Today was my birthday. Nosey Neighbour offered to take me to lunch and suggested Todai which is a sushi place. We get there and turns out that lunch is free for someone with a birthday. LOL She is gloriously frugal and she did know that lunch was going to be free in advance. Anyway, I enjoyed the free food. :)

Stephen baked me a yummy chocolate cake for dinner and we had pizza and bread sticks. I was spoilt rotten by my dh. He rocks.

So we finally settled on a windows guy. This was a friend of a friend and he owns his business and runs it out of his home not too far from here. His bid was competitive (ok it was cheaper than the others but he was not installing Milgard windows like the others - he said this window brand was good but not as expensive because you are not paying for the name). He gave me a list of references and they were all GLOWING.

Oh, and he is handsome.

So, I decided to go with him. Handsome Window Guy come out with his window installer to get precise window and patio door measurements and he brought his window installer. The installer said "This door is not a $tandard $ize". I looked at Hand$ome Window Guy and a$ked him what that meant. They discu$$ quickly knocking out the drywall to fit a $tandard $ized door in but quickly di$mi$$ it because of the addtional work (drywall, $iding, electrical). Hand$ome Window Guy then $aid that would mean an additional co$t. We all $tood around looking at each other. Hand$ome Window Guy apologize$ profu$ely. He now realize$ why hi$ bid wa$ lower than most of the other$. We $tood around looking at each other $ome more.

Finally I a$ked "Exactly how much more?". He $aid about $600. I blinked. I $tared. He $aid he would eat the co$t of $ome of it $ince it wa$ hi$ mi$take. I blinked. I $tared $ome more. $o he $aid he would eat the co$t of half of it $ince it wa$ hi$ mi$take. I a$ked him to $ign the bid, $tating that we would pay an additional $300 and he would pay the balance. Hand$ome Window Guy'$ in$taller mumbled $omething about $800. Hand$ome Window Guy winced. I quickly do the math and agree that $800 is probably right, compared to the other bid$ I have received (and subtracting any co$t of a name-brand window).

If Hand$ome Window Guy had not come so highly recommended, I would have told him I had to think about it and then had hired one of the other bidders. I hope I do not regret my decision. We'll know in two weeks or so.

Oh, and my mom arrived safely tonight. Jax stayed up late to greet her. Dex tried but he was too tired.

Sophie again

I made another Sophie bag:

It is black, not charcoal as it looks. I used Brown Sheep Company Nature Spun Worsted in Pepper (#601). I am thinking about making some sort of button closure for this bag but I am not sure what...think-think-think.

Mail Call

My mom sent me a package last week (birthday present and a whole stash of peanut-safe chocolates for the kids - ah, yeah, for the kids). Also in the box was a big stack of letters, cards postcards and tags from way back that I still had at her house. There were some cards from Ramona written in the early 1990's and mailed from Saudi Arabia and her other countries from her travels (Thailand, Berlin) and some postcards from ex-boyfriends (I cannot believe I kept them!).

The bulk of the stuff was from Stephen. Cards, love letters, Valentine's Day cards and little notes from when we were first dating (late 1986/early 1987). Oh my God he was soooo mushy! And cute and sweet and funny! I loved re-reading them and remembering that new love feeling - all gushy, mushy and warm. *sigh*

Batter Up!

Opening day of Little League today. Jax's team (AA Ball Cubs) had their game at 9:30 am. They were home team. Jax was fifth up and he was the first kid in the whole game to strike out. He was so dejected! He walked back to the dugout like he was Charlie Brown. I walked over to console him and saw he was just barely holding back the tears. Poor boy. He kept wiping his face with his hand and ended up with hives on his face (from the grass on his hands) so on top of feeling so bad for striking out, he had to eat a Benadryl chewable in front of the whole team! The next two times up to bad he hit the ball on the first pitch and made it safely to first base. Yeah, Jax!

Dex is playing A Ball (Angels!) so if they swing 5 times and do not hit the ball, they get to hit the ball from the T. Dex had to use the T during his first at bat but he hit the ball well the second time (they just played 2 innings).

