can't they sit nicely in class and LEARN? The other kid is doing similar things and they egg each other on. Anyway, the teacher asked that we speak to Jax (and the other kid's parents speak to him) and hopefully "their behavior will go back to how they used to act in class". At least that tells me that Jax hasn't been a brat all year! I hope his behavior improves...

Well off to bed. IKEA in the morning. I hope to meet Arrogant Sage there. And when I get back I am sure my bathtub will be installed. I need the bathroom done quickly because I found a house I want to buy!

Ok, so I don't have to be a detective to figure out that my trip to the dentist today was going to be a disaster. The clues were all there, it was just a matter of putting them together.

I had to have a cavity filled. The first clue was that Regular Dentist was not going to be in the office so they made an appointment for me with Alternate Dentist. My only experience with Alternate Dentist (who I guess is really my dentist's business partner and not from the Manpower Dentist Pool) in the past was an appointment last year when she lectured me about flossing on a regular basis (sorry but I have whacked flossing off my list).

Clue #2: The "virtual reality" movie glasses that they put on for me pinched my nose so much that I could not breathe so off they came (boo because I had chosen "Chocolat" so I could see yummy Johnny Depp).

Clue #3: Alternate Dentist numbs my mouth then tests to see if I still have feeling. Yep. So more novacaine or whatever it is that they inject into ones gums with that big freaking gun.

Clue #4: I panicked when they put this thing in my mouth to keep my tongue away from where they were working. I gagged then pushed it out with my tongue. I was so embarrassed.

Clue #5: Alternate Dentist fretting to the assistant that she needed more composite while filling the tooth. Then she commented four or five times that the filling was really, really deep.

Clue #6: The hour I spent in the chair after Alternate Dentist told me it would only take 30 minutes. I was the very last patient to leave the office today and the staff was just sitting around waiting and giving me odd looks because they ~knew~ something was not quite right.

So now, a few hours later, my face is unfrozen and has stopped itching (does that happen to anyone else?). I am in a lot of pain and am wondering just how early I can call Regular Dentist tomorrow morning.

Off to take some Tylenol (has anyone else read those scary stories about Ibuprofen lately??) then to bed. Oh, and I suppose I might floss my teeth if it saves me from another dental disaster and a meeting with Alternate Dentist.

Handyman could not install the bathtub yesterday because it is damaged. It goes back to Home Depot it goes tonight. He'll be back tomorrow to install the replacement.

I am feeling so run down. I have a cold and I am so tired. One day Cars will sleep through the night, right?

Laurie took Dex to soccer then to her house for a playdate with Cameron. I feel like I need to rush around and clean the house and run errands since I only have one child for the next 3.5 hours but all I really want to do it nap. I might just do that.

Snap-snap-snap! I am making decisions like there is no tomorrow. ;) I picked up the tile and grout today. Tonight Stephen and I had a "date" at Home Depot and we purchased a tub and shower faucet.

After our date at Home Depot we went out for dinner at the local ale house. Then to Safeway for some groceries. We are such losers. lol

Jax was very upset after swimming today. He would not tell us what was wrong until dinner time when he whispered in Stephen's ear that he stared at a women's breasts at the pool and was feeling guilty about it. OMG - he is too young to be looking and then feeling guilty on top of that! My poor baby!

Jax overheard me telling our neighbour that Kins has chicken pox even though she had been vaccinated. Jax became wide-eyed and a look of great concern came across his face. He interrupted "She's been killed?! What happened to her!?" He thought I said that Kins had been assassinated (He learned that word last month when they studied Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.).

I have made more decisions about the bathroom. Just need to go to Tiles for Less (for wall tile) and Home Depot for the tub and shower faucet. Baby steps...

But while I am trying to whack things off my list I somehow managed to get volunteered to cut out 100 paper hearts for Jax's class Valentine's party. At least the party is still a week and a half away so I hope to have them done by tomorrow. Off to start them right now.

Damn Cookies

I erased all of my cookies and now I cannot remember passwords and login id's for a number of sites. It took me 7 tries before I remembered this login id. I hate when this happens.

Cars had a little tantrum today and started yelling NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO at me. It was cute - I didn't even know he knew how to say that word!

Nanny is due to come tomorrow. Jax has only 1/2 day of school so my time is limited. At least I do not have to do any work for Dex's Sunday School (I did it all last week). I do get to pick up my new glasses at Costco. And hopefully buy a couple of things for the bathroom (tub, faucets, tile). And no second guessing myself about my decisions.

Ok, I am feeling a little saner today. ~whew~ I have whacked vacuuming and bill paying from my "to do" list for today. However, I have three whiny children. Cars had a bad cold. Dex says his throat hurts and Jax complained that he did not feel well but could not be specific so off to school he went. I think he was just tired. Still too early to decide if Dex will stay home this afternoon or not. I'll have to cancel tea today with Ash and Gloria. I missed last week because Kins was sick and I didn't want to expose Cars to her ickiness. Damn and he caught something anyway.

I finished reading my book (see sidebar). I hated the ending. It was stupid! Anyway, I know Ash and Paula also did not like the ending. I am not sure if anyone else from book club has finished it or not. Our next meeting is at my house on the 10th.

Fighting to Stay Sane

I feel like I have taken a little step backwards in the sanity department. I am just starting to feel overwhelmed with making decisions about the bathroom and other things. The little doubts and wonderings if I made the right decisions are nagging at me. I hate this!

Because of this perceived stress, I have reacted in the way I do best - emotional eating. Damn Chips Ahoy! being on sale this week has not helped matters. I have not exercised in days either.

Wow - I am throwing myself a pity party it seems! Cocktail anyone?