Both boys had a great time playing and we are looking forward to a fun season.

Stitch N Bitch

I have been trying to start a Stitch N Bitch session with some friends to meet every other Thursday (opposite weeks from MOPS). Today we finally were able to get a group together but some came just for the bitch, not the stitch. It was very fun though. There were six of us (six of our 11 in book club actually) but still nice to meet and blab.

Tonight I went out with Deb from book club. She belongs to the same fitness club as the one we just joined. It felt good to work out since I haven't been walking because Neighbour is on vacation.

My mom is coming for a visit. She arrives on Tuesday and will fly home from Vancouver 9 days later. She loves me more than JP because she will spend more time with me. ;)

Ho-hum Hump Day

Nothing much going on today. Swimming lessons for Dex this morning, Art Start this afternoon in Dex's class - I had to take Cars because Neighbour is in Japan and she usually watches him. I could not ask Ash because she is busy painting her house so I had to take him. He was so good until the end of the hour when he pooped. :
Stephen is working late trying to get all they can crammed into Vista (which they just announced will be released later than scheduled).

I haven't walked in a week I think and I can feel it. I need to make sure I am getting more exercise.

Ok, off to change a load of laundry before I go to bed. Ho-hum, yawn.

More Tears

This is our week for crying. Let's see...yesterday was me and Dex (I didn't write about me crying over frustration with Jax's report card etc). Today is was Jax's turn. We were at the Science Fair at the school tonight and Jax said he wanted to go off to see the Mad Scientist demonstrations. I told him to go ahead while I waited for Dex. When we got there, the three classrooms with the demos were packed and we looked all over but could not find Jax. We stayed put while Stephen went out to find Jax.

Turns out Jax "got lost" and then could not find us. He wandered around and then decided to go to the office but it was locked. He looked around for a "trusted" adult but could not find one but then he spotted Ash. He ran up to her and said he was lost. She told him he was at school so he was not lost but then she saw the tears in his eyes and realized he meant he could not find us. She was just dialing my cell phone when Stephen found them. Poor Jax was so upset. I am so proud of him for doing all the right things but I am concerned because the school was full of parents and teachers yet he could not find one whom he trusted. I knew of at least 6 or 7 who were there whom he could have turned to. Poor thing.

Other than that incident, the Science Fair went well. The boys enjoyed discussing their projects with the judges (the kids are not graded nor were there winners). Some of the projects at the Fair were so creative and again, lots that the kids did the project themselves so that was refreshing. One of my favourites was "Peep Jousting".

Tomorrow is Art Start in Dex's class. We are painting bisque tiles which we have fired and then next month, put them in cement stepping stone for a Mother's Day gift. Since Neighbour left today for a vacation in Japan, I don't have a babysitter for Cars so I hope he will play quietly in the classroom (or if luck is with me, he will nap in his stroller).

Mean Mom Yet Again

Jax has been asking a lot about if we had a girl in the family, would I like that? Am I sad that I don't have a girl? etc... Tonight at dinner the topic came up again and so I said I heard that I could trade in three boys and get myself a girl. Jax of course knew I was joking but a moment later he asked Dex why he was crying. Dex sobbed "I don't want Mom to trade me in!". Oh my goodness! I felt like such a heel! He cried for a good 10 minutes. Then he crawled down from my lap and under the table and he did not come out until a couple of minutes later when Stephen came home. I asked Jax if he knew I was joking and he said "Yes, I did. But I think Dex is too young for jokes like that". Man, even my soon-to-be 8 yr old knew it was not an appropriate joke! I apologized to Dex again. He became teary-eyed again at bedtime about the joke. I am so mean!

Ok, I met with Jax's teachers today and I feel better about things. Jax will be doing the "Leadership" classes after all. The class is just 5 Mondays in a row. Jax said he had a good time on Friday at the one that the counselor held and he was looking forward to going again. I made sure that Ash said that Gav could go before I gave Jax the go-ahead because I did not want to say OK if no one else whom he wanted in the classes with him would not be there. We also discussed a couple of his "Lifeskills" ratings on this report card that was sent home on Friday. If his table or his class has to stay in for a few minutes at recess then he will say "It's because you hate us!" to the teachers. OMG! I am so embarrassed that he does that! He tries to make a lot of jokes too, often at inappropriate times. Gotta get him to stop that.

Anyway, I do feel relieved after meeting with the teachers. I even feel a little less crazy so looks like Crazy Doctor will not be hearing from me after all.

Busy Weekend

We were busy this weekend with baseball practices and science fair projects. The Science Fair is this Tuesday. Jax did an experiment using a 2-litre bottle of Diet Coke and mentos mints (pour the mints in and the whole thing explodes!). Dex did experiments with pop too. He took 5 bottles of Diet Coke and did things to them (shook, dropped, rolled, threw and dragged) to see which one would explode the most. It was fun. Not super hard experiments but the kids had a great time doing them and we had a blast!

Here was Jax's explosion:

Here is Dex's biggest explosion (after tossing the bottle back and forth with Jax:


Tomorrow is a busy day and I am freaking out about it already. Swim lessons at 10, then Ding-Dong girl needs to come over to do some art start stuff because she is going to be away on Wednesday when I teach it. Then I have to get Jax from school at 11:30 (half-day, no PM Kindergarten!). Then I need to be at the park for 1:15 to watch Ash's kids while she meets with Gav's teacher then she will watch mine while I meet with Jax's teacher. Then rush home and off to baseball practice. Thankfully we finished the Science Fair projects tonight else we would have that to do tomorrow night. I seriously need to consider calling the Crazy Doctor.

Ok, breathe.

And Neighbour is going to Japan for three weeks so no walking in the evenings. I will have to try to squeeze it in during the day. Wish me luck!

What a Day

I worked out this morning with Ash then I went to Michael's to buy two presentation boards for science fair projects. I lost my AMEX card somewhere along the way. They are going to re-issue me a new one but I won't get it until sometime next week.

Then the school counselor called and told me she had Jax in a session with Gav, Mat and C. WHAT? I said she could talk to Jax, not hold a "leadership" or "friendship" session. Then she told me it was all arranged and they would meet every week on Mondays. I was so angry because I thought she had not listened to me at all! Then I was upset because Gav and the others had been dragged into this. After I picked Jax up from school he said he had a good time so now I am torn. Just on principle, I don't want to let him go but he seemed to enjoy it. Then Ash called me and said Gav liked it too and is looking forward to it. So now what do we do?!

In the whole scheme of things, this does not seem like a big deal so I don't understand why I am so pissed off about it. I guess because this week it seems that things are happening that are outside of my control.

And just to add another thing outside of my control today, we received the results of Jax's blood test and his peanut allergy antibodies has increased. F*ckity-f*ck.

I think I need to call and make an appointment with Crazy Doctor.

Ramblings

I am officially the MOPS Craft Coordinator for next year. I just submitted my budget and I hope I get the money I want. Now, how do I come up with 14 different crafts for 48 women at a cost of no more than $2.50 each?! Any and all ideas welcome!

I was showing Cars a picture of Jesus that was on the front cover of the "I Am Special" teacher guide for Sunday School. I said "That is Jesus" and he said "That not Jesus! That Qui-Gon Jinn!". Then he looked at me with a puzzled look and said "Where's him lightsaber?". I could not stop laughing! Can you see the similarity? (For those unfamiliar with Star Wars, Qui-Gon Jinn is on the left in the right-hand picture).






Today I received a call from the guidance counselor at school telling me she was scheduling Jax for "Leadership" classes because his teacher requested it (see this post for history). Ok, it is *4* months after we had first discussed it with his teachers and I told them we would get back to them if we decided to go that route (we did not). As far as I was aware, Jax has had no more problems at school making friends so where did this come from all of a sudden?! I gave her permission to speak to him tomorrow but that was it. She may not enroll him in the classes until we find out exactly what is going on. I then emailed his teachers to find out if they thought there was still a problem with him being friend-less and if so, why did they not let me know there was still a problem (parent/teacher interviews are next week and they said none was needed for him). Anyway, I am irked by all of this. I kind of got the impression that the counselor was trying to justify her job and was grabbing at names to fill up a class (she asked who Jax's friends were and when I told her she would say "Oh, they would do well in the Leadership classes too!").

So I will wait impatiently for a reply from his teachers. I have asked for an interview with them next week now. Hopefully it will not be at the same time as the one Ash is going to for Gav because I am to watch her kids at that time.

Waste of Time

My appt at the GYN yesterday was a waste of time. He confirmed that the "nodule" is smaller now than when it was and he told me to come back again when it gets bigger and hurts more. He is still sure it it incisional endometriosis (or whatever the technical term is). Laproscopy to remove the nodule is what he is suggesting. Not sure if mentally I can handle another surgery at this point so I guess I will just live with this pain for now. At least it is cyclical so I do have just a few days when it is really bad.

The power went off a short time ago so I need to go around and fix all of the clocks in the house. I was just mentioning to Stephen that we have had relatively few power outages this year and look what happens!

Oh but first:


Get your own!
Word Cloud

Thanks,Kimmer!

Bummed

Jax had an appointment with the allergist today. We were hoping that he had outgrown his egg allergy. No luck. She did send us for a blood test (RAST) to check the allergy levels of egg and peanuts.

One good news item is that he is not allergic to any new items that he was tested for (lots of trees and weeds). But he remains allergic to grass and birch trees.

Off to my GYN to check out the lump by my c-section incision...

HP4

We watched "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" for movie night last night. I thought it was pretty awesome. However, it took nearly three hours to watch because I had to pause it about eleventy billion times for 1) potty breaks 2) "More chips please, Mom?" 3) Dex's jabbering so loud that we could not hear. I *will* see the next Harry Potter movie in the theatre...ALONE!

Huh?

In today's mail, I received the official letter from the Breast Center with results from last week's mammogram:

Dear Ms. Pez:

We are pleased to inform you that your recent breast imaging examination (mammography and/or breast ultrasound), performed at our facility shows that the area of your previous biopsy has remained stable, confirming that it is almost certainly benign (not cancer).

"Almost certainly" doesn't really sound as reassuring as they probably intend it to be.

The Winner is

Chloe!

I have loved watching this show and I am already looking forward to next Fall when the next season will start!

Today was a "Teacher Appreciation Lunch" which the PTA puts on once each month on an early dismissal Wednesday. The theme was "International Lunch" so parents brought in dishes from countries of their heritage. I took in Nanaimo Bars (but my recipe uses Vanilla pudding rather than Vanilla custard). Yummy!

Anyway, I arrived at the school during morning recess and in the teacher's lounge was one of Jax's teachers (he has two who job share) chatting with his former 1st grade teacher. Miss 1st Grade Teacher was eating peanuts in the shell. Ok, so here is where I cannot figure out if I am being rational or irrational. I became so pissed off at her because she has a PEANUT ALLERGIC child in her class again this year. In fact, he has had at least two anaphylactic reactions to peanuts! Ok, so she is pretty hip to peanut allergies and would probably wash her hands before returning to the class but I think about all the dust from the peanut shells getting all over her clothes. And those same peanut particles became airborne in that room and possibly landed on Jax's teacher who will go back into the classroom. And because of it, I am so disappointed with that 1st grade teacher.

The school is not peanut-free but the classrooms are. So I should be thankful that the teacher ate them in the teachers' lounge rather than in the classroom. And, I do not even know if Jax's teacher was teaching in his class today (she works full-time, in the class Thursday, Fridays and every other Wednesday so it is possible she was doing her other job today which is Reading Specialist for the school). Plus, I am wondering if 1st grade teacher do the same thing last year when Jax was her student? He is highly allergic to peanuts (but no anaphylaxis - touch wood).

I did not say anything. I wish I had had the nerve to say "Miss 1st Grade Teacher, don't forget to wash your hands before returning to class!".

So, I need to think about this some more and process it and decide how I really should feel about this (shrug it off or what, I don't know!).

And Jax has an appointment with the allergist on Tuesday. I think I will ask her what the chances are for the peanut dust causing a reaction. I have read about reactions from peanut dust but that has been in restaurants and bars that serve peanuts in the shell and you just throw the shells on the floor (do any restaurants or bars still do that?).

Food allergies suck.

Old Grey Pez

I think I have mentioned before that I have decided to stop colouring my hair and go old gracefully. Well, I am not sure about going gracefully but I am certainly grey. It has been 4 months since I last coloured my hair (I did it the night before we left for Ramona's wedding in Vegas).

I knew I was "going" grey - I started colouring my hair in 1994 because it was long and grey and I was looking for my first job in the States (my work permit had just been approved). For years I went to a salon to have it done but about three or four years ago I started doing it myself.

I would spend all of my time watching my hair and calculating when the next time I could safely do it. Since I started doing it at home, I have ruined a half dozen towels, our flooring in the master bath (which has since been replaced), two bath mats, stained a toilet seat, three t-shirts and two bras.

So I decided after my 40th birthday, I was going to stop colouring my hair. But, I would stop right after my trip to Vegas with Ramona and Leah Ann to celebrate our 40th birthdays:


Ok, Vegas was over so NO MORE COLOUR...but then it was summer time and I didn't want to look old during the summer. Then, I had to colour it again for Ramona and Greg's wedding in November.

Finally! I was Free To Be Me and here are the results after four months:






So, even though I knew I was going grey and had some patches that were more grey than others, I am still shocked at how grey I am at the the temples (ok whole side of the head) but much less grey on top!

So my plan is to grow out the grey some more then cut my hair shorter (blunt cut or something). We'll see if I have glorious silver locks or dull grey frizzy hair.

Stressed Out

For some reason I am feeling very stressed out and I am short-tempered with my children. Do I need to go back to see Crazy Doctor to figure out what is going on and how I manage it? I am beginning to think so.

Lsat night was so much fun. There were 8 of us from MOPS being fitted and I think in total we bought 22 bras (I purchased just two) so that was $76 dollars donated to The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Boobies

Today at MOPS, our speakers were two bra fitters from Nordstrom. They told us about the benefits of a good bra fitting. I was already won over. My online friend, Jill8102 (hee, I don't think of her as just "Jill", isn't that funny?) convinced me about 5 years ago to go to Nordstroms, get fitted and buy myself a Wacoal bra. So I did and I have been in love with those bras ever since and only buy them after a proper bra fitting.

Anyway, tomorrow and Saturday, Nordstrom is having a Fit for the Cure event and for every bra fitting, they will donate $2 to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and if you buy a Wacoal or DKNY/Donna Karen bras, they will donate another $2.

So, I am off to Nordstrom tomorrow evening with a group of ladies from MOPS. We have an 8pm appointment for bra fittings. Then we'll head somewhere for dessert. :)

Oh, and today I had my 6 month follow-up mammogram and all is ok (the radiologist view the films right away for any follow-up mammograms so no waiting - yeah!). I go back in another 6 months and if all is ok then, I will be back on a yearly schedule.

Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return

When I lived in Canada, no one ever commented on ashes on my forehead on Ash Wednesday. I don't know if it is because more than 40% of the population is Roman Catholic (vs less than 25% of Americans) or if people just knew what it was about.

After a six year hiatus, I returned to the Church 1.5 years ago and this is the second Ash Wednesday where people have come up to me and told me that I had black smudges on my forehead. Last year, my friend even reached over to rub it off! I didn't have that same reaction in Minneapolis but then I would usually go to an evening service and then go directly home (although come to think of it I do remember getting a funny look from the cashier at the grocery store one year).

Anyway, for any non-Catholics out there, if you see someone with a smudge of black ash on their foreheads today, you can be sure that they do indeed know that it is there. And they do not need you to rub it off for them.

Thankyouverymuch.